


Unfounded

by ManicSkies



Series: Unfounded [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arranged Marriages, Canon-Typical Violence, Cliffhangers, Cunnilingus, Details I'd rather not tag, Dubious Consent, Explicit Sexual Content, Extremely slow actually, F/M, Fix-It of Sorts, Fluff, Forced Marriage, Graphic Sexual Content, Grief/Mourning, Heavy Angst, Kinda sexy too, Konoha Founding, Ludicrous bets, Minor Senju Hashirama/Uchiha Madara, Multi, Mystery, OC, Oral Sex, Past Rape/Non-con, Pre-Konoha Founding, Rape/Non-con Elements, Repressed Emotions, Repressed Memories, Rough Sex, SI-OC, Shameless Smut, Slow Burn, Smut, Thriller, Time Skips, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Timeline spans, Tobirama has unresolved anger issues, Warring States Period (Naruto), explicit details, female oc - Freeform, lol, lots and lots of cliffhangers, questionable morals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-24
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-04-06 05:08:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 62
Words: 520,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManicSkies/pseuds/ManicSkies
Summary: The story of a relatively asinine OC whose world has given 'down the rabbit hole' a whole new meaning.____***I just made a discord server relating to my fics and whatnot: https://discord.gg/GRTHG9EHere's the invite! Anyone can join! It's a general server.***





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> Hello new readers, and old readers alike! Thanks for checking out my fic. I thought I'd write out a few things you should know about it.
> 
> (1) I am currently revising my entire story mainly because I had not given it the effort it deserved when I first began. besides, I also like to think I've grown quite a bit since then. So, please pardon me if you find some errors and mistakes in the meanwhile, you'll be more pleased as you read on. I swear! Or at least I sincerely hope so.
> 
> (2) This is obviously not a one shot/short story kind of fic. This story is the kind that you should probably take your time in reading and enjoy the progress as well as the development of the characters and their relationships with each other, there are many POVs written, not solely the Oc's. Then again, it's fairly long, so I'm guessing you would be taking your time either ways.  
> (3) Don't be afraid to leave a review or a favorite. It means a lot.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: ALL NARUTO CHARACTERS BELONG TO MASASHI KISHIMOTO. I don't own any of them. In fact, I don't own shit, well except maybe for my OC.

_ **Part One** _

Life.

It was something alright.

The noun itself made me want to vomit.

It's also a bunch of crap. But, that definition seemed to elude the dictionary. For reasons that were way beyond me or my puny little head.

This class was going to be the death of me, I knew it. I just knew it.  _Fuck._

I couldn't help but stare at the pained look plastered on our substitute's face. I also couldn't help but wonder if it was because he was constipated and desperately needed to go to the bathroom or rather because of the lackluster and dull vibe that seemed to have enveloped this class and its students. I was almost certain that everyone in this class had the same expression mirrored. Unless, they were all constipated as well, then I  _really_  did not want to stay in this room any longer. In fear that- well, what if one couldn't hold it in anymore? And lets everything loose? And then, we would all be trapped in-

Oh God, it's about to happen.  _I could see it._

That guy sitting next to me, Greg, his face...it contorted in such a way that it was impossible to tell if it was going to be explosive or meteoric.  _Oh God._ The twist of his lips, the quirk of his eyebrows, the itch in his nose-

 _"Duck!"_  I screamed as I ran towards the teacher's desk- the only desk that had a protective shield against such an attack- and hid behind it.

He...he..

_Sneezed?_

He fucking sneezed.

Every pair of eyes in the room quickly darted to my direction as I whimpered behind the large bureau. Everyone was looking at me as if I was crazy.

"What do you think you're doing?" The substitute asked sternly. It appeared that I interrupted his little chatter-fest. No one was listening to him, anyway. Did it matter?

"I..." How did I excuse myself without letting the truth slip?  _That I suspected everyone had severe constipation? That they were all about to explode and shower us all with their gracefulness?_

"I apologize." I was ashamed. Ashamed at my own actions and embarrassed at my own imagination. How far it would take me. So far, oh-so far. This was what boredom did to one's mind. Or maybe just mine. I went to sit back down next to Greg who was now eyeing me like I was mentally challenged. "Sorry." I whispered to him. I had a tingling feeling that he was insulted by my outburst. It never hurt to apologize. And I did. Now, I could go back to sleeping on the counter. We were in the science room, though we were doing everything and anything that did not relate to actual science. No experiments, no lessons, absolutely nothing.

The rest of the session continued on in the same orderly, incredibly boring manner. Expressions did not change, moods did not waver. Everyone was dead. But not quite as deadly as the silence that reigned over the room.

Two hours wasted.

A hundred-and-twenty minutes of my life I could never get back.

Seven thousand two-hundred seconds of having an awkward stare-down with Greg, the suspected constipator.

This day was not going well. At all.

That rumbling in my stomach still hasn't calmed down since the class started. The only audible sound in this lifeless room. At least, my classmates have been graced with hearing the melodic sounds of my stomach churning.  _Dammit, I shouldn't have skipped lunch._

It didn't matter, only forty-six seconds left until the bell rings, signalling the end of yet another uneventful day at school.

_"Hey…_

Forty seconds left.

_"What was that all about?_

Thirty seconds to go.

_Psst"_

That voice again. It was trying to catch my attention. I turned around to see her, sitting a few seats down from me, whispering none too gently. "What do you want?" I replied louder than I had intended.

"Why were you running away from Greg?"

Of course he would hear us. The whole class was eaves-dropping. Not that Mary made an effort to shut her trap. Whatever, there was only twenty seconds to the clock.

"You thought he would shit his pants again, didn't you?! Right?" She shouted as the small smile she had worn turned into a smirk.

_Oh God, no._

Sweat was running down the sides of my face as I tried to resort to magic and make myself disappear. Since we weren't being taught the scientific mechanisms and the complex intricacies of how to make one's body dematerialize with some unknown technological crap you would only hear in science  _fiction_ , sorcery was the next best option. Wouldn't you know it, that crap also didn't exist.

And so, by fate's almighty will, I was left here, swallowing my own spit as I attempted my very best not to move nor look him in the eyes. I heard a few snickers and sneering here and there. I knew this class was going to be the end of me, I called it. I called it dammit!

The next thing I knew- or rather, heard- was the loud ringing echoing through the halls. The first one to stand from his seat was yours truly. Actually, no. It was Greg. The laughs only turned to cackles when everything became hectic. He rushed out the door.

"No wait! It's not what you think, Greg!"

I called out after him. Naturally, he didn't answer and I was the one who became the spectacle of the show.

* * *

_Autumn._

The end of the beginning. Or was it the beginning of the end?

It was going to be  _someone's_  end, and that someone was going to be Mary. I was itching to get my hands on her throat; choke her, suffocate her, cut off the blood supply to her brain. She already had few neurons, what would it matter if she lost a few more brain cells?

I didn't know how long I had been standing here on the school's backyard. It was more like a playground for adults; both teachers and students, to come and smoke. And do some very questionable things. Things that should not be named.

Come back to school the next day and you would here a load of rumors about said things that happened just the day before. Rumors, rumors and rumors. I didn't pay too much attention to them, even if one gets to know more about oneself just by listening to them. Most of the time, we get to discover things we never truly knew about ourselves. It was an interesting concept; the telephone game where everyone could change whatever they want from whatever they heard from whoever they heard it from. But that was how you got a rumor; a fat, juicy, scandalous rumor.

"Have you seen the light?" That high-pitched voice asked.

"You are the devil." I turned around and told it right to her face. No need for a rumor to get this particular message across.

"Oh really?" Her wide green eyes widened even further as I told her off. "I wasn't aware. How interesting! But not more interesting than how you thought everyone would shit themselves. What kinda drugs were you on?" She laughed. But I didn't find any of this funny. It was like elementary school all over again, getting berated every day was not my sort of fun.

"Shut up." I felt myself burning up with embarrassment. "How could you do this?" I added. In all honesty, I wasn't even remotely surprised. This was the kind of thing Mary did. She was the type of person who would follow you into the public bathrooms and wait outside your stall, trying to woo you, calling you sexy names as she pressed her body against the metal doors. She once did that to some poor, unsuspecting guy when he was rushing to a washroom. He only wanted to urinate in peace but she wouldn't let him. Safe to say, the guy was crept out and tried to report her for harassment. The matter was supposedly settled but all the jocks avoided her from then on.

"Serves you right. You shouldn't be so inattentive in class." We walked side-by-side on our usual route home.

"Oh is that so? So what was that substitute talking about?" I tested her.

"Easy. The French Revolution." She said with all the confidence of a fool. Too bad she was wrong.

"Wrong. It was the The Five Days of Milan." What was a history substitute doing in a chemistry class? I had no idea, but it was apparently a last minute call. Not everyone found the start of the first Italian war of Independence interesting. I certainly would have found it interesting, if the teacher hadn't been a half-dead walking zombie. Lifeless, that was what he was.

"Pfft. I couldn't care." She shrugged, her red locks bouncing as she raised her shoulders. "So, what's up?"

"Nothing. I see that your blatant lack of respect for punctuality is as fine as ever." I hated to be kept waiting and I made that crystal-clear every single time she made me  _wait._ I instantly crossed my arms across my chest trying to shield myself from the cold winds.

"Well, I can't really help it. It runs in the family." She said.

"Does the lack of appropriate clothing also run in the family?" I retorted.

I couldn't stop myself from eyeing her choice of clothing for this weather. I may have been staring a little too long. "Like what you see? Go ahead and take a pic, it'll last longer." She exclaimed with amusement lit in her eyes.

"You know you can catch a cold. Though, I guess you'd like that, no?" Her knee length black tights and nearly see-through, short sleeved white shirt- while flattering her figure- is not completely suitable for the season.

"Stop patronizing me,  _my dear_. I have a mother at home, I don't need one following me at school, too. You're eighteen, not a drop-out forty year old single mother. Though I suppose you can't help it, hmm?" She replied, passing a pale hand through her hair. "Besides, just because you can dress yourself in a trash bag, doesn't mean I have to as well." I chuckled at her comment a little bit. I looked down at my baggy black sweat pants and equally baggy navy sweatshirt with a white furry hoodie, I guess maybe I could be wearing a trash bag. I wasn't sure I could pull it off.

"I guess I would be considered the trash that fills the trash bag, huh?"

"Yes. Pretty much. We're all trash, but only a few are  _good trash._ You know, the ones true inside and out." She joked.

"Know what's trashy? _Your language."_

...

"That is one horrible pun."

I had to agree. Weren't all puns supposed to be horrible, though?

We continued walking in silence, with only the sound of rustling dry leaves underneath us. With each minute we walked, the air was getting chillier and the light of the sky was fading. The atmosphere gloomy as it always was in these residential neighborhoods. I heard a crow cawing in the distance. We were nearing the small concrete bridge.

"Hey, don't you ever get this feeling like something bad is going to happen?" I suddenly asked, breaking up the comfortable silence that we were walking in.

"Hmm?" She stopped in her tracks and seemed to ponder the meaning of that statement for a while. "Well, it's hard to say really. Intuitions can be pretty subjective, but if you-"

"Never mind." I responded tonelessly, not really paying attention.

"It's hard to say honestly." Was her last response. It was as if the atmosphere got ten times gloomier just by standing there. We started walking again, passing the bridge from underneath.

"We should probably hurry, it's getting darker." I said trying to lighten the mood, but failing. We eventually reached the intersection leading to our separate streets.

Before parting ways, Mary said. "You'd tell me if something is wrong right? If something is botheri- "

"Yeah, of course." I sounded before waving her off and headed towards my house. Otherwise known as hell.

* * *

Surprisingly, I found no one at home when I got there. Not that it bothered me being alone, but I did enjoy some company from time to time. Especially my annoying little brother's. He was fun to hang out with, considering that he wasn't always nagging me about my college applications. Yes, his company was the most desirable out of anyone else's in this house. After raiding the fridge like a raccoon thief, there was nothing left for me to do but to freshen up and then buckle down for a long study session. The night awaiting me was going to be long.

...

And full of sleep. I didn't manage to study a single thing worth of my time.

I woke up panting, breathless and…utterly confused. The heat around me was unbearable, I felt like I was in a furnace being burned alive.

I straightened up and quickly yanked away the blanket covering me, the air was chilly yet I felt like I was on fire. Everything seemed blurry as I tried to adjust my eyes in the dark room. I put a hand to my forehead and could feel beads of sweat forming and my temperature was abnormally high. I fumbled around the night table next to my bed in search for the lamp. I eventually found it after what seemed to be an eternity.

I turned it on and tried to take in my surrounding. I still felt groggy as my eyes roamed the room. I caught a glimpse of the time displayed on the alarm. 12:45 AM. I could see the piles of paper and a few textbooks spread all over my bed sheets.

_God, not again._

I had to remind myself to make a mental note for the thousandth time _to not study on the bed._  I end up sleeping in the most random positions. I could be writing anything and I would just doze off in the middle of a sentence. Similarly, whenever I was in a car I always fall into a deep slumber like a baby without knowing. One of the reasons why I don't take the seat behind the wheel. Not that anyone would let me anyways.

Everything was starting to clear up. I took a look at myself in the mirror beside my closet and saw that my cheeks and the tip of nose were already a flaming shade of red. My forehead and chin were a slightly lighter flush. My pale complexion didn't really help as I only end up looking like an overripe tomato. I sighed.

As I feel my senses returning, I became faintly aware of the wetness between my legs.  _Huh..._  I brought down my hand to my inner thighs and there was a dampness that sure wasn't there before I fell asleep. I took a quick glance towards a sheets and sure enough, there was a light clear stain.  _Dammit._  I hurried towards the bathroom with a change of shorts in my hands, somewhat angry and embarrassed to find myself like this. I was eighteen and I just pissed myself while I was asleep. This was a whole new low even I never thought I could achieve.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, I was out of the bathroom still completely befuddled. I managed to freshen up a bit and changed into dryer clothes.

"Well, that was most definitely not  _pee_..." I groaned to myself. The red tint of my face was still there though much lighter now.

"What wasn't pee?" I heard a voice mutter. I looked up to see my younger brother a few feet away; short brown hair disheveled, eyes groggy, grey shirt crumbled and a hand in the pocket of his basketball shorts while the other hand was rubbing his eyes trying to wake up.

"What are you doing up?" I asked, avoiding his question.

"I was going…down to the kitchen to get a cup of water." He said, managing to yawn in between his words. I eyed him suspiciously. He was much taller than me. I may be older but I'm 5'4" and I have nothing against his 6'1" frame. Apparently, tall genes only ran in the males of this family.

"Did you just come back?" I asked though I'm sure he was probably in bed before twelve. If he wasn't, mother would have surely went out to hunt him down like a rabid dog.

"No." He said simply. We stood there for what seemed to be another few minutes. "Go back to sleep, Ivor." I said as I went back to my room.

"It's Ivan." He shot back with slight exasperation in his voice, though it was masked by his drowsiness.

"Right. Sorry."

Back in my bed, free of messy papers and textbooks, I laid down in the dark staring at the ceiling, not really focused on anything but an imaginary dot.

The only light in the room was coming from the silver moon high up in the sky. I shifted in my bed, gazing back at the moon through the window. The moonlight shone brightly through the few grey clouds that were still roaming the sky. They looked like wispy curls of hair, but they still weren't able to hide the beautiful blinking fairy lights that were the stars. I was thankful that we didn't live too far into the city, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see these heavenly orbs that were thousands of light-years away. Despite their glow, they couldn't outshine the greatest satellite in the sky. My mind brought me back to the dream. _It was very_... I could feel the heat rising up my cheeks again. I've never had a dream like that before. As memories of the dream flooded my mind, I became more flushed. I could still hear the rustling of leaves outside as the wind blew stronger. It seems like I've been awake for hours, staring at the sky. The last image I recalled seeing was of the moon waning and the faint glow of orange at the far horizon.

* * *

"You need to see this."

"No." I rejected her outright. I didn't need to watch whatever porn she was going to show me. Again. I fell for it once, but never again would I let her dupe me like that. I sat in front of my computer, trying to summon up every word I knew in the English language to finish this damn essay. Which was due...around-

Less than fifteen hours from now. Yes, I had to finish this in that little time frame. Which would have been no problem had she not decided to interrupt me. Of course, life didn't always give you lemons to make lemonade. No, it gave you lemons to shove it up your-

"I swear it's not porn this time." She whined. She was enjoying the comfort of my bed as she splayed across it, having nothing better to do with her life. Unlike some people.

"I don't believe you." I paid no attention to her.

"Well, fine. If you don't wanna read it, I'll just say it." She must have taken my silence as a sign to continue with her nonsense. "This article says it could tell you the state where you  _really_  belong to based on your zodiac sign."

"Your emphasis on  _really_  will not make me believe in this crapola of yours." I warned her. That didn't stop her. She sat up and blabbered on.

"According to this, you should be living in the state of Georgia, and I, in the state of New York."

I turned around in my chair and looked her dead in the eyes.

"That's funny. I feel like I'm living in the  _state_  of Confusion and  _you,_  in the  _state_  of Delirium. And soon to be the  _state_  of All Mighty Hell, if You. Do. Not. Leave."

"Ahh, I see whatcha did there!"

"Leave!"

One more second and I would have ended up on the floor, seizing and in pain due to her absurdness. She bounced off the bed and ran out of the bedroom door. I have not heard from her for a week since.

* * *

_I look like shit._

Was all I could think as I walked through the corridors of endless classrooms. That thought clearly didn't escape Mary's mind either.

"Wow, you look like shit." She said with what seemed like genuine surprise. Which I didn't understand considering that this was always how I looked like. In contrast to her neat and simple appearance. Starting from her well-kept layered bob hair sitting atop her head down to her thinly clipped toes.  _Why is it that I can see her toe nails anyways? Is she wearing…sandals?_  I had to wonder. She saw me peering down at her feet. She grinned. I had to take second look. She was wearing jeans and a plain long sleeved shirt with a knitted cardigan over.  _I suppose it is an improvement..._

"I took your advice." I heard her say.

"Wow thank you, that makes me feel appreciated." I replied smiling, sarcasm dripping from my voice. I saw her giving me the same treatment I was giving her not a moment ago. Looking me up and down, I followed her gaze. My shoulder length dark brown hair was in a messy bun. And not the sexy kind.

No, the kind that looks like your dog took a shit on your head. My hair was naturally wavy, so it looked like a dog took two shits on my head instead. The funny thing was _, I didn't have a dog._  I didn't need to see to know that hair strands were falling everywhere, framing my slightly round face. But worse than my creative hair-do was my choice of clothing. Over-sized dark green khakis and a hooded sweatshirt were apparently not very pretty together.

"I see the disappointment in your eyes. No need to look any longer." I told her. I know I look... _plain._  And I know I should care.

But... I don't.

How my mother lets me walk out of the house like this, befuddles me. As I'm sure my father and my brother. And now, Mary.

_Though, I suppose it's not really her responsibility now, is it?_

* * *

"...her name's Mina and she loves to draw and read and talk down to people and put them down and..." She was basically shouting, grinning like an idiot the whole time. She must have forgotten the basics of English if she couldn't even use conjunctions correctly.

I couldn't help but look up at her; sitting down in my seat, heads resting in the palms of my hands and thought that she could not possibly be a legal adult, but a little boy stuck in an eighteen year old girl's body.  _Why on earth did she drag me to this? More importantly, why on earth did I let her drag me into this?_

What we were doing in a kindergarten filled with young children screeching like little banshees, still eludes me. Right, I believe it's something along the lines of ...  _"Please , come on, I have to pick up my little brother from his kindergarten since sis can't. I swear it won't take long, we'll be back in school by the end of lunch. Besides, it's only like around the corner, five minutes away from the school. Come on, please please..."_

And now I find myself sitting on a mini stool half the size of my ass with my hands leaning on an equally small table. We were supposed to be talking about friendships and the importance of having social skills. Apparently. As if interrupting the class wasn't enough, Mary _forcefully_  invited us both to join this little session. With the teacher's 'invitation', of course. Fast-forward and we were now talking about who our best friends are.

"Mina and I met long ago, we even share the same birthday! She's born the 27th-"

" _The 1st_ " I interjected,

"Of March-" She continued.

" _January_ " I corrected her once more.

"2000-"

" _1999_ "

"at St-Mary's hos-"

" _St-Andrews_ "

"12:32AM" ... She looked at me sideways, unsure if I was about to interrupt her again.

"How would I know?" I confessed eventually. The moment I came out of that long dark tunnel that was my mother's- was the day that I regretted the most. Even if I didn't know it back then.

What I did know is that it was 12:35 PM and lunch had finished a near half hour ago. Head still resting in my palms, I looked up at her and arched an eyebrow. How long did she plan on keeping this up?

"So yep, that's my best friend Mina and I respect her very,  _very_  much." _Lies. All of it._

She said with an over the top cheerful voice. She started to walk back to my direction when the teacher finally spoke with an equally exuberant tone.

"So, kids I hope you've learned what it is to be a friend and to be kind towards other. That's it for today, you may go get your bags ready, calmly, and go home." She said with a smile, practiced to perfection.

"Oh, and don't forget your homework. I'll be checking it one by one, hmm." She added.

Everyone started to get up frantically as if they, too, were dreading this unbearably awful session. Though, they were probably too young to even be dreading things like that. We were finally out and about and it was nearing one o'clock.

"So, we're definitely not going back to school, are we? " I asked, irritated.

She was pretending to ignore me by blabbing along with her younger brother. "If you wanted to skip,  _you skip_. But don't take me along with you." I kept pushing.

Still no answer.

I turned around to face the little boy, "Hey Alec, isn't your sister a bit of a bitc-?" I stopped myself short before I said something that wasn't meant for a five year old's ears.

"A bit?" He said mockingly, "She's annoying a lot. She picks on me because I'm smaller than her." He continued.  _He already understood what I wanted to say, huh? "_ Oh really now? What a mean sister she is!" I said, trying to pit the young boy against his elder sister. I saw her glaring at me.

"She's a bitch!" The boy exclaimed happily, he had that same silly grin as his older sister. I almost burst out laughing. He couldn't have learned it from me, anyways.

"Alec, that's not how you talk about your big sister." Mary finally commented, feigning a hurt expression. "And don't say that word." Still holding his tiny hands as we walked through the park. We finally reached Mary's destination. She dropped off her brother at a friend's house for a play-date and would head back to school. She would come back to pick him up later, after she finished.

They were nearly identical, both of them. Their porcelain-like clear skin, the flawless freckles that adorned their chubby cheeks, the red hair that they each wore. They were true gingers. While Mary's hair was straight and cropped, Alec's was small tufts of curly locks. But their eyes was what stood them out the most. They were that pale emerald green you would only dream of seeing once in your life. They reflected everything they laid upon. The little boy's were so full of innocence whereas my friend's was just a shade darker.

"We better be there in time to catch the last session."


	2. Down The Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have deleted the first 4 chapters (modern setting) as I felt that they did not add anything to the story. It only served as character build-up for my OC, so they were pretty useless to the plot. I kept the fifth because it had the most relevance to the continuation of the story-line.  
> 

Days pass by. One after another. With each day, the trees lose more of their leaves. Those once beautifully colored leaves that hung elegantly on the now bare branches, are slowly fading away. The winds are becoming harsher and colder and the land; bleak. Everything seems so depressing and lifeless, now that the colors were gone. I could practically remember the faint autumn breezes as if they were just yesterday's flurries. As if the season hadn't passed, but only lingered on in the subtlest of ways.

There really was something about fall that you couldn't help but admire the beauty of the season.

It would have been a sad season if it weren't for the flashy leaves dancing along with the wind. It was always the first autumn leaves that were the most beautiful. The vibrant, lively colors they displayed were nothing short of breathtaking. The golden and crimson carpets that laid underneath my feet as I walked home, always drew my eyes to an endless sea of orange and red allure. My mind swirled round and round with the maple leaves persistently as they ran away with the gentle wind. I would shift my gaze to the sky, a beautiful shade of baby blue where clouds scuttled across it and the sun shone through small bursts every now and then. And the atmosphere.  _The air._  It felt so fresh, unlike winter where it was bitter and sharp. Especially after such a heated and humid summer, one can only enjoy the soft autumn scents of cinnamon and smoked wood for so long. And then they die, they rot, they turn brown then black and then they wither away.  _Everything dies and withers away._  The wind becomes strong gusts of unbearably cold air.  _And now-_

We're closing in on winter, the first snowflakes are just around the corner. So much time passes without me realizing it. It was as if time was slipping right between my fingers and I couldn't do anything about it but watch. Staring through my bedroom window, I couldn't help but realize that there's not a single soul out on the streets. It's unnaturally quiet. I guess most people are sitting comfortably inside their homes.  _Except for that damn cat._ It wasn't that I didn't like cats, it was just that this one was strange. This little cute black feline fella began following me back from school one day and never stopped. It always waited for me back home. I don't quite remember when it had started, I always thought that it had run away from its home. It certainly didn't seem like a street cat because it looked well groomed.

Although it's not completely dark yet, the sun had just set, leaving behind a perfect shade of cerulean blue. With a few clouds every now and then. With a last glance at that yellow-eyed kitty, I turned around and sighed.  _What am I supposed to do now? I'm bored out of my mind._  I also got equally bored of studying.  _Fuck, I have no life._

I mused, a faint smile crept to my lips. I don't have many friends, actually I don't have any, well- except for Mary. Though, I consider her more of a sister. A close confidante.

_A partner in crime._

My smile grew wider. I honestly can't remember who I was before I met her. I don't really like people. Especially those that I had to share classes with for the past gruelling five years. I just simply can't stand stupidity or the trivial things people care about these days. I'm a person of little patience. While I'm fully aware at how egocentric I sound- I can even understand why people might think I have a superiority complex-but it's only because I've been looked down upon as an outcast by my classmates since I was in elementary school. Or for as long as I can remember, really.

Eventually, I grew up to find it a much harder task; to talk to people, that is. I hated how tedious it was and how much effort I had to put in to do so. I just grew to be quiet and kept things to myself. Heck, I didn't even initiate my friendship with Mary. She just started talking to me out of the blue one day. I merely went along with it and after some time, found myself drawn to her.  _We just...clicked._  I did manage to open up a bit since meeting her, so that's good.

"But this still doesn't answer my question, what am I supposed to do now?" I asked myself. Talking to myself is something I do too often. Another habit I cannot get rid of, just like biting my nails. Which I guess is fairly common. I looked around my room. Spring cleaning seems to be long over due. I sighed again.  _Great. What should I start with, hmm?_  My room wasn't a complete disaster, save for the clusters of random paper piled everywhere; on the bed, on the night stands,  _beside_  the bed and the night stands, on the shelves and even stuffed in the closet. Though my desk seems to have been hit the worst. A few textbooks lay here and there. Novels stacked upon novels in one corner of the room, I couldn't find any more space for them. A cup or two that once held deliciously hot coffee, were scattered on the desk and the dresser underneath the mirror.  _No need in delaying this any further I guess._

I started to pick up a random pile of sheets stuck between my bed and the night stand. I quickly looked them over to see if they're of any importance.  _Garbage. Preferably, an incinerator._  I couldn't stop cringing as I saw my old journal entries from my pre-teen years. I even found the same entry I was reading a few weeks ago at school, when Mary caught me off guard. I had meant to throw it away but I guess I forgot. It's good that I found the shitload of them. Now I can get rid of them all together. I crumpled them all into small balls of paper and threw them in the bin. _"So, what's next?"_  I said out loud as my eyes scanned the room for any other evidences of my emo years.

...

Weeks pass without anything eventful really happening. Everyday's the same old, same old. Wake up, go to school, attend classes, fool around with Mary, walk back home and have a stare down with that black cat. I love cats, I mean what's not to love about small furry creatures who look innocent yet are mischievous as hell? Perhaps even more than I do certain humans, but this one still gives me the wrong vibe. I figured it would have left me alone by now. I tried offering it food on multiple occasions but it didn't really appear to be hungry, it was just standing there- in the same position, at the same time... _it's unnerving._  I'd like to think I'm imagining things, but...

A firm yet small hand landed with a loud slap on my right buttocks was what pulled me out of my reverie. I felt a not so gentle squeeze and tight clutch followed by a fit of giggles and some very rude things. That shameless and vulgar behavior belonged to one person and one person only.

"Damn girl, gimme dat ass-"

Not a second later, I turned around swiftly, interrupting her little bubble of laughter, and used all the force I could muster in one hand- while carrying textbooks with the other- to slap her backhandedly. I was satisfied with the amount of force I used as I saw her tumble to the side with her hands holding the right side of her face. I could even see the large red print already forming there. What I was not satisfied with was that...lewd grin she still had plastered on her and the deadly silence in the hallway that followed those loud slaps. I could feel several pairs of eyes already gazing at us. But I didn't care. " _What on earth is wrong with you_?" I hissed. Mary didn't respond but just gazed back at me with a perverse look on her face.

"You looked good today, I just thought I'd show you how much I appreciate it since it doesn't happen very often" She said. On the contrary, this happens way too often. Looking good or not, I'd still get a random ass grab or a tackle from her anytime, anywhere. I've gotten used to her shenanigans and it doesn't bother me as much. Though, I'd never let her know that. Which is why I always repay her inappropriate slaps with ones to her face. I walked closer to her, each step I took towards her she took one back. " _You know,_  " I began "you're really bad at this. You can't even jump someone correctly. I'm kinda disappointed. " I said as I narrowed my eyes, turning the volume of my voice down a notch.

"Though you seem persistent on getting better at it, here's a few suggestions on how to go about jumping people  _properly_. One, you don't do it in a public place or you'll have to deal with a mob of angry people." I raised a finger as I was counting down. "Two, you don't announce your presence to your poor victim a mile away. In other words, you don't go shouting  _'Hey baby girl, gimme dat ass_ ' or ' _Damn mama, those some thick legs ya got there, gimme a taste_.' Sneakiness is key. Three, don't get caught and goodbye."

I turned around and strutted out of there as fast as I can. I wasn't in the mood to deal with Mary's perversity today. Two more sessions and I'm out of here. And the week would be done... I didn't think I looked good today. Not at all. I just put in a little more effort than usual. I don't know really why ,  _I just...felt like it_. I know most of the time I seem like I don't care about how I present myself but I'm still a girl, and I do care about how I look. I'm just lazy. And unfortunately, that laziness far exceeds my personal opinion of how I should pay attention to my looks.

Today, I opted for a simple curved neckline blouse. Its color a deep shade of cherry red. It's hem tucked inside my high-waisted black jeans. It was a little tight because I haven't worn it in a long time and I was reluctant to wear it this morning. I don't like to wear anything particularly tight, especially jeans, because they tend to...outline my curves. Something I'm more than self conscious about. Though I ended up wearing it nonetheless because it's high-waisted, and that keeps my little tummy in check. A navy blue cardigan covered the ensemble. My hair wasn't a terrible mess as it always was. Instead of looking the usual like a dog had taken two shits over my head, I decided to wear it down, with dark wavy strands settling on my shoulders.

It was already getting darker outside by the time the bell rang at 3:30 PM. The sun was already setting. Expected I guess, seeing that we're in mid-November. What's not expected though is the lack of snow. It hasn't appeared yet. Not a single snowflake has fallen from the sky. I'm frustrated about it because I love winter. It's my season. Despite the freezing cold weather, the never-ending pitter-patter of rain and the depressing grey hues of the sky, I always thought winter had a warmth to it like no other season. I always felt I belonged in it, if that makes sense. I let out a loud sigh. I started picking up my things from my locker and get ready to head home.

Something shiny caught my eye. It was just hanging on the edge of a shelf at the back of the locker. The pendant Mary gave me for my birthday a few years ago. I've been looking for it forever. It was a long silver chain with concentric circles interlocking, attached in the middle and a small red rock embedded right in the center. It was beautiful, I never received a gift like that. Not even since.

"Mina, can you please come back to class. I need you to help me with something." I looked up to see Mr. Matthew, our history teacher, calling me. He was young for a teacher and not bad looking either.  _Exactly like every stereotype,_ I can't help but think.

"Alright, sure let me just grab my things and I'll meet you there" I replied with a respectful tone I had specifically reserved for teachers. Mary would constantly tease me about it because it sounded like " _an overly sunshine-y little eight year old girl"._

Her words. Whatever they meant.

I quickly put on the pendant, grabbed my coat and stuffed books into my bag. I was on my way to his class, in which I was in not even a few moments ago. On the stairs, I heard a faint ringtone. It took me a moment to realize it was my phone. I set my bag down and fumbled around for the phone hidden between the messy sheets of papers .

-"Hello?" I answered.

-"Where are you, Mina ?" I hear Mary ask "It's about to rain cats and dogs. Like literally."  _Like, no?_ She loved to exaggerate sometimes. As if adding the word literally before anything will make it true.

-"Something came up, I may end up staying here a while. You should just go on without me. Don't wait up, okay?" I said, "Oh and can you just tell my mom I'm still here, she'll freak out if I'm not home by now."

-"Uhmm, alright?" I heard her exhale.

-"Thanks." I quickly turned off the phone and rushed to history class.  _I wonder what I could help with._

* * *

It was nearing six o'clock by the time I got out of school.  _It did pour a hell lot,_  I thought as I was desperately trying to avoid the large puddles spread all over the concrete sidewalk. It was completely dark now and the street lights were shining bright.

"Thank you Mina, really. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't helped me today. These papers are due to be handed in tomorrow for the mid-year reports and I don't think I would have been able to correct nearly one hundred papers by then" Mr. Matthew said nervously as he headed to his car. I could see him rubbing the back of his sandy blonde hair. Memories of the last two hours consisted mainly of both of us sitting oppositely at the desk correcting a shit ton of students exam papers. I couldn't say no unfortunately, I have a hard time refusing tasks given to me. However, I couldn't help but wonder if this was even right, though he kept reassuring me it was fine since they're not the senior's exams. There were awkward small talks every now and then that were a bit unbearable.

"...If you need a car ride, I mean you can...come with." He was saying something but I couldn't quite catch what. "Hmm?" I gave a questioning look. "Sorry, I spaced out for a second there" I clarified.

"I said I can drop you off wherever you're heading...since it's...cold out here and looks like it's about to rain again." He repeated, much more nervously this time.

"No, thank you, I can walk. My house isn't very far from here." I declined, as respectfully as one could with a polite smile.

"Are you sure? I-"

"Yes, I'm sure" I cut him off, not bearing to stand here in the cold parking lot any longer.

"Alright then...uhm bye then." He replied as he opened his car's doors.

"Bye." I answered as I started walking towards my home. It was a chilly night. The moon high up in the sky, as bright as always. I decided to take a short cut through a park so I can get home faster. Halfway through, I stopped momentarily and looked up at the sky.  _Beautiful._  The trees were now completely bare and devoid of any life. I suddenly felt a tingling sensation on the tip of my nose. It was faint but it was there. The smallest drop of water. I looked up again, half expecting it to start raining but instead I was greeted with small white spots falling ever-so slowly. A wide smiled appeared on my face. I don't need a mirror to see it.  _Snow. Finally._  Small snowflakes started to fall, one after another. More and more were falling. I was always mesmerized with this scene. No matter how many times I see it- even if it's every year- it's always new to me. It always makes me smile like a child. I was _a_  child again in those moments.

I heard small branches break nearby. It snapped me out of my musing. I turned around to see what caused this, but it was too dark. I heard a soft meow soon enough.

"Huh?" I narrowed my eyes, trying to adjust them to see in this darkness. I could see a shadow move behind the trees. In a blink of an eye, I was met with familiar yellow orbs. "Did it follow me here?" I mused out loud. My brows now furrowed in confusion.  _No, it can't be the same cat, I thought. Or can it?_  The same black fur is shared with thousands of other cats. But it's eyes... it's definitely the same cat that has been waiting for me every day in my backyard.  _For the past two months_. I heard it meow again. Louder this time. As I started to walk away, it meowed again. It's like the cat is trying to catch my attention. I turned around to see it already heading back into the dense trees, making the same sounds that would normally have my knees weak. I would always chase after a cat. Even on the streets and even if it's a stray cat. I don't know why people find that odd. That's actually how deep my love for cats go.  _But this cat..._  Every sign in the universe is clearly telling me to turn around and go back home. Even my mind is screaming danger alert.

But...the next thing I knew my feet were taking me into the direction the cat headed. I just had to find out. What if someone was injured and the cat was trying to warn me? I tried to reason with myself, though I knew that was complete and utter bullshit. I didn't believe it. Soon, the cat was completely out of sight but I could still hear it meowing. I kept following, with a faster pace than before. The ground underneath me was wet from when it had rained earlier and from the snow currently falling and melting the instant it touched the soil. I found myself slipping forward, my mind already preparing for the hard face-plant I was about to receive from the ground. I had expected a hard surface beneath the pile of leaves that lay in front of me as I fell.

To my horror, I only kept falling. I had fallen through the leaves and into _...absolute nothingness._  I just kept falling and falling like there was no end. Everything was deadly silent except for my loud screams. There was no time for fear to settle in before I suddenly hit a cold stony surface. For a moment I couldn't feel any pain, couldn't understand what was going on. My mind was hazy and my screams stopped. And then the pain kicked in, it was immense and unbearable. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs but I couldn't. I don't know what prompted me or how I was even able to turn and lay on my back, but I did.

And as I did, I saw a small furry creature with wide yellow eyes staring down at me from what seemed like miles above. The last image I could see was of the silver moon shining down on us and that black  _thing_  fade into thin air. I could feel my consciousness slowly slipping away.


	3. Where Am I?

 * ** _EDITED*._**

* * *

 

 

_Where am I?_

_..._

_Why is everything...black?_

_..._

_Why can't I see? What is this?_

_..._

_Fuck, why can't I see?! Oh God, am I blind? What's this?!_

I felt myself starting to panic. I knew my eyes were open, but-

_No, no, no this can't be. I can't be blind! What's wrong with me?_

Panic was gradually turning into hysteria as I tried to move; flapping my arms, twisting and turning in every direction. I felt so...cornered, closed in, trapped and floating weightlessly in the darkness that surrounded me on all sides. Every muscle fiber in my body tensed up. I was struggling to keep my breathing even, my heart was racing, hammering inside my chest, and it felt like my brain was on fire. It was maddening. I tried to scream using all the force I had. I heard nothing but a low squeal echoing from somewhere far away. My lungs were burning with an intense heat. My breathing; growing ever more rapid and shallow. My face dampened with tears and sweat running down my cheeks. My brain and lungs weren't the only things on fire anymore, I felt like my body would spontaneously combust if my temperature didn't stop rising. That was all that I could do. _Feel._

Then suddenly, a burst of blinding light appeared abruptly.

_Light?_

* * *

_I could see. I could actually see._

There was nothing but brightness. But as unexpectedly as it had arrived, it was instantly gone, leaving me gazing up into something... _blue?_  I didn't know what I was staring at. All I could feel was relief as I sensed a wave of coolness wash over my body, replacing the insufferable heat that was just there not even a moment ago. My heart rhythm was slowly getting back to a relatively normal pace and my lungs felt...clear. Muscles suddenly relaxed and my brain; numb. I couldn't move, I couldn't think. I was just laying there, in the middle of nowhere. It felt like an eternity had passed before I was even able to formulate a thought.

_Is that... the sky?_

I still couldn't wrap my head around my thoughts. Everything seemed so...blank. It took me another while before I was fully aware of my surroundings. That was the sky; white puffy clouds roaming aimlessly behind an infinitely large blue canvas. It was almost serene.

My senses were coming back to me, one by one. I could see in my peripheral vision that there were trees. Large, beautiful green trees. I shifted my head slightly to find a dense area of birch trees; their leaves all new and tinted a hundred different shades of green. I could hear chirping nearby.  _Crickets?_  I thought. I turned my head back up, towards the sky. I felt a cold and hard surface underneath me, small sharp edges gnawing my back and my sides. I moved my hands gently. I could feel small, rough, thin layers of paper. I kept touching, feeling the dry material. When I finally had the strength to pick it up, I brought it close to my face. It was a leaf. A dry leaf. I twirled it around in my fingers. As I looked around me, I found that I was laying atop a pile of fallen leaves, still green in nature. Though, something was odd about it; sticky and pasty white substance was glued to its surface. In fact, I felt a shit ton of it sticking to my back.  _What the-?_

Things were starting to look familiar. Eerily so. I summoned up all the might I had in me and sat up. Muscles still aching after being tensed for what seemed to be a long time. Sudden relaxation didn't really help ease the pain after a while. I felt a little dizzy, but things instantly cleared up and I had a wider view of my surroundings. The smell of earth, fresh plain soil entered my nose. I also caught a faint of something familiar. A pleasant yet known smell.  _Lavender? But why would their be lavender plants in the middle of winter?_  I suddenly felt a cool breeze past me. Or was it the shivers running up my spine? I couldn't tell but whichever it was, I could feel it with every single fiber of my being. Something wasn't right. I felt so...overly-exposed. I don't know why it took me this long to realize it, it but I  _was_  exposed.

Stark naked. Bare. With nothing covering even a mere inch of my beige skin. Only thing that was on me was a pendant.  _A pendant?_... _Oh that's right,_  the one that I had gotten it as a gift for my birthday.

_Wait, why am I naked and why is it not winter?_

Memories started flooding my mind, things were coming back to me. And the more I recalled, the more panicky I became. Something wasn't right. Something  _isn't_  right. I was getting alarmed and more anxious by the second.  _What on earth is going on? Where am I and how did I get here?_  Questions wouldn't stop overwhelming my mind. I winced in pain as I stood to my feet. My legs were wobbly and I was sure I would have dropped back to the floor if I hadn't leaned on a nearby tree for support. I have never felt this confused ever in my life. _What the hell is going on?_  That question wouldn't stop repeating in my mind. _Am I...hallucinating? Is this a dream?_  It was as if my body had been through more than a tense state. It _felt_  like I fell from a fifteen story building straight to the cold, hard surface of the asphalt.  _Did I..?_

 _Wait-_  I did fall through some kind of pothole in the park. There were trees. But not like the ones surrounding me at the moment.  _Where am I?_  It made me angry that I kept repeating the same question and not being able to find a logical answer. I sighed loudly out of both frustration and pain.

Footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Numerous heavy footsteps in the distance. I couldn't pinpoint the direction in which they were coming from, but I heard them loudly enough to know that they weren't far. I could hear metal clank against metal as the footsteps drew closer, now coming from the north-east direction. I could have swore my heart skipped a beat, but I know that it wasn't possible. My heart was healthy, normal. Normal as one could be. I should have been running towards those footsteps, seeking help. Albeit my lack of clothing and my increased sense of self awareness at the moment, something I would unfortunately have to suck up if I needed to get out of here and go home. But something in the back of my mind kept ringing incessantly, preventing me from moving an inch towards that direction.

_ Look around you. This isn't normal. You need to get out of here. You can't go to those people. You don't even know who they are. They can't help you, they could even hurt you instead if they don't decide to have your head. Just run away. Get out of here as fast as you can.  _

Without a second thought, I found myself running in the opposite direction of the footsteps with as much speed I could convoke right there and right then. Which wasn't much. I was slower than a fat kid running at fat camp. I tried not to make as much noise as possible to avoid catching any attention. I also kept my ears wide open for the sound of footsteps which seemed to have stopped. Or perhaps I ran far enough to have them out of hearing range. Though, it seemed unlikely to me.

Before I could even entertain that thought and rest, I ran face first into something cold and hard. Metal.

"Ooof.." I said retreating away from the rigid material.  _The fuck, that hurt._  I stepped back, rubbing my unfortunate face.  _There wasn't even the faintest dent on that thing! Wait, why did I even even run into metal?_  I slowly let my eyes wander up a few feet. Or so I think. He was tall.  _Extraordinarily tall_. I didn't need to look any longer, when I suddenly remembered how bare I was. My hands instantly went to cover my breasts and lower region, as I recoiled in embarrassment.  _Dammit, I haven't shaved in four days._  The most random thought kept echoing in my mind as I felt a small tuft of smooth hair growing at my nether region.

It was like every flaw of my body, every blemish, every beauty mark, every scar and every burn mark had been amplified tenfold under his harsh scrutinizing gaze. Eyes dark as the empty depth of space, hair black as the darkest of midnights, reaching his lower back in a strangely untamed fashion...

 _But the bangs. Dear lord, the bangs. What were they? More importantly, the fuck is he wearing?_  From what I can see, it seemed like pieces of metal painted a deep red, attached together by fine strings.  _An armor?_  His deadly glare was scary enough. But that was not what was scaring me, but rather this frightening sense of...familiarity. It was like I had met him before, although I could have sworn on my life that I have never seen such a man in this world. I didn't know how much time had passed or if he was waiting for me to react first because it was clearly evident from his demeanor that he wasn't going to let me simply walk away. He was just standing there, arms crossed over his armor, his eyes never leaving mine, not even to roam over my body.  _What am I going to do now?_  Panic started to get the better of me once again, I had to do something. I couldn't just stand here hoping he'd eventually leave me alone. And I still didn't even know where I was, or how I got here or how I was supposed to get home. To say that I was worried would be the most restraint understatement of the century.

Distressed, agitated, distraught, flustered, hysteric...were just some of the things I was feeling at the moment. These feelings eventually lead me to finally make a break-for-it sort of run. Not even a split second after I brushed past him, I was grabbed by my hair and flung back with unbelievable force in the direction I had come from. My back landed violently against a thick tree bark. I thought I heard a sharp snap and quickly prayed that my spine did not just snap into two, before I fell unconscious.

* * *

I heard voices. Male voices.

I could barely see, my eyes felt too heavy to open.

 _"...what are we supposed to do with her?",_  asked one unnaturally high-pitched voice.

"I don't know," said a voice curtly. This one was definitely dark. Deep.

 _"Well, you did bring her."_  A third voice intervened, not really high-pitched like the first voice nor deep like the second. This one was different though, I could sense some form of...playfulness. A little perky, but mostly mocking. I felt my eyes completely shut this time. The voices started to sound much more distant than what they were seconds ago. The sounds of footsteps also fading.

* * *

Everything came into view all of a sudden. My eyes fully open, I started to take in my surroundings. Again. Utterly confused at what I found.

 _What is this? This isn't my room? This isn't my home. Where am I?_  I thought as I sat up.

I was in a...room. A wooden room. Literally everything in it was made of wood. The walls, the ceiling, the floor, even a desk in the corner and the two chairs that accompanied it. I was surprised the bed I was laying on was not made out of wood. I analyzed the mattress that I was laying on. It wasn't a bed...but a futon. One of those old traditional Japanese versions of beds.

My confusion only grew.  _What the hell?_  I tried to get out from under the sheets and stand, as I was doing so I felt light-headed and immediately laid back down. Looking up at the ceiling, memories of a strange forest started settling in, a clear blue sky, laying down on the ground, a leaf in my hand, white goo, being naked...and running..and hitting something hard and... Everything was starting to make sense, like puzzle pieces being pieced together into place, more or less.  _Oh God, that was real?_

 _No, it can't be. I must still be dreaming. Or hallucinating. Why isn't anyone trying to wake me?!_  I didn't dare move an inch from my position hoping that the world around me would just crack and break or fade away. I only moved once I finally sensed a presence at the door. I sat back up and narrowed my eyes trying to take in every detail.

A man- or was he a boy?- was standing leaning against the door frame, a wicked smirk displayed across his face. He was barely making any noise.  _How long had he been watching me?_  I questioned myself. Those bangs again, though. Those... sad excuses of a hairdo... I was going to go out on a whim and say that he was related to the giant I met in the forest. Although his hair is much shorter, smoother and straighter than the one I had met, those dark thick locks of hair, worn at the sides of his face like overgrown side-burns...they must be genetic, ran in the family for sure. I refused to believe that someone would freely choose to wear their hair like that. I even saw mini versions over his forehead, but they seem to be less than an inch in height, couldn't even be considered as bangs. He must have realized I was silently condemning his hair to hell, for what he said next was,

"You don't like how I look?" With a mocking tone. I instantly recognized the voice. He was one of the three that must have been speaking while I was semi-conscious. He was the third, the voice full of mirth. He must have also caught on the sudden realization that dawned on me. "

"Oh, so it seems you do remember things." He invited himself in as he said that. He went to grab a wooden chair, settling it beside me and sat down.

"Good evening." He greeted me nonchalantly. _Good evening? It's evening?_  I wouldn't know what time of day it is, seeing that there weren't any windows in this room. Was he expecting a response from me? I was not very good at these things, especially with strangers. I couldn't help but give him a double look-over. His attire...it's very strange. It was different.  _It's a damn kimono._  No, no it was not a kimono. It was slightly different.  _Dammit, what's it called?_  I tried to recall the name of the outfit.

Oh, yes, a yukata. That's what he was wearing. A navy blue and black yukata.  _Why was he wearing it?_  Haven't got a clue.  _Why am I wearing a a plain black kimono with a white sash?_  Haven't got a bigger clue. A strange connection started to form at the back of my mind.  _What's up with all these traditional Japanese settings?_  I heard a loud sigh from beside me. It instantly snapped me out of my reflections.

"You're just like a newborn baby who's taking in everything for the first time, aren't you?" He exhaled loudly once more with more exasperation laced in than before. He even went as far as to gently face palm himself.  _Should I just act ignorant and pretend like I don't know what he's saying? The heck with it. Why not?_

"So, what's your name?" He asked with renewed vigor. I raised my eyebrows as a response, a universal sign telling him that I don't understand what he was saying. He must have mistaken it for me not hearing him, so he repeated.

"I said, what's your name? " I shook my head lightly, kept my eyebrows risen and even conjured up the most confused look I could manage. The secret lied within the eyes. It was always the eyes. It was his turn to raise his brows, though not questioningly like I did, but rather out of inquisitiveness.

"Acting dumb isn't going to work for you. I know you understand what I'm saying. I've heard you mumble in your sleep. It was clear enough for me to recognize you speak the same language as us." He said, his lips now risen to form a smile on his pale skin. My expression surely faltered for a second.  _Speaking the same language as him? He's the one speaking the same language as me!_ Wait a second, did he just confess to watching me sleep?

"So, I repeat, what's your name?" His black orbs suddenly turned cold. I didn't need a split second to even consider lying about my name. It was no use, not like they knew me or anything.

"Mina." I said curtly, surprised at how hoarse my voice sounded.

"Well Mina, that wasn't so hard, now was it? " He asked rhetorically.

"I'm Izuna." He continued, "You should probably refer to me as Izuna-sama in front of the others, alright?" His face now beaming with a smile. A fake smile. I'd recognize that type of smile anywhere. It's the same smile people who were distrustful and suspicious use. You never really knew what the true intentions of these people were. He started getting up and as he turned around to place the chair where it originally was, I caught a glimpse of small, thin locks of obsidian hair tied in a small ponytail. He was already halfway out the door when he turned to face me with that infuriating smile,

"Oh yes, I should probably warn you. If I were you, I wouldn't be in a rush to get out of here, specifically this room, hmm. Unless you want your spine in two pieces this time. You don't want to run into Madara anytime soon." He closed the door as he gave out his warning .

 _Madara? Who? Did he just say that I'm not allowed to move anywhere beyond this room? Who does he think he is?_  My blood was boiling with anger, but mostly with confusion.  _Izuna, Madara, this room..._ this sense of familiarity was going to drive me insane if I didn't put a finger on it soon enough.

_Fuck._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly tire out after writing past 3000 words. Haha. So, it's kinda hard for me to make longer chapters at the moment.  
> Reviews are definitely welcomed and appreciated. It helps me realize the areas in which I can improve, because there's always room for improvement :)


	4. Panic

  _ ***EDITED***_

* * *

 

Days have passed by.  _Or was it weeks?_

I couldn't tell.

I haven't seen the light of day in ages nor have I left this room in God knows how long. Not because I took that guy Izuna's words to heart, but because I couldn't bring myself to step out the door. Every moment I spent in the room, I held out hope that all of this is just a dream. I always fall asleep with almost certainty that when I woke up, all of this will just disappear. Poof. Like a magic trick. That it was not real. Nothing was. Not that desk nor the chairs nor these walls. Not even this bed.

_No, futon._

Only to wake up, seeing that nothing has changed. And whatever assurance I had withered away.

Then I sleep again with the same conviction, waking up to an even deeper disappointment. It seemed that there was no hope, but I still clung to a flicker of it desperately. _No matter what, I will not give up hope._ _I can't. I just can't._

Sometimes, people would come into my room. Twice a day, by my count. Women, actually. Probably maids, seeing as they only bring me food and water and leave without uttering a single word. I didn't bother striking up a conversation with them, because in doing so, I would be acknowledging their existence. Their presence.

But they're not real. Izuna's not real, this Madara guy is not real. This was all just in my head.

_I'm going to keep denying it until it comes true, dammit! Denial, denial, denial._

In truth, this was driving me crazy. This room was driving me crazy. I felt like I was going mad and I couldn't do anything about it. The last ounce of sanity I had left was perishing, slowly and violently.

I built myself a safe sanctuary inside this overly simple room. Inside my own madness, which I became all too familiar with soon enough. And so, leaving the confinements of these walls would push me out of my sanctuary, my comfort zone, the only place where my memories- _memories that still remind me of my home and my life-_ flowed freely.

And this pendant. I spent a good amount of time everyday admiring it. Although, I have had it for many years now- every time I looked at it, it was like I was seeing it for the very first time. Maybe because I hadn't really seen it for a while.

I was pacing around the room now. Something I found myself doing a lot nowadays.

_My parents must be worried sick about me by now. I wonder what they're doing. Did they report me as missing yet? What about Mary? And my brother? I hope they're okay._

I missed them. I missed my home, my school, my room and even my depressing life.

I could feel my eyes start to tear up. Again. Just like last time, I didn't know how long he had been standing there, leaning on the door frame. Same expression, too. It had been a while since he last visited me.

"Well, well. It's seems like you really took my word for it. I heard you haven't stepped a foot out of this room for some time now." A cheeky smile. "Not even to go the bathrooms."

_Bathroom?_

Now that he mentioned it, I really haven't...relieved myself for a very long time.  _That's not good._ But I haven't had the urge to pee or anything. So, I didn't really pay attention to it. It was the least of my worries.

 _What does he want from me?_ I wondered.

He entered the room and took a step closer towards me. I backed up instinctively.

 _"_ Would ya relax ?" He said in a non-threatening tone. "I just came by to take you out for a walk. You can't stay here forever, that's not really good for you. You'll go crazy. Fresh air would do you some good." He chuckled as he said the last sentence.

_This guy...he's.._

Just a figment of my imagination. Nothing more, nothing less. He was getting closer and I was retreating even further.

_That's enough! I've had it. Fuck this shit!_

I stopped moving. I raised my arms, put my hands over my ears and shook my head violently. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"THIS ISN'T REAL! WAKE UP DAMMIT. NONE OF THIS IS REAL, URGHH!" As if shouting any louder would snap me out of this dream.

 _"BLABLAHBLAH!"_ , I kept shaking my head as I yelled nonsense. My eyes were shut tight, but I knew that If I was still in this dream, the guy in front of me would be gaping at me as if I was an alien. I must have been doing this for a long while because I began feeling light-headed. I had the courage to open my eyes and saw that, sadly, nothing has changed. I was right. He was a feet away, gaping at me with wide eyes, a glimmer of wonder reflected in them.

 _"_ Fuck."

I went on to pinch my arms several times, seeing that nothing more was happening. I had been doing this since I arrived here, hoping this would free me from whatever fresh hell this was.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.

_Wait. What if I am in hell?_

_Maybe I died that night when I fell down that hole in the park. And now I'm in hell._

_"_ NO!" I said loudly, "I refuse to believe it!"

_I can't be dead._

I went further and even slapped my right cheek.

"Come on, wake up! I can't be dead."

Trying to shake it off. Still nothing.

I slapped myself again. And again. And again. I could feel my cheeks numbing, but that didn't stop me. He did, though.

I was about to land another slap to my left cheek when he grabbed both my wrists in his hand. He must have closed the distance between him and I, because the next thing I knew, his face was less than an inch away from mine. He was unbearably close now.

"Uchiha-sama." I heard a low voice coming from the doorway. We both turned our heads simultaneously towards the door. One of the maids that had brought me food before, was now standing with another tray in her hands. She bowed down politely to the man who still held onto my wrists.

_Uchiha-sama?_

I think I had heard that name before.  _No, I'm sure I've heard it before._  Positively sure.

_But where dammit? Where did I hear a name like that?_

"Right, put down the tray and leave." Izuna said with a more authoritative tone. The maid did as she was told and left as quickly as she appeared. But not before bowing once more.

"You're going to calm down  _now._  And then you're going to eat. And then I'm gonna come back and take you out for a walk. How does that sound?" He asked with a honeyed voice. Something in his tone told me that I really didn't really have much of a choice.

Before I could even nod, he was already out the door, leaving me alone in this stupid room.

I ate silently, half expecting him to barge into the room at any moment. Although, barging in didn't seem to fit his style. He'd probably just appear out of nowhere like he always does. And he did. Around fifteen minutes after he left.

"Good, now that you're done..." he said, awfully cheery. "We can get out of here. I can even show you around." He offered, his tone unfaltering.

 _Is this guy stupid? He thinks I'm just gonna agree to follow a stranger?_ He must have been stupider than those bangs of his.

I was about to protest, but he beat me to it and grabbed my arm, yanking me off the bed I was sitting on after I finished eating. He was dragging me out of this room. Panic caught me once more. I didn't want to leave. But he was dragging me like I was an empty sack of potatoes.

_What is wrong with him?_

We were in a hallway.

 _Surprise, surprise._  Wooden walls. Wooden ceilings. Wooden floors.

Every few feet, I would see sliding doors.

_Made of rice paper?_

I was confused. No one used them in this side of the world.

No way was I letting him take me any further. I held my ground and tried to jerk away my hand away.  _Tried to._ But he wouldn't let me go. He turned back briefly to take a look at me and then returned to do what he was doing. Pulling me along.

I resisted more this time. Stomping my feet and using my free hand to tug his away in vain. It was like he was..unshakeable. I was sure by the time we reach the end of this hallway-  _if there was even an end to it-_ my feet would be full of splinters. I was barefoot.

_Barefoot?_

_"Let me go you freak!"_  I shrieked, "Who do you think you are?!" I struggled against him. "Let me go you stupid man-child, you with your stupid bangs!" I hurled at him. Now, I was flat out shouting as loud as I could. If there were any people behind these rice paper doors, they could surely hear my screams, but doing nothing apparently as I didn't see a single soul peer out from behind these doors.

"URGHH Fuckkk leave me alo-" Before I could finish my sentence, I found myself being tossed over his shoulders.

"Eeeeee-" I squealed at the unexpected motion.

"Would you shut up already?" He complained. I was about to shout at him to let me down this instant but I didn't get the chance, for the next thing I knew he was running...no, flying..no, he  _was_  running. Really fast, like really really fast. At break-neck speed. Or was he? Whatever he was doing, it made me feel dizzy as he swiftly moved out of the hallways and out into the open. He stopped momentarily and then continued.

I felt sick as I hung over his shoulder. I was this close to vomiting all over him if he hadn't stopped when he did. He then laid me down gently on the ground. The dizziness seemed to get worse now that we stopped. It took a few minutes for everything to clear and when it did, I was in a vast field. Green surrounding me from all sides, a dense area of trees were noticeably far. I could see no soul within a good distance. I realized it was only us. I looked up and saw a clear morning sky. The same color as when I first woke up in the forest. It was a very peaceful view, if only not for the circumstances.

I dropped my gaze back to the ground.

_Where am I?_

_"_ Where am I?" I voiced my thought.

"Where do you think?" He replied sarcastically, "Isn't it beautiful here? I like it because of the calm breeze that you don't really find back at the compound." He was right, the air here was fresh and unpolluted. I only just realized how musty the room smelled like now.

"Where am I?" I repeated my question. His gaze held mine for what seemed to be an indefinite amount of time.

"You really don't know?" He raised a brow questioningly. I shook my head lightly as a response.

"We're just outside the Uchiha compound." He said, pointing towards something in the southbound direction. My gaze shifted to where he was pointing. I saw something like a high-walled enclosure with circular paint in the center of each concrete wall. I narrowed my eyes and focused closely on the paintings. Red and white paint. The top half of each circle was painted red while the bottom half; white. Although the bottom half wasn't a complete semi-circle. Overall, the...symbol looked like a mini ping-pong paddle.

_Hmm..._

That symbol, that crest- I have seen it before. All these familiar things...Everything seems to be falling in order but there's still that one connection, that one string that tied everything together. And I know that it's somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that it is. I just didn't know  _what_  it was.

If I concentrated a little...

 _God, what is it? What's that thing that's been bothering me for days?_ _Fu-ck.._

 _"_ You look completely out of it, as if you're seeing things. And I haven't even put you under a genjutsu." He chuckled.  _"Yet."_

_..._

Bells starting ringing my mind. Bulbs lit up. And a horrible realization dawned on me as I finally understood what had been bothering me for so long. But above all, it was mostly the feeling of ultimately comprehending why everything was the way it was here.

"Uh-oh." I was at a loss of words. Even though I was pretty sure of where I was now, I still had no idea how I got here, or why. "Crap crap crap.."I kept repeating anxiously.

"My, you look like you just discovered a great big secret. Want to share it with me?" Izuna said, leaning in closer.

 _The Naruto universe, huh._ It took a while for that little piece of information to sink in, and when it finally did-

_What kind of sick trick is this? How's this even possible?_

_"_ WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" I shouted, startling him to the point that he took a few steps back. I looked around me to see if- I didn't know what I was looking around for but all that I was met with was a never-ending supply of grass and, and..

I started pacing around in circles, my nervousness only growing. I just suddenly stopped in my tracks and gazed up at the sky,

"Why God, oh why? Why would you do this to me?" I kept staring at the baby-blue sky, sarcasm dripping from my voice. "What did I do wrong to deserve this? Please get me out of here, you can't keep me here! Is it because I was ungrateful for the miserable life I had before? 'Cuz I swear I'll be thankful as hell towards my family and everyone and everything if _YOU'D JUST GET ME OUT OF HERE!_  " I was practically pleading by the end of my rant. My eyes watery and confusion still clouding my mind. I kept staring up but I was sure that I wasn't getting a response anytime soon.  _Perhaps I'm complaining to the wrong one._

I immediately fell to my knees, my hands resting on the floor and fingers pulling out the grass turf beneath me.

"DAMMIT! What did I ever do to you?! What a shitty way to get rid of me." I was talking to the ground now... or rather, shouting. Which was how anyone was going to interpret it if they were here now. Tears were streaming down my face. I never felt so helpless, desperate or confused ever in my entire life.

"Wow, you're more damaged than I thought." He said _clearly_ concerned, if one couldn't tell from the puzzled tone of his voice. I snapped my head up to see Izuna wearing with a genuine perplexed expression on his face. Not.

"Who are you calling damaged, you nonexistent fucktard ?!" I snarled back at him. Maybe he was right and I was more damaged than even I had thought. Well, I must be,  if I was talking back to a fictional character. "MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" I was yelling hysterically, unable to hold it in any longer. I was full on crying by now. I didn't usually cry and much less did I do it in front of people. It made me seem vulnerable and I hated that. But what do I care at the moment? This guy wasn't real, none of this is.

"Okay, so...uhm..this is enough of fresh air for you. I'll be taking you back now." He said as he drew nearer.

"NO, GET AWAY FROM ME. DON'T TOUCH ME! YOU'RE NOT REAL." My sobs were getting as loud as my voice. Though, this didn't stop him from grabbing me by the shoulders.

"NO, I-" I tried to protest.

Then I saw blackness.

* * *

I felt drowsy , like I've just woken up from a very long and deep sleep.

As I opened my eyes , it took me a moment to register in my surroundings. Then it took me while more to grasp the idea that I was in a fictional universe.

_Naruto._

I couldn't believe it. I haven't seen the anime in a long while. I haven't read the manga in an even longer while. I still didn't know how it ends, although I had heard and seen spoilers here and there.

I still couldn't wrap my mind around it. How and why were still questions I had no answers to.

_What am I supposed to do now?_

It didn't seem like I was getting out of here anytime soon. As I was getting lost in thought, I noticed something different about the room. There was a window. An actual window. I didn't know why I hadn't noticed this before, but there was light shining through. _This was a different chamber._

I laid back on the bed and stared up at an imaginary spot on the ceiling, exhausted and drained. Soon enough, I felt my eyes getting heavy.

Then I dozed off again.

* * *

"You're not going to have another mental breakdown now, are you?" I heard a voice ask from the doorway. I sat up from the bed and glanced over at the figure leaning by the door frame. I laid back down again, completely ignoring him.

"I'll take that as a no." He answered his own question.

He took a chair, placed it beside the bed and sat down. Again, like he usually did. He didn't say anything more, he just sat there staring at me. His big onyx eyes peering into my dark brown ones.

He just kept staring and staring and...

I turned over to my other side, not wanting to memorize any more of his face.

"You know, one of these days you're going to die." _Aren't we all?_ "At the hands of a handsome snowman with half the emotional intelligence of a cat."  I said, with my back to him. "And I'll be there dancing on your grave."

 _A very handsome snowman indeed_.

 


	5. Izuna

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, I'm very sorry for my inaccurate use of the verb tenses lol.  
> It's just that I'm not used to writing at all xD  
> Truthfully, I only took this long to get into the plot because I was unsure about how to portray this...cast?. I mean, I have this weird fear that if I do it, I'll be feeling that I'm butchering their characters. Hahaha.  
> Oh God , I hope it's not the case .  
> Also, I was thinking about rewriting Chapter 1. I don't know, it just doesn't seem..right to me.  
> What do you guys think?

  _ *****_ _ **EDITED***_

* * *

 

**_Izuna's POV_ **

"So, why did you really bring her here, brother?" Izuna asked him.

Madara didn't answer. He probably didn't hear it either. Like most things Izuna said when Madara was already in a foul mood, his words falling on deaf ears. This infuriated Izuna. He decided to push things further and said in a sing-song voice, hands folded and brought closer to the left side of his chest like the gentleman he was,

"Don't tell me it's out of your sense of duty and your chivalrous personality that you had to save a damsel in distress, heh?" He said mockingly. Izuna dropped the act and then continued, "Because that's not in your nature, dear brother." This time Izuna couldn't contain the smug expression on his face.

Madara suddenly stopped in his tracks, prompting Izuna to do the same. They were on their way to another council meeting and the silence of their walk was annoying Izuna, so he decided to break it. He found Madara looking at him. Not glaring, not like he always did with everyone. No, his look,..was expressionless. Blank. Deadpan, save for glint of... confusion in his eyes. It was as if he was completely lost at what Izuna was saying.

 _Wait, don't tell me he actually..._ Izuna thought.

"You actually forgot, didn't you?" Izuna asked aloud, surprised. "She's been here for  _days."_ He let out a small laugh.

In truth, Madara really did forget. If not only for a moment. He did, nonetheless. There have been much more important things plaguing his mind. Like how the Senju were advancing in on their territories. And how they managed to persuade the clans in  _those_  territories to fall out of their alliance with the Uchiha and join them instead. Just thinking about it enraged Madara. He knew another battle with the Senju was simply inevitable. He had no time to think about what a mere woman was doing with her time.

"Need I remind you,  _you're the one_ who brought her here. People are starting to wonder why a strange woman is occupying one of the main chambers. Did you even have a plan in mind when you snatched her from the forest, or did you just do it on a whim?" Izuna inquired.

Madara gathered his thoughts before answering. "I didn't do it on a whim." He replied curtly, as he started walking again towards the meeting room. Izuna followed, waiting for Madara to continue whatever it was he was about to say.

"In case you haven't noticed, she doesn't seem to be emitting any kind of chakra signature. Not even the most trained shinobi are able to completely mask their chakra." He said, his voice deep and guttural.

Izuna quickly caught on to what his elder brother was thinking.

"You thought she was a spy for the Senju?" The younger brother said quizzically.

"When we were on our way back from that mission, I heard faint footsteps running through the forest but I didn't sense any chakra. When I caught her, I still didn't sense anything. She has no chakra." Madara said blankly.

 _That's odd..._ Izuna couldn't help but wonder. It was true, he didn't sense any chakra radiating off of her either. And that was odd because every living thing on the planet should have chakra flowing through it's veins, even if it was a measly amount. Heck, non-shinobi were born with chakra, although not as much as the ninjas themselves.

_But.._

Izuna chuckled, causing Madara to turn his head and raise a dark brow suspiciously.

"Oh nii-san, you don't need to worry about that. She's not a spy." Izuna's chuckle turned into a loud cackle. "The woman's unhinged! Her mental stability is as good as nothing! I don't even she has one." He bent over slightly, his right hand holding onto his stomach, trying to calm himself down. And when he did, he straightened up and wiped a single tear that had fallen from his eye. Madara didn't seem to get the joke.

Images of her outbursts ran rampant in his mind...it was a sight. A comical one at that.

He had to calm himself down before meeting with the elders. Another painfully boring meeting awaited them both. Madara paid no attention to his brother's sudden fit of laughter. He was more focused on how the hell they would deal with the Senju.

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

I was still cooped up in this new room, refusing to leave. Not because I feared what was waiting for me outside these doors, but just...because.

_Just because._

That was my go-to reason when I tried to justify myself whenever I didn't want to do something. Not really knowing why either.

_Damaged._

That word echoed in my mind for days. I could now tell time, surprisingly. Thanks to the window, I could see just when the sun rises, when it sets and when the moon takes over.

A week; seven days, one-hundred and sixty-eight hours.

That was how much time had passed since the sudden realization that I was stranded here had finally sunk in.

 _I was stuck in a fictional world_ _, not knowing how or why I landed here. More importantly, not knowing how to get out of here._ Sometimes, I would find myself wondering that I should have just accepted that car ride from Mr. Matthew. I would gave even be willing- to a certain extent- to put up with his inappropriate advances if I knew this was gonna happen. Dwelling on the past seemed to be the only thing I was doing these days. Not that I had anything better to do. I could only think of my family; my mother, my father, Ivan and even my dead brother. Mary, too. School and everything. Even my college applications that I just filled out and had sent. My future. Everything. Everything single thing was gone.

I felt like worlds away from everything I knew.

I would find myself sitting by the window, too. Trying to take in fresh air to calm down every time I felt like breaking down. I gazed out to a similar view I had seen when I was in the field days ago. It was just a smaller version of it, still peaceful nonetheless. Mostly because I could see no one lingering in the mini field that was located right next to this section of the house. At times, I would be humming my favorite tunes. I didn't dare sing out loud, fearing that someone might actually hear me. I didn't have a great voice, not even that good. But it wasn't that bad either, considering the fact that it doesn't make ears bleed, or so I was told by the few who actually heard me sing. It was "soothing" apparently, according to Mary. In other words, I didn't sound like an eighteen-inch nail scraping against a chalkboard. Even so, I would never sing in public nor to anyone. It was always just me.

I had come to the conclusion that I must be in some sort of coma- in my world- caused by my fall and this is all just a dream my brain conjured up just to pass the time until I woke up.  _That must be it. It has to be it._

Sometimes, Izuna would just drop by every now and then to...just stare at me.  _Why does he do it?_

It was annoying and it made me even more self-conscious about how I look more than I already was. I didn't think that was achievable. I thought I had felt the plain black kimono that I was wearing getting tighter.

_Was I getting fatter already? What have I been eating?_

It didn't seem likely, it must have shrunk after being washed. Wait, but that wasn't even possible. I doubted that they had washing machines here. This must be a new kimono. It barely passed my ankles and was basically just a wrapper. It was too tight, I didn't need a mirror to see my fat ass sticking out like a sore thumb. And the sash was too small, it barely fit around my waist. I was sucking in my tummy, barely able to breathe.  _And I'm not even fat._

I was furious. Well, not really. Just extremely uncomfortable.

_Who the fuck thought this was appropriate and the right size? Are they blind? This kimono is more befitting of a twelve year old girl._

As if reading my thoughts, someone answered me.

"You don't like what I picked out for you today?" Said an irritating voice I became all too familiar with.

I turned to face him, shooting him a harsh glare. Normally, I would just ignore him like every time, but seriously, who did this? And why was he picking out my clothes?

"You know, I think it's about time I take you out for another breath of fresh air. I just hope you don't lose it like last time." Izuna said with his usual over the top cheery tone.

"Over my dead body." I muttered as harshly as I could.

"So you plan to live out the rest of your life and die in this room?" He asked, visibly amused by my reaction.

A thought did cross my mind right then.

_What if I do wait it out and die right here? Would I finally wake up to my world? If that's the case, why wait it out?_

Although, something is stopping me from doing something reckless. Oh yes, logic. And uncertainty. Uncertainty about any and all of this.

"I see you're a woman of little words. You don't speak more than you need to." He said, a bit more serious now.

He got a chair, as usual, and brought it next to me, sitting beside me by the window.

Izuna started speaking again. "You can't stay here forever. Mina, was it? Soon enough, my brother won't be as busy as he is now and then he'll realize there's a strange creature living in his compound. Then, he's going to demand answers. And Madara isn't always very nice when he demands things. Especially answers to things he doesn't necessarily understand." He finally finished. "Not that I understand anything either." He added.

_Right._

_Madara._

The brute I ran into in the forest. Also, the guy who was secretly planning the downfall of the shinobi world. Or was he? I couldn't remember. But this did bring a faint smile to my face.

_Hmm, as long as I am here...what harm could it do if I just...maybe play around with these characters. Maybe even change the events that are supposed to happen. It's not like anything would change in reality, would it? It's fictional after all._

I was damaged as it is, if I was actually sitting here talking with an animated character.  _This should be fun . Entertaining at the very least._

Izuna surely noticed that faint amusement shimmering in my eyes.

"What are you up to? " He asked cautiously.

"Hmm, me? Nothing." I said as innocently as I could. Though, I suspected it made me look far from innocent, if not more suspicious actually. I went back to looking out the window, it was a sunny afternoon. The wind was starting to pick up.

It seemed like he realized that he wasn't getting any more out of me today, so he just sat back in his chair and looked out the window.

* * *

He just kept coming back. Just to sit. And pass the time.

Sometimes, he even tried small-talk. Although, I barely put enough effort in responding. From what I gathered, he  _loved_ to train. When he was not away on a mission or training, apparently, he comes to me. "Bored out of his mind", was how he would describe himself when he came here. He was also very proud and evidently, very boastful when it came to his clan's powers and their "visual prowess". I was internally laughing as he was bragging about his clan's kekkei genkai and how he pitied anyone who didn't bear the power of the sharingan. Again, his words.

_Oh God, only if he knew that in a few years, his precious clan will be no more. Well, almost. And all thanks to the actions of one of their own._

He then sometimes talks about his brother.  _The great and almighty powerful, Uchiha Madara._

Well, he didn't actually refer to him like that. But I knew this all too well. Knew exactly what kind of person Madara is, what his decisions will be and what his actions will lead to. Now, it was my turn to be bored out of my mind. Izuna must think that I was some sort of idiot who didn't understand if he was talking this much about his clan and whatnot. In his defense though, he wasn't really saying anything revealing or of importance. This happened over days and days and...seemed like it was never ending, as if time didn't really pass here.

_I suppose it doesn't._

* * *

One day, Izuna passed by. Nothing out of the ordinary, by my current standards.

However, this time he was wearing his armor and carried a sword in its sheath by his side. I was sure that he had other weapons hidden in his clothes somewhere too, but not quite as deadly as the ones rolling in his eye sockets.

He was just leaning by the door, though this time he wore a solemn expression, as if he was going out to war.

_Wait a second.._

If I was not mistaken, he should be dying sometimes soon. If he was going out to war with the Senju, this would probably be his last battle.

He just stood there, not saying a word.  _I wonder if he feels it, too._  That his life could be coming to an end. But then again, wasn't he used to this? Every time he went out to battle, there was always a chance he wouldn't be coming back. I just stared back at him, from my position near the window. The moon was out, shining white light over the familiar field that laid in front of me.

He didn't need to say anything, I knew he won't be coming to visit me anytime soon.

As he finally turned to walk away, I could see the Uchiha crest printed on the back of his navy blue, high collared uniform.

I called out to him right before he left,

"You know, you should really be careful this time. You never know when someone might cut you down, literally." I warned him " I'd pay attention to a certain white haired ninja, if I were you."

_But I wasn't you, so-_

And then he left.

I could feel a smile forming on my face as I started to recall images of a particularly good looking Senju.

_This sure is exciting._

 

 


	6. Defibrillator

  _ ***EDITED***_

* * *

 

_Four days._

Four days since Izuna has been out to battle. I couldn't help but wonder how this was all going to turn out. A part of me was actually enjoying this, excited to see how things will play out. But another part of me sort of felt...bad.  _Am I a bad person?_  I mean if this guy dies, it will be a turning point for Madara. According to the anime, he finally succumbed to Hashirama's pleas for a peace treaty, but not before going down with a bang. I didn't blame him though, he did lose his last brother. Or rather,  _will_ lose him. After he swore on his life to protect him from any harm.

That would be heartbreaking. I could somewhat relate to that. I did lose a brother. Long ago. I was only a little girl and it was a freak accident that took him away. Though, that didn't drive me over edge like Madara. I just-

_What am I thinking? This guy isn't real, none of this is. How could I feel sympathy for such things?_

But why did it feel real though? The soft sheets of the bed that I laid on felt real enough. The wooden floors felt just as real. The walls, the window sill, the clothes, the sun, the moon...

Everything felt  _real_  and I didn't know why. Even the maids that visited me with trays of food felt as though they were made of flesh and blood. I even had the courage to say hello once. They responded normally like any  _real_ person. So, why is it that I was still convinced all of this was fake?

I even dared to go to the bathroom, after asking one of the maids where it was. I ventured the hallway that led to the room I currently resided in. But that was as far as I could go on that end. Sometimes, I would even open the window in my room and sneak out just to go sit in the field, day or night. It was so peaceful, I had learned to meditate just in that short amount of time. I could never feel this way back home. For some reason, here, I didn't have to think about anything. Nothing really entered my mind when I settled down on the soft grass. Back home was an entirely different story, I would always be stressed about one matter or another, dealing with problems here and there. And so I could never really meditate. I could never really have the peace of mind I had always wanted. That was not to say I have it here, but it was a significant improvement from back in my world.

The cool breeze of the night felt so refreshing after the humidity of the afternoon air.

_So, I guess it's still summer here, huh._

It was a starry night, just like that one night long ago when I was laying in my bed staring at the night sky. I faintly remembered having an awkward dream that had me awake with a soaring temperature. It was as if it was an eternity ago that I was just rushing out of bed and hurrying to the bathroom for a change of clothes and then walking into my younger brother, Ivan. I did miss it.

But the stars here were much brighter than they were back in my reality. Maybe because there wasn't much of light pollution here. No light posts, no excessive lighting, no intrusive lights from lamps falling outside the rooms and really, no sign of industrialization.

The sky here looked beyond heavenly. The crescent moon and and the stars aligned yet still seem to be scattered randomly across a royal purple canvas.

_This is how it should be. Perfect. The sky should always look this perfect._

I could sit here for hours, days or even until I wake up. It didn't matter, I could be lost in thought here for as long as I wanted. I laid down on my back, the grass beneath not really bothering me. I was just content at being in peace, so much so that I hadn't realized that my eyelids were starting to close, drooping in exhaustion as sleep overcame me. For a few moments there, I felt drowsy like never before, as if I was floating up in the sky. Not really conscious of my surroundings but not fully under either. Then, at some obscure point, my eyes complete shut.

* * *

I knew something was wrong even before opening my eyes.  _Terribly wrong_. I slowly opened them to face something that completely killed the peaceful moments that I had been enjoying the last few days. Something utterly disturbing.

I saw a dark figure. Tall,  _extraordinarily tall._ His black mane as spiky as ever, untamed and poking out in all directions. I was about to think of a snide remark about his bangs when I saw his bloody red eyes. Crimson. Deadly. Raging. Also, utterly unrealistic.

Those were all words that could currently describe what they were portraying. I noticed blood and dirt smeared across his face and even more blood splattered on his armor. He was glaring down at me. I was beyond shocked I couldn't even sit up.  _What did I do?_

" _You.._ " I heard a deep guttural growl. I could have swore it belonged to an animal if I hadn't seen it escape his mouth. "GET UP!" He shouted. Before I could even have the chance to sit up, I found myself being yanked off the ground and forcefully stood to my feet.

"How did you know?" He asked viciously, his tone lowered down a notch, but nevertheless all the more hostile. He was peering down at me with his sharingan still activated and held onto my arm with a deadly grip.

 _So this is Madara Uchiha?_ I never thought him to be so...rough. He had always been just a drawing on paper or an animated character. But this...this was indeed real.

" _How..did...you...know?_ " He repeated with more rage laced in his voice and his grip on me just got tighter, if that was possible. I could feel it numbing as little to no blood was flowing to the lower part of my arm.

"What..what are you talking about?" I asked softly, finally getting up the courage to speak up.

 _"YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!"_  He quickly switched back to shouting as he tugged me to the side without letting my arm go.

"I.." I was completely lost.  _What the fuck is he talking about?_ I tried to remain calm through all of this. I was about to say something but he cut me off and said,

"You warned him before we left, didn't you? You told him that he'd die if he wasn't careful around that white haired Senju." He looked at me with intense eyes. I was still completely lost.  _What am I supposed to say now? Is this one of those trick questions where there are no right answers to it?_

Because I sucked at those.

His brother was probably dying as we speak if I was correct in my assumption.

 _"Don't bother_ _lying._ " He said in a menacing tone. "Izuna told me right before we went off to battle." He was waiting for a reply.

"I...I.." I didn't know how I was going to finish that sentence but I didn't have to. Because before I knew it, I was flung over his shoulder roughly. I felt my stomach hit contact with his armored shoulder and I had this sudden urge- this _need_  to vomit out my stomach contents of the day right then. And on him, too.

"Wait, what are you doing? Let me g-"

 _Oh, oh...he's moving. Fast. This again? What's with the_ _déjà vu_ _?_

_Urghh, Izuna. You dick._

_Izuna._  I repeated his name once more in my mind before I felt my body being dropped to the floor abruptly. I fell to my knees with a loud  _pop_ followed by a crack.  _My knees! DAMMIT._ I screamed internally in pain.

I looked around. I was in a room now. Not in the field but a room...

_This room.-_

It was filled with agonizing and painful screams. Wounded men laid down on bare hospital beds. Some looked more injured than others but they were all bleeding heavily.

_So much blood._

I had never seen so much blood before in my life. I momentarily wondered if this is how it would be in an ICU at normal hospitals. I was assuming this must be some sort of clinic as I recognized some basic first aid equipment and surgical tools along with gauze, tape, disinfectants and suture materials. Things that I would normally find in my father's clinic. I was pulled out of my thoughts when I felt a handful of my hair being grabbed. I screeched at the sudden jerk.

_What's he doing? Goddammit._

Everything just went silent. Dead silent. Everyone who was running around, hurrying to tend to the wounded men suddenly stopped dead in their tracks at the view of their leader unexpectedly appearing in the middle of the clinic.

"WHAT ARE YOU ALL STARING AT? GET BACK TO WORK!" He yelled at them this time. Which kind of felt nice, not being the one recipient this time. Without a second to think, they all returned to what they were doing just prior to our arrival.

My eyes instantly wandered to where a great number of people were standing. It seemed like they were all surrounding one bed. All the while the the grip on my hair seemed to tighten by the second. I tried to look up at the man-  _who was about to make me bald-_  from where I was kneeling on my knees.

"What do you want from me?" I said, my voice beginning to crack as fear gnawed at my insides.

Madara didn't answer, instead he began to tug at my hair and dragged me across the floor.

"Aiiieeeeee.." I squealed loudly as he continued to tow me behind him. I tried to resist and pull back, but that immediately made it worse, so I stopped. He was pulling me towards that circle of people. As soon as we were close enough, I could see a tall slim figure lying down on a bed. He was bleeding. Profusely. This was way worse. In normal circumstances, I would have had no problem with the sight of blood. It wouldn't bother me. But this. This was too much. Blood was flowing everywhere. A large pool of it had already formed beside the bed. I should probably get used to this if I was to work in a hospital. As a doctor. Because I still firmly held onto the belief that if I got out of here, I would go to Med school. No,  _when_  I get out of here, I would go to med school.

I raised a brow.  _Izuna?_

That was definitely Izuna. The Izuna Uchiha that I had been seeing for the past weeks. Except, now he had a large gash to his left side. This was probably the source of his bleeding. He would probably bleed to death if no one stopped his hemorrhaging right now. Which was what they appeared to be doing but clearly failing. One woman with short cropped black hair, was cupping her hands over his wound, a slightly green aura emitting from her hands.  _Chakra?_

_So, that's medical Ninjutsu?_

I could see Izuna having trouble breathing as his chest was rising and falling rapidly, his few breaths; short and shallow. His eyes; barely open. He was losing consciousness.

_Oh oh, that's not good._

Well, this certainly  _was_  bad. And not entertaining as I thought it would be.

Again, I was snapped out of my thoughts, this time with a yank. I could see women changing places, the black haired one retreating with sweat covering her face, another one taking her place. His wound was definitely deep.

"I repeat, what do you want from me?" I pleaded with him, sounding as sincere as I could. "Please, just let my hair go." I continued.

 _"You..."_ He started saying,  _"since you seem to know what's going to happen, SAVE HIM."_ He was practically barking out that last order. His eyes were now a dark ink-ish color. But just because they weren't a burning red didn't mean they held any less rage in them. Or desperation either, if you look closely enough.

"How am I supposed to do that when you're pulling my hair, just let me go." I retorted, my eyes glistening with tears. He clearly didn't buy my act as his clutch only got firmer.

"How am I supposed to help him, I don't know medical ninjustu." I finally confessed. That only angered him further. I was scared shitless that he would just murder me on the spot. However, before he could have the opportunity to do such a thing, we both heard loud cussing and shrieks near Izuna's bed. I quickly darted my eyes to the scene. They were struggling to keep the blood from being drained from his body. But that wasn't the problem. He lost consciousness. And his ragged breathing...stopped.

 _Oh God._ _Izuna stopped moving._

He stopped moving. The irregular rise and fall of his chest halted. He wasn't...breathing. He wasn't responsive either. And he was definitely not conscious. They attempted- to what I assumed was their version of- CPR. A minute had passed and then two and then- the brain couldn't last much longer without oxygen. Even if he did wake up, he would be brain-dead, or brain-damaged if he was lucky. It was okay though, they still had four minutes before they completely destroyed any chance he had at life.

"He's going into cardiac arrest!" I finally shouted as loud as I can, trying to get the medics' attention above all the commotion. Madara just glared at me.

"What does that mean!" he bellowed.

"It means his heart's not pumping blood anymore." I answered after a few moments, hoping he would finally let my poor hair go.

"DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!" He continued shouting, desperation oozing from his voice.

"What do you mean do something about it? Maybe if you had a defibrillator, do you have a defibrillator?" I asked, his hand still holding my hair, although his grip loosened a little. Miraculously.

"A what?" He replied angrily.

" A de-fi-bril-la-tor" I replied, making sure to pronounce every syllable to get it through his skull, as if he was a dunce.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? Speak some sense, woman!"

It only just occurred to me that these people didn't even have such technologies. That would be terrible news for Izuna. Seconds longer and he might be completely leaving this world. I had to think fast. He needed an electric current to pass through his heart for it to start beating again.

_Come on Mina! Think, THINK, THINK._

_"_ Does anyone here know lightning style?" I mumbled. I didn't hear an answer. So, I repeated louder,

"Is anyone here a lightning style user and happens to be interested in saving Izuna Uchiha? Because you know, you should probably step up NOW!" I could see no other way to catching their attention. At long last, someone stepped up. One of the medics, a young pale looking man, clearly distressed at the sights he was witnessing. Something he should have been used to.

"Yes come here." I urged him to come forward. "Faster!" I ordered. I honestly didn't know why I was shouting. But I did know that I was stressed beyond imagination. If I didn't manage to somehow, inexplicably, save Izuna Uchiha, I was as good as dead.

_Would that be such a bad thing though?_

Before I could even ponder the answer to that question, a firm hand had finally let my hair go. Relief washed over me as I rubbed my scalp trying to ease the pain.

The guy was just standing there now, wondering what to do. I got to my feet rather slowly wincing at the pain in my knee joints. I led him towards the motionless body in front of us. Getting closer to that awful mess of blood. Truthfully, I haven't got a clue to what I was doing. I was just playing doctor at this point. Dangerously so, because there was a life in between my hands at the moment.  _An animated character's life._ I had to remind myself so I wouldn't get too attached.

"Here, bring your hands and place them over his chest. Slightly to the left." I guided his hands to where the position of his heart should be.

"Yes, right there. You need to relea-" It seemed like he caught on pretty quick and instantly released a bolt of hot white lightning, electrocuting me in the process as my hands were still placed on his.

I felt a surge of electricity rush through me, every fibre in my body tensed up as sweat beads started to form on my forehead. Every strand of hair on my head went against all known rules of physics that applied in this world, each individual strand was now standing upright, like thin needles. I had a hard time letting go and when I did, I stumbled back and fell to the floor.

"What on earth?! I didn't even tell you to start!" I yelled at him while sitting up. I saw him looking at me apologetically and a hint of panic in his eyes. "Don't stop. Continue every few seconds until he's back. And try to tone down the voltage, would you? And somebody should really be trying to stop that bleeding of his or he'll.." Before I could finish, someone already jumped at it, using their chakra to try and heal the damaged tissues. In doing so, both medics currently trying to revive Izuna blocked my vision so I couldn't see what they were doing.

_This guy's gonna need a shit ton of blood transfusions._

The moment I stood up, I was already yanked off my feet.

"What do you think you're doing?" A strong voice had said. Madara was now grabbing me by the collar.

_Wow, this guy just loves to grab things, doesn't he?_

_"_ I was just saving him like you asked me to." I replied conveying more confidence than I actually had. In reality, I was utterly doubtful that this would work. If it didn't...

"What exactly did you do?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"You want the short answer or the long one?" I retorted. He didn't answer, but just glared.  _Short answer it is_.

"Well, in short terms " I began, trying to shrug him off, to no avail. "I just came up with a quick solution to return your brother back to life." I was just flat out boasting by now. Still no response.

"Ok, so long answer, is it?" I quirked a brow. "So, your brother just lost a massive amount of blood. This severe hemorrhaging is what likely caused it. Unless he was born with some congenital heart disease." I began explaining, trying to recall everything my dad had taught me during one of my summers.

"His heart couldn't pump blood anymore to the rest of his body. But the heart has this thing we like to call a 'pacemaker', it's technical term is the sino-atrial node, and it's found at the top of the right atrium, one of the heart's chambers. Anyways, this node sort of conducts the electrical impulses arriving from the brain through the heart and thus causing atrial and ventricular contractions of the heart muscles, and so blood is pumped. Since his heart stopped beating, there were no contractions, no pumping of blood. So, instead, we have to send external electric currents to the heart, to stimulate it's contractions once more." I was completely immersed in my thoughts and words, I hadn't realized Izuna's body started to... _convulse?_

Violently.

His body was thrashing about, spasming involuntarily.

"Oh my God, STOP! That's enough! You'll end up frying him!" I managed to detach myself from Madara as I ran over to  _what's-his-name_  medic.

* * *


	7. To The Library

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, so I got a little creative with the last chapter, but ...
> 
> come on, it's Naruto Fanfiction. Lol. What did you expect?  
> *I'm still trying to get all the chapters I've written on FF to here, so it might take a few days.

  _ ***EDITED***_

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

I woke up to a bright light shining through the window. It was morning already. I twisted and turned around under the bed sheets, reluctant to get up. I just had a nice dream. Although I didn't remember it, I just knew it was nice.

I dozed off again. Only to wake up around a half hour later. Or so I think, it was around the time the maids usually brought in breakfast. I pulled the sheets over my face so I wouldn't be disturbed by the noise. It was in times like these that I wished to have a curtain over that damn window, the sun was already beaming at full force.

"Urghhh.." I groaned in exasperation as I couldn't fall back asleep, eager to go back to that dream, though I know it was probably not going to happen. It was not all that common to wake up from a dream just to go back to resuming it.

This past week was a complete mess. I didn't even want to think about it. It was just too...intense. Too eventful for me. Well, actually it wasn't. The only eventful things that happened were during the night when they had returned from the battle with the Senju. The days that followed it were as dull as it had always been since landing here.

_Oh well._

I got up from the bed, yanking the sheets away from me and stood up to stretch. I yawned. I had no doubt that I looked like a furry monster. My hair was disheveled, dryer than tumbleweed and in an absolute mess. Something I got used to looking at in the mirror, every time I woke up from a deep slumber. The kimono that I wore to bed...No, the night gown that I wore to bed yesterday night was wrinkled and had creases everywhere. It was slightly bigger for my size, so it's neckline was wide and exposed the upper areas of my breasts. And the sleeves were too long.

I sighed.  _Do these people never get any sizes right?_

I stood there for a moment, doing nothing but gazing out the window. It was a clear day.  _Now that I think about, there hasn't been a single day with bad weather here ever since I came._

Weird.

Maybe because I was so used to living in unpredictable weather where I was from. The north had always been very cold, but sometimes the summers were unbearably hot and humid. And even in the different seasons, there was bound to be a few weeks of really uncharacteristic weather. It changed dramatically from day to day at certain times. Mary would always joke and call it " _The almighty_ bipolar weather".

 _Even more bipolar than you._ She had once said. Naturally, I didn't particularly find it funny. I dismissed the thought and tried to focus on savoring the food brought to me. I took the tray filled with food towards the bed. I usually ate on my bed back home. Or the floor even, I hated eating at the dining table, but I still did it anyways, out of manners of course.

_Pfft._

Instead of eating on the bed here though, I sat down on the floor beside it, my back to the bed and facing the window. That was how I usually ate my breakfasts here. I enjoyed looking out the window while eating. it gave me something to do. Or to think about.

_Maybe if there were books here._

I was an avid reader and I would devour down books as eagerly as I did food, no matter where I was.  _Maybe there's a library here I could have a look at,_ I wondered.

"I guess I should be thanking you for saving my life." I heard a familiar voice say from the doorway. I turned my head sideways to see a frail figure. Usually, he would be leaning on the door frame, a smug look on his face. But this time-  _this time-_ he held not just a gloomy and pale appearance, but also a somber and a dead serious demeanor. It really made all the words he just muttered void of any real intention to thank. He probably also couldn't lean due to the nasty slash to his left side.  _That was it._

"You shouldn't be thanking me. If I were you I'd thank the guy who ran electricity through your heart." I smirked. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation back that night, I would have laughed my ass off seeing Izuna electrocuted. Although, seeing him now, as weak as he was in his state, I felt a pang of guilt just thinking about it. "And the woman who sealed up your wound. Speaking of which, you shouldn't be up and about, your wound could reopen at any moment. It isn't completely healed yet...from what I gathered." I said in earnest concern.

I could imagine seeing blood already seeping through his bandaged waist. He was holding his left side as if it completely pained him just by standing there. Which it probably did.  _So, why was he walking around?_

That night, after Izuna was spasming violently and his body jerking in almost every direction as if he was having a seizure, I had felt his muscles stiffen when I went to his side. He had calmed down nearly a minute later, the violent convulsions turning into mild trembling. He had regained consciousness, much to my disbelief and probably everyone else's. Then he went into shock. Or so I assumed. I had felt his pulse. His heart was beating again. Faintly. His eyes were opened enough to see his pupils were dilated. _I think._ He had been paler than when he was now, in fact I could have sworn back then his skin was... _grey._ It nauseated me. Well, to be fair I had already felt like vomiting just by being in that clinic. The medic woman was already trying her best to minimize the blood loss, and it seemed to be working. His heart beats were getting stronger but rather irregular. Even his breathing.  _He did show signs of life. So that was an improvement._

Before I could even do anything else, I was dragged out by one of the medics?- Or was it a guard?- by Madara's orders no doubt. Apparently, I had done enough already.

Izuna Uchiha, who should be dead, was now standing at my doorway.

_Oh great._

"Get in." I told him. His processing seemed to be slower than usual. I got up from where I was seated, pushing the tray aside, I went to grab a chair and placed it by the window. " _Come on, I'm sure some fresh air would do you good."_  I urged him in. Every single one of his movements were sluggish. I waited for him until he finally reached out for the chair and sat. I opened the window to let in fresh air and warm sunlight. I went to pick up the tray and laid it on the desk. I had finished my breakfast before Izuna had even arrived. He remained seated, still for the longest moments. Just gazing out the window, into nothing. It seemed he, too, picked up that pose from me.

I crossed my hands over my chest and went to sit back on the bed. We just sat there in silence. Nothing to say to each other. I preferred it that way because if he did have something to say, I didn't. And even if I did, I wouldn't know how to say it. Comfortable silence was good enough for me and it appeared to be the same for him as well.

* * *

I didn't know how much had passed or when did he leave, but when I opened my eyes, he was already gone. I didn't even know when I had closed them but I assumed I had fallen asleep some time ago. Not a terribly long time ago, since it looked like the sun was still out, right in the middle of the sky. Mid-day.

_It should be nearing twelve o'clock._

I had actually dozed off sitting cross-legged on the bed. I seem to be sleeping a lot these days. But I couldn't help it, it had been so calm and peaceful when he was around I just  _had to_ nap.

I wasn't groggy like how I usually was when I woke up after a long sleep. No. In fact, I was very clear-minded and attentive. As if I hadn't just napped for two hours, but only blinked for a moment. The tray was gone already, so the maid had already passed by here.

_Why didn't she wake me?_

I shouldn't have expected her to. It was not like she talked to me, or I talked to her. Not much went on between us. We didn't casually exchange words, that was just the way it was.

_Library._

That was right, I had been thinking about asking around if there was a library here. Just to pass the time. I would have asked the servant if I had been awake when she was here. I sighed.  _I guess I'll just have to go to her._

I stood up and passed a hand through my hair, trying to comb it. Eventually stopping after I felt it appropriate enough to be shown in public. I took the kimono that was left for me on the desk.  _She must have brought it with her,_ as she always did every morning. I didn't know why I expected differently.

I would like to think I had become an expert at tying kimonos. Though, I doubted it. But I was significantly better now then when I was at first. I always knew actual kimonos were much more complex than they looked. They always had so many layers that drove me nuts. But since these were rather plain kimonos, it wasn't as hard as I had imagined them to be. I quickly got dressed, passed my hand through my hair once again to make sure it was...presentable. It had actually grew since I had arrived. It was now a few inches past my shoulders, still as wavy as ever. I put on what they deemed to be shoes in this world. They looked like those sandals the ninjas wore.

If I recalled correctly, there would always be a group of maids huddled together a few doors down this hallway. I always saw them when I had dared to walk down this hall once or twice before. When I reached the sliding doors that I remembered, I knocked gently on the wood frame of the doors themselves. I was afraid I would tear the rice papers. They seemed to be very thin. The commotion that I had heard inside suddenly quieted down. I took that as a sign to enter. I opened the doors and was faced with a few curious looks from them. One of which I recognized as my...' _personal maid'._

I gathered up as much as bravery I could. I was always shy to these kinds of situations. I didn't always ask others for help, I liked to mostly do things myself.

"Excuse me, do you know if there's a library nearby?" I asked softly. Not entirely sure if they heard me, and dreaded the idea of having to repeat myself. They all exchanged questioning looks.

_They don't understand me? No, that's not it._

It was a while before someone actually answered me. It was a petite woman with black hair tied in a ponytail and equally black eyes.

"Well, uhm...the public library that's opened for...everyone, is right outside this house. You'd have to exit through the side door and then take a right at the first intersection you meet. Th-" She stopped mid-sentence after seeing a very disappointed look on my face.

_I actually had to get out of this...maze of a house? Why?_

I felt completely dejected. Something she must have picked up on as well.

"Well, there's a private library in this house, though it's only for Madara-sama's and the council's use. If you so desire to go to a library, perhaps one of us could guide you there?" She had offered seeming sincere enough. I was a little shocked, I raised an eyebrow.

"Really? You'd do that?" I asked with every hint of surprise in my voice.

"Hmm, yes." Her answer was short. This was my chance. Maybe I could find something useful to do there.

"Uhm ok, thank you, I would really appreciate it." I said, genuine gratitude was what I felt right then.

"Alright then, one second and I'll be coming along." The same woman who first responded to me excused herself. The other maids started whispering none too gently. I couldn't make out what they were saying but my hunch told me it was about the small woman offering to accompany me. She shrugged them off and went to get something from behind another screen door.

Leaving the maids and I alone in the room. They were still whispering, although more softly now. I backed up slowly and retreated until I was behind the doors, standing in the hall.

_Waiting here is so much better._

A few minutes later, the woman came out into the hallway. It seemed like she had changed into something more appropriate for an outing. She was small indeed. Even shorter than I was, which was kinda amazing. I had always been picked on for my height back in middle school, I could only imagine what this woman would have felt like had she been in my world.

We started walking down the dimly lit hallway and turned right onto another one. I haven't come here before. I wouldn't let myself, but now I was simply allowing myself to follow a woman out of this strange house.

_How things change._

The further we went down the wooden corridors, the lighter it seemed. Not by artificial light, just sunlight. I assumed we were reaching an exit. And we were. Soon enough, we met a larger sliding door than the ones found inside. It wasn't made from rice papers like the others, but of something a bit more... _durable._  I thought as I felt the materiel with a touch of my thumb. We stepped outside into the light of day. The sun was blinding for a moment but I soon adjusted my eyes to it. The housemaid was already walking along, only stopping when she realized I wasn't right behind her. I quickly caught up to her in a few long strides. We were now walking nearly side to side. I tried to ignore that eerie feeling I was getting ever since stepping out. I saw small wooden houses here and there, aligned on either side of the street.

_Great, maybe I should have thought this through._

I saw a few people in various places, all of them seemed to be engrossed in what they were doing. Like chores. Sweeping, cleaning glass plates, cutting more wood,...

_How many trees did they have to cut down to build all this? Scratch that, how many forests?_

Probably a shit ton, I was a little amused at the thought. The maid suddenly turned right onto the intersection. We were met with more houses.

"So, what's your name?" I finally asked, a bit curious.

"My name's Azami-kun, nice to meet you." She greeted me politely.

"Nice to meet you too" I replied. We walked for a while more before I added, "I'm Mina"

_Right, the honorifics. I just didn't feel right using them on my name._

She said nothing.

I began to wonder, now that Izuna was alive, what would happen? Would Madara continue to clash with the Senju or will he still accept Hashirama's peace treaty and build the settlement they've always dreamed of when they were young? Would Konoha even exist? If it doesn't come to be, would all the hidden villages be created? Since they did start appearing one by one after Konoha's founding. And if they weren't founded, then what about the balance of power? How would Hashirama distribute the tailed beasts among other nations? Would he even do it? More importantly, would he even be able to tame them?

_All these questions..._

We stopped in front of a slightly larger building than the other houses. It was no less than two stories high, and it wasn't just made out of wood, but had granite and concrete mixed in. It actually seemed more stable and not ready to crumble down if an earthquake hit any moment. Its doors were large. Made of steel from the looks of it. Azami walked up the few steps first and like the lost puppy I was, I followed. She pushed the doors with little struggle. Odd. It makes you wonder what exactly was it made from. I tried to also push one door to the side and it was pretty heavy.  _Azami did it with such ease though._

I entered the large library right after her.

To say that I was mesmerized was to say the least. The place was  _huge. Incredibly huge._

I could see it was indeed the two floors it portrayed outside. This was the sort of library that one would find built in the medieval times, where books and literature actually had an impact on society and were important to social development.

I had no shame when it came to libraries and books. No shame at all.

They were a second home to me. I practically grew up in them. This was also the sort of library I always dreamed of and would have wanted to built in my 'super- duper disgustingly luxurious mansion' if I ever got rich enough.

 _Or marry a sugar daddy,_  as Mary would kindly put it. It didn't matter at the moment, because it was right in front of me. Right now. And I couldn't have been more happier.

Row after row of neatly lined books were sitting upon wooden shelves, finely polished, that decorated the walls, from top to bottom. The wood here wasn't like the ones I had seen used to construct the houses or the hallways or the rooms. No, this wood was like ebony. Its dark color captivating me. This was huge.  _How many years would it take someone to finish the books in this library?_ I wondered, gaping at the sight in front of me.

 _What do these books even contain?_ Well then, I would just have to figure that out for myself.

There were small desks scattered in the middle of the great room. No one was here.

_Better._

I saw dust had collected in certain areas more than others. It was mostly at the top most shelves due to their height. Well, I assumed that was why a ladder was placed at the corner of the library. But there was still dust and spider webs woven around books and shelves in the lower corners of the room. And even on some mahogany desks. But this only made it all the more alluring to me. I couldn't explain it, but I had always had a strange fascination with books. Especially old ones. I would even admire the rusty old smell of aged paper. That was why I always made a habit of smelling the center of any book before I buy it.

I began to faintly understand why people didn't particularly socialize with me very often.

My eyes must have been orbiting out of my sockets, because I saw Azami give a little chuckle.

"It seems you're quite...surprised by the arrangements here. Perhaps I should stay with you until you finish." She said, her more serious tone returning.

"Oh no, don't let me stop you from going back to your duties. I think I know the way back." I told her.

_I think._

"This is my duty." Azami said tonelessly.

_Huh?_

I didn't bother to think much about it. I was too interested in what surrounded me and was eager to get started already.

_Fine, she could stay here if she wants to._

I picked up a random book from the nearest shelf. Its covers were dusty. I grabbed a red velvety cloth that was sitting around and wiped them with it. I took it and seated myself down for a very long night.

* * *

It must have been dusk outside, The narrow windows let in the slightest amount of light.

The book that I had randomly picked up was about the origin of Ninjutsu. It was interesting, reading it here when I already knew how Ninjutsu came to be. I glanced over at Azami's direction every now and then, I saw her picking up several books and then putting them back in their place. Sometimes she would doze off. It was funny, not everyone had the patience to sit down and read for hours in a library.

I figured it was enough for today and that the other maids must be wondering where my companion was. I dog-eared the page that I was reading and closed the book. I headed over to Azami and shook her shoulders slightly, waking her up.

"Mina-kun..."

_The honorific...my God, it sounds horrible when added to my name._

_"_ I think we should get going." I said softly. She looked outside and understood. She finally got up, put on her shawl and started walking to the doors. I wasn't sure if I should take the book with me or not, it was not like there was a receptionist here that I could ask. I decided that I would just take it for now and return it when I was done with it.

I was right on her heels. The streets were busier now and there were more people, but they were all too busy enjoying their time together feasting or talking or drinking. They barely noticed us and I was relieved.

We finally arrived at-

_Come to think of it, I don't even know where the hell I am..._

Once we were inside, I said my goodbyes to Azami we parted ways. I hurried for my room, the book still in the nook of my arms. I was relatively surprised when I opened the door to the room, I found my usual maid picking up the mattress and folding it.

The room was completely bare now. There was no desk, no chairs. And now, no bed.

"What's going on?" I asked skeptically. It was as if she just noticed my presence.

"Oh. Forgive me, Mina-Kun. But Madara sama has ordered me to move your things to another room." She informed me, with that matter-of-factly tone they were all used to.

_Huh? What things?_

"What?"

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I must apologize for my inability to stick to one tense.  
> Oops. >.<


	8. On The Move

_***EDITED*** _

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

"What?" I asked.

_What things? What is she talking about? Move them? To another room? What the fuck?_

_"_ What do you mean?" I demanded, more curiously this time.

"Oh, Madara-sama has requested that you'd be placed in a chamber closer to his quarters."  _Interesting._

"Why?" I raised a dark eyebrow, more clearer in my demand.

"I..uhmm-" She was stuttering now. "I..don't..kn-know." She confessed. "He did not really say why."

She quickly bowed and dragged the mattress with her as she vacated the room. Clearly not wanting to revealing anything more. I was left alone in the now empty room.  _Great. Am I supposed to sleep on the floor now?_

It was not like I actually believed her.  _What a strange thing to say? Why on earth would Madara want to move my room?_  Not like I would agree to it either. I actually grew fond of these four walls. I didn't want to leave them. It sort of became my new little safe haven. I sighed.

_I guess I have no choice. I don't really mind, I guess?_

I went to the middle of the room and I flumped to the floor. At least I had a book now. I looked over to the desk in search of that candle that was always there as a source of light during the night. I didn't see it. It appeared that she took that too. I got up from the floor with the book in my hand and went over to the window sill.

It wasn't awfully dark yet, the sun had just set. It left behind a red glow that made everything in its path seem on fire, blazing fiercely. It provided enough light to read. So, I took advantage of it as I sat down on the edge. I opened the page that I was on not even an hour ago and resumed reading what I had been so absorbed in.

* * *

It was completely dark now. No light.

None whatsoever. Except for the moonlight. The only source that helped me read as it illuminated the words before my eyes. I wasn't even halfway through. The book was large and thick as a brick. I laid it down beside me, closing the leathered covers. I gave my eyes a chance to rest by shutting them for a few moments. I leaned my head back on the window frame, letting the fresh breeze of the night wash over me. It was calming.

But only for a moment.

Just a moment.

I heard the door creak open, a menacing figure appearing.

_Dammit, can't I just get a few moments alone in peace?_

It seems that every time he was around, the atmosphere became far from peaceful. He was immersed in the darkness of the room, but I could see his prominent and sharp features thanks to the moon.

It didn't make him any less scary though. I saw one of his hands was tucked inside his kimono. Or was he wearing one of those traditional Japanese robes above the kimono? I couldn't tell, it wasn't clear enough.

"Why aren't you in your room?" Madara asked, his deep voice resonating across the small room. His eyes were narrowed intimidatingly. Well, one of his eyes anyways. The other one was covered by his ridiculously long bangs. Though, I was sure the other one was just as narrowed.

I didn't know what to say.  _What am I supposed to say exactly?_ Saying I didn't feel comfortable sleeping next door to a strange and angry man probably wouldn't have passed well by him. Not that he would care, I assumed.

He was used to getting everything his way. Seen from experience. It was as if every time I was around Madara, he would evoke some kind of puzzling emotion in me. Only one other person had evoked a similar reaction from me. Unlike that person, Madara would always make me feel like I should be running in the opposite direction he was coming from. Not out of fear.

But just because.

_Right. Just because._

He didn't seem like that type of person you could just hang around with unless it was necessary. How did his people handle him?

"I...uhm like this room?" Was all I managed to say in response. I sounded like an idiot.

I sort of expected him to come and get me and drag me through the hall by my hair to wherever hell it was he wanted to send me to. But he didn't, surprisingly. He just glared at me. I didn't know how much longer I could hold down his stare.

"You'll be getting another room." He stated simply.

"But I don't want another room." I protested.

"But I don't care." He said before walking out the door, his long mane swinging behind him.

I exhaled a deep breath I didn't even know I was holding in.

 _So, I'm supposed to be moving out huh?_ If I didn't know better, I was sure he would be getting me out of this room, willingly or not. My mind wandered off to where I should have been at the moment. What I should be doing. Who I should be with. But everything and everyone I once knew seemed to be so far away.

I dazed off, still sitting on the window sill.

* * *

**_Madara'S POV_ **

"You shouldn't be walking around." Madara said sternly to his wounded brother.

He hated seeing Izuna like this. He was beyond reckless in that last battle. He should have paid more attention to that irritating Tobirama instead of boasting about his eyes. Izuna should have done a lot if things, but he didn't. And now he was laying down, recovering from a fatal wound.

 _What was he thinking?_  Madara had to wonder.  _That fool._

Did he never think how much it would have affected Madara? Or hurt him for that matter? He didn't think so. Even the clan would have been affected, seeing that Izuna was the second-in-command and the second most influential person in the clan, after to Madara. However, Madara didn't care about that. All he cared about was how he would wreak havoc down on anything and anyone in his path had his younger and only brother died that night. Supposedly, he  _did_ die. Wasn't that what death was? When your heart stopped beating? When your lungs stopped breathing? When there weren't any signs of life anymore?

For a few moments during that night, he thought his world would perish along with his brother. Those moments felt like an eternity spent in hell. And soon, anger had started bubbling through him. Rage and fury soon boiled his blood. Outraged at those who had taken his brother away from him, but mostly at himself for not being able to do anything for him. Couldn't help him when he was cut down by Tobirama's katana and couldn't help healing him when they had returned to the compound.  _If I had been there a second earlier-_

But he wasn't.

_That strange woman...what did she do?_

Did it really matter right now? Izuna was alive and that was what was truly important..

Now, he just had to think about how to repay the Senju for  _almost_ putting his brother six feet under before he did. The only way he could think of to profoundly hurt Hashirama was through Tobirama. Just like Madara himself, Hashirama had a deep love for his younger sibling. His only sibling. He had vowed to do everything to protect him as Madara swore the same for his brother. And that was exactly why Madara knew that by striking down Tobirama, it would destroy Hashirama and whatever his childish dream of creating peace between the rival clans through a settlement for that peace prosper. It angered him that his once childhood best friend still held on so dearly to an idealistic world. It was as if life of war and battles, victories and defeats, had not taught him a single thing. Unlike Hashirama, Madara was more in tune with reality. Or so he thought.

He couldn't help but wonder.

 _What if this happens again? What if, next time, Izuna doesn't make it?_ Maybe not the next time, but the one after. Or the one after that and-

He couldn't bear seeing- no- imagining his brother being struck down again and again and again...Time after another.

That fear of losing Izuna was troubling Madara's mind as of late. It was driving him nuts. Perhaps, he should really give a second thought to that peace treaty Hashirama had sent with an envoy.  _Again._

The formal letter was just laying on his desk, unopened.

_If there wasn't any fighting, just maybe, Izuna might not have to..._

He stopped himself from finishing that thought.

_No._

He decided instead to focus on his sleeping brother. He had came to visit him tonight, just like every night and every day that passed since he was wounded. He came right after visiting that woman. Izuna seemed to be doing better, according to one of the medics. It was a wonder that he was even alive. Or so they said. However, not in front of their leader, afraid that they might cause him to snap. But Madara knew better. He knew that if that woman hadn't been there or if she hadn't even thought of something, he would be burying Izuna at the moment.

He had to know more about her. Who she was and where she came from. And why.

_Why is she here?_

He also knew he should probably be grateful, but..

_No. Just no._

He made sure that she could have what she wanted for now. He told the maids to take her requests, whatever they were. However insignificant they turn out. Most of all, he warned those women against doing something they would later regret; they were not to mess with her. For all he knew, she could be just as useful the next time they fought the Senju. Having her around now was just a precaution he was willing to take.

For now though, he'll-

* * *

 

 


	9. Don't Play With Her Toes?

  ** _*EDITED*_**

* * *

 

**_Mina's POV_ **

_Days._

I've been sleeping on the floor for days.  _Wow, totally not what I had expected._ He...actually left me alone. He let me sleep in my room without having forced me out.  _Yet._ I was a bit shocked. What kind of gentleman would let a woman sleep on the floor for this long? Then again, he never claimed to be a gentleman in the first place _. I shouldn't have expected anything._

As far as I was concerned, Madara Uchiha was nothing but a barbarian. A big brute. A  _very handsome big_  brute. I couldn't help but chuckle as I remembered the days when I was obsessed with anime and manga. It seemed so long ago since I've read or watched anything. I felt like I outgrew them by the time I was fourteen. But the memories of obsessing and fantasizing over anime characters were still as vivid as ever. Especially characters like Madara's, who were practically created just to tease-

-and attract the audiences despite being the villains. As a matter of fact, it only adds to the... _attraction._ The charm. The appeal. The fascination. All things 'thirteen year old girls with developing libidos and a good set of braces' look for in anime characters.

_Or, it's probably just me._

It was morning already and I haven't slept very well in the last few days. Mostly due to the lack of bed, all thanks to Madara's ingenious plan to make me move rooms. He must be waiting for me to come to him, begging on my knees. All for a bed. The ground didn't seem so bad right now.

"What a bunch of crock." I mused loudly. No one was in the room but me. I laid back down on the wooden floor in the center of the room, my hands crossed behind my head. I was using them as pillows, since he clearly thought I didn't deserve those either.  _If he thinks I'm just gonna come to him on my knees, he thought wrong._

This was ridiculous. He was acting like a man-child. Even more so than Izuna, which said a lot. How to deal with 'man-childs': not to give in to their stupid games. Don't give them a reaction that would only fuel their childish logic. Simple, right? Except, it wasn't. Not by a long shot.

I was getting irritated. The cold floor was finally getting to me, hurting my back even more. As if the back pains I've been having since I was fifteen weren't enough. I decided to finally get up. The book that I had borrowed from the library was still there by the window. I always read there as it was the only way to get a source of light I had finished the book yesterday.

It was...interesting?

It talked a lot about the Sage of Six Paths, the founder of the shinobi of earth. And his two sons.

Indra and Ashura. And their never ending conflict. How one was destined to take over their father's world and the other, the creator of Ninjutsu. It talked in depth about what Ninjutsu was and how humans evolved into having the ability to infuse chakra.

_Indra and Ashura, huh..._

I was surprised the book didn't talk more about the Sage himself or his name. It didn't even mention his mother, Princess Kaguya nor his twin brother, Hamura Otsutsuki. The founder of the shinobi of the Moon. It was a shame they never really got into his character extensively. I guess he'll forever remain one of the lesser known and mysterious characters of the Naruto Universe. Just like Kakashi's father.

But I suppose they wouldn't know this much about them here. I would imagine this happened a millennium ago, so it wouldn't have been well documented.

I sighed.  _This was getting boring._

 _Maybe I'll just go return the book and look for another one._  But not before I asked for my bed back. I wasn't going to let this go. I was a stubborn person and if an idea- no matter how twisted it was- popped into my mind one moment, I had to do it the next.

I went to grab the book and headed for the maids' chamber.

_Izuna..._

I wondered how he was doing. It had been a while since someone just passed by my room to talk. I must admit it did get tedious without his presence. Even if he didn't talk, his presence was merely enough. But he was sneaky. Terribly sneaky.

 _What a conniving little man._ I couldn't help but think.

He was by no means little. In fact, he was almost as tall as Madara. Although not as built and muscled up as his elder brother, you could tell Izuna had speed and agility on his side rather than brute strength or force. I sincerely did hope he got better.

Maybe then he could take pity on me and convince his pervy older brother to give me my bed back. On second hand...He just might be the first person to push me in through the door of the new room. That sounded like something Izuna might do.

_Oh, yes definitely. In that case, I really hoped that he didn't recover._

I finally arrived at the sliding doors to the maids' rooms. I knocked gently as I did a few days ago. I was told to come in. So, I did. The same group of maids I saw back then were here huddled as usual. I saw Azami pick up something from the corner. I coughed slightly, clearing my throat.

"I-uhm..." Another cough. "I was thinking maybe it's time I could get my bed back. If you don't mind. Please?" I had said clearly but with a hint of demand in my voice. They looked at each other again, however this time they seemed to be exchanging looks of worry. Or was it confusion? I didn't care, I just wanted a bed.

Just like last time, Azami was the one to speak up,

"I'm sorry Mina-chan, but Madara-sama has ordered us not to give you your bed back and that you would learn to go to your newly assigned chambers." She seemed apologetic.

_I knew it! That bastard!_

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"What?" I asked a bit coldly.

"He had specifically tasked us with not giving-"

"No I understood. I meant why?" I cut her off, my arms now crossed. I could feel anger building up inside me, not at Azami but at how Madara seemed to think I wasn't even worthy enough of a bed unless I crawled to him.

"Hmm, I'm not sure." Azami said, not really knowing if she should say anything. Well, it wouldn't hurt, would it? "Madara-sama wants you to move into the room that he assigned to you." she repeated.

"Yes I got that much." I said as politely as I could without letting too much anger show. Which was a massive fail.

"I mean no disrespect Mina-chan, but I would listen to what Madara-sama says, if I were you." She advised me.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm under no obligation to listen to him".  _An animated character of all people. He could kiss my ass._ Safe to say, that was one thought I did not voice out loud.

"You are living in his household. Abiding his rules is the least you could do." She took on a defensive stance, like I had offended him. Maybe I did.

"I didn't ask to be brought here, you know. And I'm sure he won't let me leave" I said more softly this time before I turned back and stepped out of the room. I had enough.  _This wasn't fair. What did I ever do to him?_

I was already cranky because of the lack of sleep, this was not helping. I was over-reacting and I knew it. I would like nothing more than to just go and give him a piece of my mind while I still had the balls to do so.

_But then again-_

_I don't even know where the fuck he is._

I exhaled a deep breath, trying to vent off the anger that was building up. There was only one way I could calm myself.

I rushed back to my room, opened the window and climbed out like a monkey, with the book still in my hands. I began running throughout the field until reaching a shade under a tree. I sat down with a loud thump, placing the book next to me. I got into a lotus sitting position. Or tried to. I had to untie the white sash of my kimono a little, to give me freedom. Finally getting into position, I took another deep breath and exhaled just as deeply. I did so another three times. I closed my eyes momentarily and put my hands gently on my knees. I was trying to expel any thoughts out of my mind; good or bad. It took me a few minutes to finally relax and calm down, I leaned my back against the tree, raised my head and looked up at the sky through the shady green leaves. There was a little wind that would rustle the leaves. The sun was shining brightly. I felt something tighten in my chest. Something that made me just want to...burst.

And burst I did.

I felt streams of tears falling down from my eyes, like a leaky fountain. Everything was finally getting to me. I missed everyone and everything in my world. I've never went a day without thinking about them and it saddened me that I couldn't see them anymore. I was beginning to lose hope that I would ever return to them. Instead, I was stuck here with a grumpy old man they called Madara and his evil little brother. Just thinking about them is depressing. The tears wouldn't stop falling but I had long since stopped sobbing. They were just silent tears now.

They seemed to run down forever until I dozed off peacefully.

* * *

When I opened my eyes, I could tell it was already mid-afternoon. I brought my hands to my cheeks and felt that they were dry.

_Good. Now that those are out of the way, time to make way for new ones for shit still to come._

I stood up and dusted dirt from my behind and on my knees. I retied the obi and took the book that was still there. Surprisingly. I didn't know why but I felt like someone might just take it.

I stretched one last time before I started walking towards my room. When I reached there, I had found the window closed. But I could have sworn that I had left it open. I tried to budge it open again, but it was no use. It was locked.  _Great. Just great_. I guess I could always find a way out of here by sticking to the walls and see where they lead me...But breaking the window seemed so much more fun. I bent my elbow and started to ram it into the glass a couple of times before it finally shattered.

_I'm sure Madara wouldn't mind a few broken windows here and there._

I found the lock and unclasped it open. I slid the window upwards and entered into the room, careful to avoid the shards of glass that fell on the window sill and the floor. I went for the door. Since there was nothing for me to do here, I decided to go to the library and return the borrowed book and find a new one. Because that was all I could do. I managed to find my way out of the household by pure memory. When I stepped outside, it was much livelier than the last time I had been out. As I started walking I took in more details of my surroundings than the last time. I had been more shy and a bit scared of what I might find, but today... _I don't know,_  I just felt more curious.

Some of these houses were painted and some weren't, but they all looked relatively new. A few had wooden panels as doors and fences instead of the traditional rice paper. These fences separated one home from another, making them seem as they were stuck together as one wide building. It was nice, it had a  _home-y_ feeling to it. If this was a compound, it couldn't be much larger than these two streets. I had noticed the Uchiha crest was painted over banners, hung above almost every house. I even thought I had noticed a bath house somewhere between the clusters of households.

I had reached the first intersection and turned right. The library shouldn't be far away, just at the end of this street. I was greeted with more similar houses, I could see come Uchihas were out and about, some sitting on their outer porches. They seemed... _peaceful._

It was sort of strange for a warrior clan as powerful as the Uchiha to be just...hanging around. I had always thought that they were constantly fighting, at war with one clan or another. But apparently, they seemed to enjoy peace as well. Some had glanced in my direction, staring at me. I could understand why- somewhat. I knew I would stick out like sore thumb among their people. I had brown hair and chocolate brown eyes, which was a pale comparison to their black as night straight hair and their dark eyes.

I was a bit self-conscious about it but it didn't bother me like it used to. I saw the library come into view. For a moment there, I felt a little content at the sight.

_This time, I could stay as much as I want since no one's really accompanying me._

When I entered I was still amazed at how grandiose it looked like from the inside. It hadn't gotten any less fascinating.

But at this moment, I could see an old man sitting at the furthest table, burying his head in one of the largest books I had ever seen in my life. If he had sensed my presence, he gave no indication of it whatsoever. I didn't want to bother him, so I went straight to the bookshelf I had taken the ' _Origin of Ninjutsu_ ' from. I put it back in its place and searched thoroughly for another book. All these books- well most of them- were old Gothic-style paperbacks. They were of the vintage kind.  _Ancient, is more like it._  The kinds of which would sell for a ridiculously expensive amount in my time.  _World._

I had to take them out of their slot and open to the first few pages to skim through them for a summary. I had taken a few out and put them back. I finally found a book that caught my eye. It had an amazingly smooth red leather cover. It also happened to be untitled. I opened the first page and read something along the lines of ' _The Infinite World of the Tsukuyomi'._

_Huh?_

I had to wonder if this wasn't misplaced here by accident. Perhaps, it belonged to the private library Madara owned.  _Should this really be in public?_

I was sure the private library back in the main household held a ton of valuable books that contained many crucial secrets related to the Uchiha bloodline. Not the type of secrets you would want to parade in the public at the risk of them being stolen. Granted, I didn't really know what this book talked about yet, but it seemed ancient and the writings were most definitely handwritten. This book was as large as the last one I read but I couldn't imagine how someone could write all these pages manually.

Patience is what- whoever the writer was- had plenty of. Of course, there wasn't an author's name written on the cover.  _Just like most of them._

I took it and went to a table and sat.

* * *

I had been reading for a long time. Sometimes I would re-read certain pages to make sure they stuck in my mind. Other times, I would just sit around and ponder to what any of this meant. I honestly couldn't understand a lot of what it said and that infuriated me. I never had such a hard time comprehending a book than I had now. The handwriting wasn't bad, I could read just fine. It was the contents that bothered me. They made no sense to me at all.

I leaned my hands on the table, trying to concentrate on the meaning of the written words.

Occasionally, I would black out.  _I think_. My eyes would close for a short rest and then open again after a while. This went on for a quite some time. My head slipped out of my hands and fell onto the book. I was so tired, my body was just giving into sleep. I haven't had a good one in days and the pages of the book seemed soft enough to be used as a pillow.

...

My eyes shot open suddenly.

_What?_

I felt a warm cover around me.  _A blanket?_  The same red velvety material I had seen around here before. I could also see a candle flickering at the corner of the table.

Someone must have set it there and covered me before they left. The old man probably. It was indeed getting cold, maybe it was night already. I rubbed my eyes and tried to clear up. I heard a small yawn escape my lips. I was hungry, according to my stomach. It was grumbling loudly. I could hear it echo through the large, now-empty library. I should probably be getting back but I was too lazy to get off this chair. I couldn't get myself to stand up. So, instead I just went back to reading this puzzling book.

I haven't gotten past the fifty page mark. Much to my disappointment.

It was talking about the methods to achieve the infinitely dream-like state and how to cast it upon every living soul that breathed. It was basically a large scale Genjutsu that trapped anyone in it, per the castor's will. It required a dojutsu strong enough to enslave everyone and syphon off their chakra without killing them. The Rinne eye was its name. That much I understood, but what came after it was the most perplexing.

I was about to continue reading, though something shiny caught my eyes. I flipped through the pages until I found it again. It wasn't shiny, but rather burnished. Towards the end of the book, large texts littered most of the pages as if the author was in a hurry to finish it. Touching the thickened papers lightly, I brushed my thumbs against the letters. It didn't feel like ink, it was far too rough and the texture didn't seem right. It was more like...wax? It had to be dried wax. Which was strange, considering no one wrote with such mouldable material. It was more suitable for seals. Still, I wasn't sure. Despite the font size of the characters, I couldn't see. I dragged the candle over in hopes that it would shed more light on this strange book. Holding the candle stick, I leaned over it and squinted my eyes.

_He, who shall brin-_

As I began to read the text- albeit, with great difficulty- the letters began to melt. Slowly but surely.  _Huh?_ The heat from the candle-light must have thawed at the letters. As a result, black smoke had begun to vaporize and took form. The burning smell of the wax was pungent and disgusting; so much so, I felt the need to vomit. Fortunately, I held myself back and looked away before the smoke burned my eyes.  _What was this?_

Before I could even continue that thought, I felt a sudden wave of drowsiness overtake me. I became light-headed and dizzy. No, this wasn't sleep. It was something else but I didn't know what it was. As I was closing my eyes, still semi-conscious enough to feel like I was being picked up and carried away. I couldn't see who it was as the candle was blown out. And then darkness...Just darkness.

* * *

I woke up to the feeling of incredibly soft sheets underneath me. My head was buried in fluffy pillows. They smelled amazing. As if they were beckoning me to sleep more, but my eyes hurt from the constant napping. I didn't know how long I had been asleep although it must have been a long time. I opened them slightly and saw that I was in a foreign room. Much larger than the one I was living in. It wasn't just made of wood alone like the others. No, this room was prettier; much, much prettier. It had bamboo sticks arranged in creative patterns across each of the four walls. Its creamy beige color created a beautiful contrast against the ebony colored wood.  _Like that of the library._

There were two larger windows on one of the walls.  _They had curtains. A_   _miracle._

But I knew it was already day outside.

As I became less groggy, I could sense a figure behind me. It wasn't that hard to guess who it was. He wasn't as sneaky as Izuna. Unlike him, his presence was easily identifiable.

_Oh God, how long has he been standing there? Was he...watching me sleep?_

I was too afraid to turn around and see Madara. If he was actually there.

 _No, he definitely was there._  I could hear him shifting his weight to stand on his other foot. How long had he really been there? So was this the room he desperately tried to get me to move into? Because if it was, I would have came running here the instant I knew it was this comfortable. Hypocritical, I knew that. But these squishy cushions would have me do anything to sleep in them, if only for a moment longer.

I was torn between turning to shout at him to get his creepy ass out of here or to just feign being asleep. I finally settled for just roughly pulling the covers over my head. I was sure he knew I was awake.  _I was also sure_  he should be taking that as a sign to leave. I was just trying to cover myself from his disturbing gaze. It felt like if my back side was exposed. He finally took the hint and I heard him walk out, shutting the door behind him.

_Finally._

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

_It seems she wanted time alone._

Madara was deep in thought as shut the door.

...

He was looking all day for her yesterday, about to finally confront her about who she was and what she was doing here. But he didn't find her. He went looking for a while. Then he gave up. Deciding on visiting Izuna instead. He would look for her again, later. She was probably just hiding, reading whatever book she had in her hands that night.

Izuna seemed to be doing better. Much better. Even ready enough to be training. According to the medics, but not according to Madara. He didn't care what they said, Izuna would still be shackled to the bed until some color returned to his face and that wound of his would completely heal itself. Madara knew he should  _probably_  listen to the medics, it was their job after all. But he couldn't risk it with Izuna's well-being. His own wounds from his battle with Hashirama have healed already. But he couldn't trust his brother not to go out and train relentlessly until his wound reopened.

_No._

Madara wouldn't let that happen.  _Over my dead body._ Izuna appeared to have regained some of his 'humor' back along with his snarky remarks and prideful attitude. But he did notice the tiniest of changes in him. Izuna knew that he had been lucky this time around.  _Awfully lucky._

He had never come this close to death before and that had fed into his ego. Which caused him to be less cautious in some fights more than others. And that was what led him to his downfall in that last battle.

 _He needed to get it together or maybe next time he wouldn't be as lucky,_  Madara thought much to his dismay. His younger brother had this bad habit of often underestimating his opponents. That was what he did with Tobirama. And Tobirama gladly proved him wrong. He was a worthy opponent indeed.

_But still..._

_He nearly killed Izuna and if I could just get my hands on him._

Madara's thoughts returned back to the girl.  _What's her name anyways?_

He was sure one of the maids had told him or it was his brother, but for the love of Kami, he just couldn't remember it. When he had returned to look for her after visiting Izuna, he went straight to the room she claimed to like so much. He didn't understand. It was such a plain, ordinary room. He opened the door, fully expecting her to be there by now.  _So she had slept on the floor for the past days just to test me?_

 _Suit yourself,_ was what he thought when he had left her there reading under the moonlight. She had looked completely at peace before he caught her attention. The moon reflecting her dark locks brilliantly. They looked like they were shining. Her eyes too, when they had turned to look at him-

 _But that was too much. She couldn't hold out for much longer._ Madara had had enough of her stubbornness, unconsciously reminding him of his own.

When he opened the door and didn't see her, he was slightly taken aback.  _Where could she be?_  He had instantly noticed that the window was open. He looked out and could see that she was sitting under a tree, in the shade. Her eyes were closed; however, as he looked closer he could see that tears were falling down her cheeks. She didn't look particularly sad nor was she sobbing. She was just...calm, but the tears were falling nonetheless.

Madara raised an eyebrow, curious. He had always wondered why women cried when they could just keep it to themselves. He wasn't interested in knowing what was making them weep. Instead, he would rather assume that they- sometimes- would be crying for no reason. He didn't have much patience for their theatrics.

 _Perhaps, this was one of her times?_ He couldn't help but wonder. He stood by the window and continued to watch her until he realized she had fallen asleep. Her head knelt to the side, falling on her left shoulder.

An idea suddenly came to him. Maybe, if he would just lock her out of this room, she wouldn't bother with coming back to it. But he knew that wouldn't really stop her. He still tried anyways and locked the window from the inside. He was more curious now at how she would react and deal with this. In the meanwhile, he left the room to go deal with the paperwork graciously waiting for him at his desk. For days.

It was dusk by the time he had finished that stupidly large amount of work that had piled up since arriving. That formal letter of the peace treaty Hashirama had sent a week ago still laid unopened atop his desk. It was bothering Madara. He decided to just leave. He was getting hungry but chose to pass by her room first to see if she managed anything. He opened the door and found shards of glass splayed across the floor. The window was broken.

_Huh._

He felt a bit of anger starting to brew deep inside him. He hadn't expected this. In truth, he didn't know what to expect really. He walked with heavy footsteps towards the closest maids' chambers that he had assigned to her. He probably should have knocked first. It wasn't very polite nor very appropriate to just walk into a woman's chambers. Not that he cared anyways.

He slid open the doors roughly and heard a few gasps from the maids.

"Where is she?" He asked, his deep voice portraying his growing annoyance.

One woman- Azami was her name- that the girl had gotten the closest to, answered.

"We don't know Madara-sama. We're sorry." She bowed down apologetically and the others did the same.

"What do you mean you don't know?" He hissed, this time with more anger than irritation. He crossed his arms, ready to bark at them.

"We haven't seen her since the afternoon. When we were bringing her supper to her room, we found-" The damn woman was stalling.

"How could she just disappear from under your noses?" Madara was struggling to keep his tone civilized. He didn't mean to snap at the maids but this was ridiculous.  _How could they not see her pass by?_ Then a thought just crossed his mind.

_What if she escaped? Right through the front door?_

That only infuriated him more. That girl may not know how to trek around the compound, but she seemed sufficiently smart to know that if she walked far enough, she would reach the front gates to the-

" _Where did she go?!_ " He had resorted shouting. He couldn't contain his anger anymore, that seemed to be growing by the second. He was mostly outraged at the thought that anyone could just walk out of his house aimlessly without bothering to ask his permission.

The women gave out startling gasps, in spite of his outburst, they remained bowing to him.

Azami was the only one responding back.

"I- I don't know Uchiha-sama." She was flinching under his piercing gaze and his sharp tongue.

 _Do these women not know anything?!_ He was now jumping out of his skin. He just couldn't believe it. He turned and walked out before he could do any real damage. He managed to calm down slightly. He needed to think.  _Where could she go?_  It was not like she knew anyone or anything outside these quarters.  _Besides the archives._ She could have been there or she would be out of the compound by now. Far into the forests that encircled the Uchiha stronghold. Though, Madara struggled to see why she would leave. Yes, he did bring her by force. On a  _whim._  But from what he had heard, she seemed completely lost. As if she didn't understand the world that she was living in. Which was a bit shocking. As ludicrous as it sounded, he knew something wasn't right about her from the very beginning.

But now, what he did know was that he had to find her. He quickly made his way to the library in search for her. It was night already.

The moon at the center of all stars.

He jumped from roof to roof, utilizing the smallest amount of chakra and made sure his steps were as light as a feather in order not to bother the inhabitants underneath him. They were his clan. His kin. He would protect them until the day he died. Everything he was fighting for was for them. Every battle he won and  _will_ win would be for them. That was all he cared about. To protect them and to make sure the Uchiha would strive for everything.

He was now above the library and the archive's flat roof. He landed to the ground with a faint thud.

When he was inside, he found her. Sleeping.  _Sleeping?_

Her head was laying on the desk, above a book. A light blanket hanging over her shoulders and a small candle was her only source of light in this dark library. There was no one here it seemed. It was completely dark. He saw her fidget a little.

She was waking up. Madara quickly hid in a dark corner.  _Maybe I'll just stick around for a while..._

A small smirk graced his face as he moved slowly in the darkness, closer to where she was sitting until he was right behind her. She didn't sense him and he wasn't even trying to mask his chakra. He was curious to know what she was so desperately trying to read in the faint light. Looked over her shoulders, she still didn't recognize his presence yet. Madara's eyes swiftly looked over to that book between her hands. He scanned it carefully.

 _That book. It shouldn't be here..._ His light smirk turned into a not-so light-frown.  _She shouldn't be reading this._

There were genjutsus that didn't need someone to directly look into the sharingan to get trapped in. That should have been the easiest way to get her to cooperate without having to make a fuss, not that anyone was here anyways. He would have put her under a genjutsu, except-

She didn't have chakra. It would have never worked. While he tried to think of a way to put her to sleep without making it too obvious, fate had already done it for him.

He caught her before her head slapped the desk. He closed the book and took it with him. Taking a mental note that he should  _properly_  place this book where it  _properly_  belongs.

He carried her back into the room. Not her room. The room he originally assigned to her. A few days ago, that is.

He laid her down on the ready-made bed and pulled the covers around her. He stood there a few minutes, staring blankly at her. He didn't know why he was still standing there. He had other things to do and he was still hungry.

Looking down at her, he saw that she shifted into a more comfortable position suitable for a... _cat?_

She was hiding her face between her arms, her back arched and her legs brought up to her chest. As if she was trying to hide her toes.

 _Like how newborn kittens sleep when they're trying to shut out the world._  That's what it reminded him of.  _Was that what she was doing? Shutting out the world? And making sure people don't play with her toes?_ It was a very weird thought Madara had. She was sleeping the way a kitten does. It was a bizarre position to sleep in.  _Very bizarre._

Certainly not more bizarre than his thoughts, though. Cats had always been an Uchiha thing, he wasn't exempt from it. He just didn't show it and would rather die before anyone knew of his acute fondness for them.

He had to snap his eyes away afraid that his thoughtful gaze would wake her up. He decided it was enough staring at her for tonight. He had other businesses to tend to. And so he left.

Only to return a few hours later when he had heard that she hadn't stepped out of the room. He couldn't help but wonder if she had broken another window and jumped out. He went and saw that she was still in bed. A pillow on her arm and her head on the pillow. Her arms weren't covering her face anymore. The little sunlight escaping through the curtains colored her normally wavy brown locks to a much lighter shade of caramel. She was still asleep.

 _How could someone sleep so much?_ He had to wonder. Madara never got more than four hours of sleep each night, if he was lucky enough. Hence, the heavy eye-bags and his untamed spiky hair. It was always on edge, messy and pointing out in all directions. He stopped caring for it long ago when he realized he couldn't do anything to change it.

He stood there leaning by the door for perhaps another fifteen minutes before he saw her first squirm. She was coming to. Finally. He was actually getting tired of standing, not really comprehending why he was even here in the first place.  _Right, to make sure she didn't jump out. Again._

She held still for a few moments. She was definitely awake.

 _Pretending to be asleep, is she?_ He raised an eyebrow curiously. She must have sensed him already. She then pulled the covers above her head, clearly wanting him to leave. So, he did.

...

Madara was walking away from her new room when one of his clansmen came rushing to him. He had just passed his own room when he met the shinobi halfway. The young Uchiha ninja had a strange look on his face. Fear?  _No_. Worry?  _Maybe._  Uncertainty?  _Probably._

 _"_ Madara-sama." He bowed politely to his leader. "The patrolling guards at the gates spotted a Senju envoy coming our way. They're carrying a green banner." The shinobi said as calmly as he could. He didn't want to unintentionally anger his leader. Everyone knows how... _aggravated_...Madara Uchiha got when he heard the word Senju or anything related to them. This moment was no exception. Madara had a very bad temper and he knew it.

_How dare they send a peace envoy straight to our gates?_

But Madara knew better. He also knew how relentless Hashirama could be. He had sent this envoy because he didn't answer his former letter. That was one thing Hashirama had loads of; guts. The Senju leader had done this plenty of times before, Madara didn't know why he had expected differently on this occasion.

He hurried along with his shinobi towards the gates.

His blood was already boiling by the time they got to the outskirts to the compound. Which didn't take very long. It was a common ground rule between ninja clans not to attack any peace envoys that are sent. Madara would always send these delegates back to Hashirama with a... _'blunt refusal'_  would be the best way to put it. His thoughts hadn't changed this and he was already raging with spiteful insults ready to howl at them.

Until he saw a peculiar white haired man, standing tall in the center of his group. His happuri made of metal had his clan's insignia carved into the forehead. His indigo blue armor shone in the sunlight.

_Tobirama Senju._

It was right then that Madara had truly lost his cool. He couldn't think clearly above the heavy thumping in his ears. He was just about ready to just bounce in and slit Tobirama's throat.

His hands went instinctively to the handle of his katana.


	10. Fire!

  ** _*EDITED*_**

* * *

 

_**Madara's POV** _

He was this close to jumping the man. His grip on his katana got tighter as he began to slide it out of its sheath. He was in position to lunge himself right into the half dozen Senju that stood at his gates. But he felt a hand grab his right arm gently. He looked to his right to see that Uchiha shinobi that had brought him here.

_How dare he pla-_

"Please sir. You need to think this through." The ninja pleaded, aware of how dangerous it was to stop an angry Madara from doing what he wanted. Madara shot him a deadly glare. He could hear what his clansman was saying but couldn't quite comprehend it fully.  _What does he mean think it through? Am I not supposed to kill that Senju bastard who nearly took Izuna away from me?_

He looked over to the envoy Hashirama had sent. They were in a defensive stance, ready to block any attacks Madara hit them with. Typically, peace messenger envoys were not supposed to initiate any fighting nor fight back in turn should they be attacked. Then again, they shouldn't even be attacked. Whoever did strike against such an envoy would be regarded as dishonorable and unprincipled. And whatever clan that had sent the envoy in the first place had every right to retaliate and avenge those that were killed.

But the Uchiha were an honorable clan, they would never stoop to such a lowly act. Madara had to think carefully and choose wisely or he might just as well end up condemning his clan to a very- repulsive reputation. He most certainly did not want to do that.

He sighed with great exasperation and sheathed his sword back into its place. The tension seemingly eased just a bit. The Senju dropped their defensive stance in response. Madara approached them with heavy steps, each more daunting than the last. His harsh glares only got harsher. Hate spewing out of his eyes, directed at one particular Senju. This wasn't the only time Tobirama had tried to kill his brother. It was only  _that last time_  that he had nearly succeeded.

As usual, the Senju with that awful white hair, was wearing a blank, stoic expression. That alone infuriated Madara more than anything. He came to a stop a couple of feet away from the envoy, right at the entrance to the compound.

He wasn't going to say anything. Just waited for them to say what they had to so he can send them back with their asses handed to them on a silver platter.  _Forget the silver platter. I'll just gladly have their asses in..._ He couldn't even finish his thought, his anger was already getting the better of him. He needed to calm himself down. Immediately.

It was customary to invite the messengers in but Madara didn't feel like being hospitable. He was waiting  _patiently_ with his arms crossed. It was Tobirama who stepped out from the group of Senju warriors and began talking.

"We are here on behalf our leader. He extends his greatest regrets on the events of our recent altercation and not being able to be here at the moment. He would also like to make amends and offers a mutual peace treaty that would be of the utmost benefit to both our respective clans." He said tonelessly, reciting what had probably been prepared beforehand.

By this time, a few of the council's elders had also appeared beside Madara.

"Please, come in." One of those councilors had said, rather void of any cordial feelings. They hated the Senju as much as Madara did, if not more. But their invitation was nothing more than a strategy to keep face.

The Senju agreed reluctantly. The fact that they had agreed at all meant that they had  _much more_ to say that they didn't want to mention in public.

They started walking in towards the center of the complex, every Uchiha shinobi now on guard. Madara finally understood why Tobirama was really here. Hashirama must have wanted to come himself but his clan's elders wouldn't have it. So, instead they sent in the next most influential person in the Senju stronghold. They wouldn't normally send in high ranking officials. They have never done it before. It was usually his cousin, Touka Senju, that would deliver these peace treaty invitations. The only reason Madara even knew her name was because he had seen her before in battle, and she was somewhat efficient in using genjutsu. More proficient than any non-Uchiha he had ever seen. And she was a Senju nonetheless.  _Not too shabby_ was all he had thought when he first laid eyes on her.

They had finally reached the main house. And as soon as they did, Madara warned every guard surrounding the household to be careful and make sure Izuna didn't hear a word of this. Knowing him, he would probably just barge in and set everything in his sights that was a Senju aflame. Madara didn't want him near Tobirama anytime soon, much less start a fight with him. He was still worried about his younger brother.  _The curse of being an older brother._

They were soon seated in the meeting room, tension as high as ever. They had offered tea but were declined. Respectfully.

_Good._

Playing house wasn't in Madara's nature. Nor that of his elders. He had never been this civilized with a Senju in  _many, many_  years.

"What do you want?" Madara had said curtly, his voice nothing short of angry.

Tobirama pretended to ignore the tone of his voice.

"Firstly, my brother and I would like to sincerely apologize for having personally caused any serious harm to your second-in-command. We wholeheartedly hope for his speedy recovery from his injuries." He said as formally as anyone could be and then bowed politely.

 _He can't even mention Izuna's name._ It was like he was trying to detach himself from any personal situation. Particularly, one that he had caused himself. It aggravated Madara beyond belief.

"Furthermore, he would like to forge a truce between the Senju and the Uchiha that would last indefinitely." Tobirama continued, "One that would stop the centuries long rivalry and fighting between our clans." He then brought out a couple of scrolls that he had been carrying. "By establishing a settlement that would profit us both and join us together." He paused. "In fact, he would like to set a meeting between himself and the leader of the Uchiha to discuss further details." He was talking to the Uchiha group before him.

Madara was supposed to open these scrolls and inspect them, but he just sat there glaring at Tobirama and the group of Senju shinobi in front of him. He had heard nothing new. It was always the same thing with Hashirama. First by apologizing for their last fight, for whatever countless fights there were, then by offering his sympathies. Then going on about joining the two clans together under one village. Madara had learned to just ignore his pleas. Rejecting them had become second nature to him. He was leaning his head in the palm of his left hand.

None of the Uchiha councilors had said anything yet. And they weren't about to either. Hearing about Hashirama's calls have also became a daily habit to them, almost as much as Madara. They were just waiting for the Senju to continue whatever they had to say.

But it seemed they had nothing left. Tobirama was just sitting there, analyzing Madara's attitude. Tobirama's genuine... _dislike_  for the Uchiha was rather well know. Especially his contempt for Madara. He had never thought anything of the Uchiha leader but as an inconvenience and a nuisance. An inconvenience his elder brother would visit secretly when they were young.

When it was clear enough that nothing else was to be said, Madara finally broke the silence.

"Get out." He said smoothly but with every hint of disgust he felt towards the Senju.

When none of them made a move to stand, he shouted. _"GET OUT. NOW."_

All of them stood, one by one they left the room. But not before giving a slight nod as their farewell. Madara didn't think he could handle their presence a second longer. The room fell quiet again. Completely silent.

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

_This was expected._

Why wouldn't it be? They had come here under Hashirama's direct orders. As usual. But the Senju clan leader had wanted to come himself this time. And that wasn't going to happen. Not on Tobirama's watch, it wasn't. He was determined to make sure the Uchiha would not lay a hand on Hashirama. He was indispensable to the Senju and would lead their clan into a greater era. But above all, he was Tobirama's brother. They were the only ones left of the four siblings. And he loved him deeply. Tobirama would do anything for his brother. Even be the messenger of this useless envoy. As much as he would love to deny it, he knew how similar he could be to Madara. They were both the most sensible ones out of their respective siblings. Although, this time was different, Madara didn't give a definite answer. He didn't explicitly refuse nor agree to the peace treaty. He didn't even open the scrolls.

Tobirama and his group were now on their way out of this redundant compound. They were walking down the halls when something caught his eye. Or rather someone. They were dressed in terribly baggy clothes. More than twice their size for sure. They were getting closer to the hallway they were in and he could notice that it was a woman. She was walking aimlessly, looking confused. He stopped in his tracks to see what exactly she was doing. She seemed to be looking for something now. Her brown locks bouncing on her shoulders every time she was turning her head. She still hadn't noticed him yet.

It appeareed to be that she had found what she was looking for. She suddenly ran to a window on one side of the corridor and looked to her sides quickly as if to make sure no one was watching her. But there was. And she still didn't seem to have taken in the figure spying on her at the end of the aisle. Tobirama wasn't even trying to hide himself.

_What on earth is she doing?_

He could see her fidget with the locks on the window, finally able to unclaspit after a moment. She slid it open until the end and hopped onto the window sill, but not before giving another look around. Finally, it appeared to Tobirama that she at last took in his presence. Confusion dawned on her face and then-

_What was that expression?_

He couldn't decipher it. Was it amusement? Or was it surprise?

She then jumped out the window.

_What?_

Tobirama instantly realized he was alone in the hallways and had to catch up to his group. And he did. In a matter of minutes. These corridors all looked alike and were confusing to walk through. It was like a maze. The Uchiha emblem painted on very other wall, constantly reminding Tobirama of where he was and that he should be on his guard. It didn't matter if he got lost, he could find out where his companions were by sensing their chakra. And he knew he was close.

He finally caught up to them only to be met with more confusing halls. It didn't seem to have been this long when they first arrived. Perhaps they took the wrong turn? That didn't seem likely. Their Uchiha guard wouldn't purposely lead them down wrong hallways for the fun of it. They were walking in silence 'til they entered another hallway. One where windows were situated every meter or so. One of the windows shattered and a hand went through to unlock it from the inside. Then it opened to reveal a dark clothed figure jumping in this time, avoiding the fragments of glass that scattered everywhere.

"Dammit." Tobirama heard her cuss under her breath.

 _What was this woman doing jumping in and out of windows?_ Her sudden appearance alarmed the group around him, including the Uchiha guide. She let out a loud sigh and crossed her arms behind her head, intertwining her fingers. She looked disappointed and then she saw the group standing behind her. It looked like she was about to cuss again as she had an irritated look on her face.

The Uchiha guard was the first to speak, "What are you doing here?" He asked as coldly as he could.

"Hmm...me?" She asked, a bit flustered. "I just thought I'd get some fresh air. You don't happen to know the way out of here do you?" She added. "Please?" She then bowed down awkwardly. It was clear she wasn't used to bowing down to anyone before in her life. She straightened up slowly, somewhat in pain.

The guard didn't answer her but instead returned to guiding his guests out of here. As they started walking again, Tobirama took a better look at the woman he just saw jump out another window mere moments ago.

_Who is she?_

_And why was she wearing men's clothes?_

She must have taken it as a sign that he wouldd show her the way out because she started tailing them. She couldn't have been an Uchiha. For one, she didsn't know her way around and; two, she didn't look like one.  _Something is...off about her,_ Tobirama thought. He couldn't sense her chakra. And he was a pretty good sensor. He could detect any faint traces of chakra within a ten mile radius. But it was like she didn't have any. Which was abnormal, considering even civilians had slight amounts of chakra. Including some animals.

_Weird._

It irked him.

They were finally out and the woman following them pushed through to get to the front. Like she was in a hurry. Before she continued on, she turned back, inclined her head slightly and less awkwardly this time. She apologized, "Sorry for that."

A light pink blush appeared on her cheeks as she said so. She started to head back to where she was going and to Tobirama's surprise, a bright red ball of flame came blasting in her direction. Rather in  _their_  direction. He had already began the hand-signs before anyone had noticed. Tobirama's reflexes were as sharp as always and he had made sure to release a large enough flow of water to douse the fireball but not large enough to flood his entire surroundings. That fireball was meant for his group. Specifically, him. He hurried to where the woman now knelt on the floor. She was drenched in water.

She may have been in the way of his jutsu. He knelt down beside her and saw perhaps his reflexes weren't as sharp as he had thought.  _No, that's not it. She had just stood there in front of the flames._ No matter how faster he could have done the seals, she would have still got burned had she not moved out of the way at the last second.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

I felt intense burning On my right side. I was too shocked when I saw the fireball heading in my direction. I couldn't move. Up until the last second that is. I had barely gotten out of the way when I had felt a sudden rush of water from behind me. It put out the fire almost instantly, also soaking me in the process. I started panting and fell to my knees, the burning was unbearable.  _What the fuck was wrong with me? Why couldn't I move away sooner?_ I felt like an idiot. I wanted to move away but it was like my brain had stopped working. It wasn't sending nerve signals to my feet to start moving.

And now I could see I got third degree burns all over my right arm and the upper right side of my abdomen. I could feel the right side of my cheeks burning just as badly.

"Are you alright?" I could hear a voice asking me. My right sleeve and a part of the right side of the shirt I was wearing were scorched off, revealing my bare skin. That was now charred and searing with pain. I wasn't really concentrating on whoever was talking to me even as they laid a firm hand on my shoulder. I was just focused on not screaming out in pain. I tried to control my breathing.

 _I'm such an idiot. A fucking idiot._ I couldn't stop scolding myself.

I was finally able to raise my head up just a bit to see Izuna had appeared, looking like he was ready to set everything on fire once again. If it meant it would get rid of the pests that were the  _Senju_ from his front yard. I couldn't tell if he simply hadn't seen me in his way or he just simply chose to ignore me and went on with his fireball jutsu. My guts are telling me it was probably the latter. He didn't look like the type to really care for his surroundings as long as he got what he wanted. I could tell that simply from the murderous glare he was sending to whoever was trying to talk to me. I really didn't want to get involved into whatever family drama they were having. It would be best if I would just leave. And find someone who could heal me.

As I was just thinking that, I took a look at my arm. The blackened dead skin was drying off.  _Huh?_

The areas that were more reddish and scarred appeared to be... _healing themselves? Already?_ No burn marks healed themselves that quickly. In fact, no wounds should be able to heal themselves that expeditiously. It was just not physiologically nor medically possible for humans. I mean, jellyfishes have been known to have the ability to regenerate, but certainly not humans. Yet, this was exactly what it looked like. The dead skin was peeling off paving way for newly formed epidermis layers. Some of the blisters were popping while others were just...healing. It was painful, like any burns when healing. But this was strange. I could already see the damaged tissues... _retracting?_ and the new pinkish skin taking its place. I brought up my hands closer to my face. I was in complete awe, as if I was a newborn just seeing their hands for the first time. I could even see small arm hairs starting to grow again. This only meant that the skin cells were dividing fast.  _A_ _larmingly fast_. This wasn't normal. Not to me at least.

I noticed the same things were happening to my right side, and no doubt to my face as well.  _This just might be a good time to get out of here._ I had already took notice of their stares a long time ago and I really didn't feel like being under the spotlight anymore. I tried to stand up, but the firm grip on my shoulders wouldn't let go.

"Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Can you let go of me now?" I answered finally, not really looking back at Tobirama. I knew it was him, I didn't need to see to confirm what I already knew. I used more force to get up this time and he let go of me. I almost stumbled back onto him. I felt dizzy and my head was spinning but I was more determined to get the hell out of here as fast as I can before Madara showed up and everything would truly go down in flames this time. I was practically staggering my way out of there before I heard a loud bark.

"Izuna!"

_Oh-oh.._

I turned right onto the nearest intersection.

...

I had no idea to where I was going. I was just wandering around aimlessly. I held onto the walls for support as I still felt light-headed and I didn't want to fall to the ground, gracing it with my face. I saw new houses and streets I had never walked through before.  _This compound's really bigger than I thought._ But I didn't see anyone out, which was strange considering it was day and most people should be out by now, doing whatever they were supposed to be doing. Kids could have been out playing or something. I had to wonder if it had anything to do with Tobirama's presence here. Or his group, whom I assumed were Senju as well.

Sometimes, I would have bad days. But sometimes, I would have good days. I didn't know what today belonged to. It should be classified as bad but this was the most interesting thing that happened here since a while. As much as I wouldd love to see a fight go down between the Uchiha and the Senju, my brain told me it probably wasn't a good idea to stay. Who knew, maybe Izuna would scorch the other half of me that wasn't burnt already.

_This day didn't really start off so great._

I woke up in a strange room, that was much more comfy than I would like to admit, while a strange creep named Madara was watching me sleep, for God knows how long. And when I finally did manage to get up, I was still confused as to how I even got there. I was in the library one moment and in this huge bed the next. It was day now and the last thing I recalled it to be was night.

_Oh yeah, that's what I was looking for!_

I just remembered why I was jumping through windows in the countless hallways when I first saw Tobirama. I was looking for a way out to get to the library. I had left the red leathered book there last night and I really wanted to continue reading it. But I got lost in the unfamiliar halls and I was desperate to get out of there. So, windows were my way to go. I knew I had dressed strangely, by their standards anyway. That could account for the strange looks I received when I had interrupted their exit. That and the fact I jumped out of nowhere through a broken window.

I didn't know what else to dress. I had woken up and decided to take a bath just to freshen up. And miraculously enough, there was a built in bathroom in the room that was going to be my new quarters. I had stripped off the kimono that I had been wearing and got into the bath. I got the water to a perfect temperature. It was relaxing and I instantly slackened. I had to eventually get out and get dressed, but there were no clothes here. I looked everywhere in the room. I opened every drawer and every closet and there was nothing. I disliked wearing clothes that I had on before I bathed. So, I left the dark kimono on the bathtub and wrapped myself in a large towel. Something came to mind. They did say my room would be closer to Madara's own.

_Hmm._

_Should I just gamble it and go see if-_ My mind stopped me from continuing that thought. I knew I shouldn't but I  _really_  needed clean clothes. _Oh, to hell with it.._

I was walking out of the room now and down corridors I have never seen before. There was no one walking the halls and I was glad. I didn't want anyone to see me like this despite resolving myself to thinking what I was doing was alright. To some extent. I kept walking not too far from where I had come from and saw a door. A large one.  _This could be his room or...it could someone else's or it could even be some closet or-_

I stopped thinking and turned the knob. Surprisingly, it opened. If this was truly Madara's room, he should learn to lock his doors. It was a great room indeed but had nothing of a personal touch to it, so it was difficult to say who it belonged to. It was neat and tidy. I would have taken in more details but I felt like I was pressed for time. I went straight for the large closet I had spotted and opened it. I didn't want to snoop or anything, fearing anyone could just walk in on me any moment.  _Even Madara._

I took whatever my eyes landed on first and rushed back to the door. I closed it gently and dashed to my room. I had apparently picked out large pants and an even larger high collared shirt. Both darker than each other. The collar was basically hiding half of my face and it was annoying, so I tucked it down a little.

_This will just have to do._

And with that thought, I had set out on my little adventure to find the ancient book at the library. It was not like I had taken into account that I would be running into Senju at the Uchiha compound, so I was a bit shocked to find Tobirama was casually strolling through the halls. He looked so out of place with all those Uchiha crests surrounding him on every other wall.  _He must hate it._ I was honestly amused at finding him here, but I couldn't just stand there staring at him for long. I jumped out my first window of that day to find myself in a small yet beautiful garden. There was even a koi pond in the middle and stones large and flat enough to be used as benches. It was a nice sight and I would have wanted to stay except I needed to get to the library.  _Perhaps I'll just drop by here later,_  I thought. Then I looked around for another window or door that would lead me to an exit. And that was how I found myself jumping through the second window in the span of mere minutes. It was also the second one I broke since arriving here. To my astonishment, I ran into Tobirama again. This time with a group around him and one Uchiha guard guiding them. I assumed they must be leaving and thought maybe I would just follow them out of here. I never even gave it a thought as to what they could be doing here.

And follow them I did. Just to get scorched to one side of my body as I stepped out of the house. I knew it wasn't meant for me but I just thought Izuna could be considerate enough not to torch me along with them. I had thought wrong apparently.

 _And that, my dear kids, was how I found myself hauling my ass along houses like a drunkard hobo,_ I was now speaking to an imaginary audience in my head as if I really was drunk. I didn't know for how long I have been walking or how I even got here but I was now standing in front of the library. Haven't got a clue to which streets led me here but I was here now and I might just as well enter. Anything to distract me from the freak show that just happened.

I was welcomed with the familiar sight and the cozy smell of old, worn out books. I had a faint idea about how I could be looking right now. My right sleeve non-existent along with a good portion of the upper part of the shirt. My right pant leg also looked burned but didn't wither away. I still couldn't comprehend why my skin looked so.. _.brand-new and smooth_. The only thing that made me  _not_  look like a homeless person.

As usual, I couldn't detect anyone in the vast library.  _Did no one come to this place? At all?_

What a shame, it was such a calming place to be, even if you weren't reading. I only saw that old man sitting at his usual place. The one who probably covered me from the cold night yesterday and placed the candle at the table. I assumed that he must have been some sort of librarian here. I quickly glanced over the area where I was sitting yesterday and the book wasn't on the table.

I wasn't surprised. Perhaps, the old man put it back in its place when he came back this morning. If I remembered correctly, he had left before I woke up from my slumber. I went to take a look at the shelf I had brought it from before asking the old man. I didn't want to bother him, he seemed preoccupied with whatever he was reading. I looked at the shelf over and over but I couldn't see the red leather that covered the book. I went through every book in that shelf and it wasn't there.

_Maybe I'm looking at the wrong shelf?_

But I doubted it, I was never usually wrong when I recalled anything related to books. I had a sharp memory when it came to where I placed them or from where I took them out. I spent another fifteen minutes searching, making sure I didn't miss anything. I finally decided to ask him, there was a chance that placed it somewhere else.

I walked up to his table but he was still absorbed in whatever it was in front of him. As I closed the distance between us, I coughed a little to alert him of my presence so he wouldn't be surprised when he saw an odd woman dressed in burnt rags appear before him. But he didn't raise his head. I was in front of him now and greeted him before I asked,

"Hello, I was just wondering if you had seen a red leathered book sitting on the table over there when you came in this morning?" I was pointing to where I was sitting last night.

Before I could even mention the name of the book, he raised his head. And when I looked at him, dark and empty sockets greeted me in place of where his eyes should have been.

 


	11. Here, Kitty Kitty!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK, I just name these chapters randomly with whatever's the first thing that comes to my mind after revising them lol.

  ** _*EDITED*_**

* * *

 

_Holy shit._

Hollow orbs were staring back at me as if they could see into the depths of my soul. I was speechless. This guy was missing both his eyes, how was he... _reading? What was he so fixated on? He can't even see._

And if he could, he would surely notice how dumbstruck and opened-mouthed I am. Dare I even say, wide-eyed. It didn't matter if he was blind, I was sure he could sense my shock. It was not like I haven't seen blind people before, it was just that most of them still had their eyes and those who didn't have them, had glass eyes made. You know, to avoid walking around empty-socketed. That wouldn't have went good with the public. But this guy apparently had no problem doing so. I couldn't blame him though, they probably didn't have prosthetic eyes here. Now that I looked closely at him, his sockets weren't dark nor hollow, but rather a bit shallow and a supposedly nice shade of pink. I could actually see his extra-ocular muscles. This didn't make it any less creepy.

_Damn, what happened to him?_

"I'm sorry young lady, but there was no book on any tables when I came." He finally replied, surprising me with his croaky voice.

 _Wait, how would he even know?_  I inspected what he has been 'reading' all along. It was the same large book he had yesterday, but now I could see its contents were written on parchment paper. It looked like it had a rough texture. The letters decorating the papers seemed to be carved in lightly, outlined with black ink. I spotted long bony fingers gingerly tracing over one paragraph.  _So that's how he does it._

Just like the Braille alphabet, but not quite. Seeing that Louis Braille did not exist in this world. Just as Thomas Edison or Nikola Tesla did not, yet I had seen light bulbs here and there.

I must have been standing there for quite some time because I realized at some point he must have returned back to his reading.

"Are you sure?" I began asking, "Because I am fairly certain that I had left it here, on the table at the furthest corner to the right."

I made sure to describe where I was this time, now knowing that he probably couldn't see where I was pointing instances ago.

"The book that you are looking for is not in this library." He said tersely. He didn't raise his head this time. It was like he knew which book I was talking about and I haven't even told him the title. Perhaps he took a 'look' when I had dozed off and he brought over that blanket. Supposing that he did. But still, how would he know it was not here?

_Not in this library?_

"Uhm." What was I supposed to say now? This man gave me the wrong vibe. Not the 'creepy' kind, but the kind that 'he seems to know more than he's letting on'.

If it was not in this library...

_Did he just indirectly admit someone had taken it to the private library? If it was him, he we would have just said so, I guess. And it's not like there was another public library here. Not according to Azami._

_"_ Well thank you anyways." I said as kindly as I could, a smile on my face even though I was sure he couldn't see it. It was just a habit that appeared whenever I thanked someone. He didn't answer but gave a curt nod as an acknowledgment. I began to walk away, thinking of how the book could have gotten into Madara's private collection. It didn't take long to figure things out. How it got into the not-so-open-to-the-public library?  _Madara._ How I got into a brand new bed in A brand new room? _Probably Madara, too._ He was the one I felt carrying me yesterday night.  _How did he find me though?_

I was about to exit the library but quickly realized there was nothing for me to do back there. I came here with a particular task to find the book and finished the task, even if I didn't find it. If Madara really did take the book back into his personal stock-pile, then I was right all along. That book shouldn't have been here in the first place. But that wasn't going to stop me from getting to it. If I start a book,  _I will_ finish it. I was that stubborn.  _Stubborn as a mule,_  my mother would say. I couldn't help but smile at that thought. I missed her. Despite all the shit she had put me through, I longed to see her. To see everyone. Remembering them nearly brought tears to my eyes. They were like a painful memory, one I didn't want to get rid of. Because, at the end of the day, that was all I had of them.

_For now._

_I will find my way back to them, no matter what._

I was standing motionless in front of the library steel doors. I turned back to take a look at the old man. I didn't know what that feeling was but something was not right about him.

It wouldn't hurt if I remained here a while longer, maybe look for another book for now. But my stomach protested loudly. I hadn't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon. I was hungry. More like famished. If there was anything I loved more than books, it was food. There was no doubt about that.  _I'll just come back here later._

I decided on finally leaving the library and found my way to where I used to come from. That one path I had taken with Azami.  _If I could just get to her._  People were starting to appear by now. A few took notice of my... _haggard-ish state._

All the more reason to hurry up, at which point I had started pacing then running and then I just-

I had already found myself in front of the now familiar sliding door. I opened it and entered the halls. I hurried to where I would usually find Azami, not really knowing why I was in such a haste. Besides being hungry, I couldn't understand why. I came to her maids' chambers and knocked on the door frame but I didn't hear a response. _Was there no one inside?_

I slid the door open just a bit and peaked inside. There really was no one.  _Where could they be?_

That was a stupid question. They were housemaids, they probably had duties to tend to. It was just that I had gotten used to seeing them here I had assumed this was where they were always stationed. As I was about to turn on my heels, I nearly bumped into someone. Actually, I pretty much did bump into someone. A woman, slightly taller and older than I was. Slim and had a graceful posture. She wore a similar outfit to the maids I had seen, but it was somehow more elegant on her.

I started to apologize profusely,

"Oh my, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, pardon me Mina-sama. I should have paid more attention to where I was heading." She bowed down politely as she cut me off.

_Sama? Huh? Wait, how does she know my name?_

My eyebrows rose quizzically.

"Oh no it's nothing! Please stand up, you don't need to bow down. It was me at fault here." She was about to apologize once more but was taken aback when I tried to straighten her up since she wouldn't do so herself.

She eventually did, and began to talk again, her voice sweet and soft.

"Madara-sama has ordered me to find you and make sure you were alright. I'm to bring you back to your room and serve you breakfast." She said with an incredibly polite tone. I was still having trouble understanding the meaning of her words but I heard it involved breakfast so I was down for it. I nodded a bit too eagerly and I followed her towards my new room. I was just hungry. Any type of food would have made me happy right now. I could see her glance back at me every few seconds, a concerned look drawn on her face. I must have been in pretty bad condition if she thought it necessary to be concerned. I was staring aimlessly around me, taking in my surroundings. It looked like we entered a brand new section of this amazingly large house. It looked like one of those epic traditional Japanese homes. We were walking down a hallway where one side opened onto a beautiful green landscape that was the garden I had seen earlier, or rather an extension of it. Polished wooden pillars stood every few meters or so. This opening allowed a tremendously bright sun to shine through onto the wooden floors and the sliding doors on the other side of us. Above us must have been a balcony of some kind, it would have surely made a good view. I found myself turn left onto another corridor, following... _the maid?_

It was a closed hall, but there were windows covering the left side, allowing almost as much sunlight to enter. I recalled it as I figured I must have jumped through one of these windows or broken at least one. But if I did, there was surely no sign of it. All glasses seemed intact. And I saw the koi pond that I had stumbled upon this morning. I sort have made it a landmark for me. So, we were somewhat close to where my room was. We were walking in complete silence and the woman in front of me seemed content. So was I.

We then turned right onto another hall. However, it seemed different. There were two Uchiha shinobi standing guard at the beginning of it. They must have recognized the woman in front of me, otherwise, they probably wouldn't have let us go any further.

_Now that I think about it, they weren't there this morning._

Finally, after what I assumed was an eternity had gone by, we reached the end of the hall, at the furthest corner. That was one thing this room had in common with my last one. Their secluded location. I was about to go for the door but the woman had already opened it for me.

"Please, you should rest as I go fetch your breakfast, Mina-sama." She bowed down once more before she closed the door and left.

_Again with the Mina-sama thing?_

This woman was just as awkward as she was polite. And pretty, too. Her dirty blonde hair and dark brown eyebrows were uncharacteristic for the Uchiha. But her eyes were pitch black, just like theirs. Which really confused me on whether she was truly Uchiha or not. It was kinda weird for them to have an outsider living among their people. And as a maid working in the main household nonetheless. I was just thinking as I headed towards the neatly made bed and plopped down unceremoniously.

_Unless Madara Uchiha has a dirty habit of picking up distressed women in forests and brings them back to work as maids._

That thought made me chuckle for some reason.  _Was that what he planned for me to become? A maid?_

In all honesty, I didn't think I would mind. If it had me busy and not thinking, then yes, I wouldn't particularly object. But I didn't think I knew how they really treat their maids here. Even if I were assigned to be one, I was sure they would kick me out within the first hour I was there. I was very clumsy when it came to the kitchen. Apparently, I was dangerous around fire and knives too, according to both my parents. I was deep in thought about how I cut off my upper thumb when I was ten because I was recklessly chopping up onions on a cutting board. We hurried to the hospital with my decapitated bloody thumb in a plastic bag, ready to be stitched back as soon as possible. Or whenever, I didn't really care then. I was completely clueless about what was happening. As if the other cut marks on my hands weren't enough proof of my thoughtlessness, the countless small burn scars on my body would have convinced anyone. They were mostly due to accidents around the stove. My mother eventually stopped letting me into the kitchen when I became a hazard.

I was in a complete day-dream mode when I heard the door open. I sat upright, crossed my legs and waited for the oh-so delicious food to arrive. The woman hadn't just brought food with her but a change of clothes and a one smug looking Uchiha. My mood suddenly turned foul.

_What the fuck is he doing here?_

_"_ So...I see you've met Sora already." He said in that infuriating cheeky voice of his, the normal Izuna seemed to have returned. He motioned for the woman to come after she had placed down the heavy looking tray and the clothes on a desk and then came to her beckoning. He grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her slightly forward, as if presenting a gift.

_Sky, huh? So that was her name._

"She'll be your new personal maid!" He said, his grin widening. "Isn't that wonderful?!" He was abnormally cheery, it was freaking me out. The woman, Sora, bowed down after her introduction.

"Hello." I said, smiling as best as I could with Izuna in the near proximity. I wanted to choke the living hell out of him. _Did he just think I'd forget he tried to burn me alive, not even two hours ago?_

"Where's Azami though?" I asked, not meaning to offend Sora but I was just curious.

"Oh Azami doesn't work in this part of the house." He practically sang that sentence out of his over-joyousness, his grin; unfaltering.

"What do you want?" I asked coldly, arms still crossed but I dropped my act. Sora was clearly surprised by my sudden change in my behavior, but Izuna, not so much. He remained adamant in keeping his act up.

"Nothing, I just thought I'd introduce you to Sora. You're lucky! She's the nicest out of all the maids. And now she's here at your beck and call." He said with so much annoyance, it was unbearable.

"I can do things myself you know. I'm not fucking incompetent, you piece of shit. I don't need someone serving me." I really didn't mean to offend the poor woman, I was just angry at the man who tried to kill me not too long ago. I must hand it to Izuna though, that guy did not know the meaning of cracking under pressure.

"You might need her by the way. To get you clothes and whatnot. So you don't have to go around sneaking in people's rooms and stealing theirs." He said, raising a curious eyebrow. He licked the corners of his lips, awaiting my response. I could feel heat rushing to my face. I turned it away, pouting, as soon as I realized it.

"By the way, Madara isn't particularly happy you snuck into his room and fumbled around in his stuff." He continued as if it wasn't obvious enough. I was sure I was red as a tomato by now.

_So it was his room after all?_

He was just baiting me. Teasing me. Goading me for a reaction. And he was about to get one.

"Fine, if he wants his clothes so bad, here. Have them" I made a gesture to take them off much to Sora's horror. I just wanted Izuna to get out. I wasn't going to strip off in front of him, exposing myself that way. I wouldrather die but he seemed resolute in staying put where he was. His hands clasping together and his eyes bulging out, waiting for me to actually undress. He would have to wait forever though.

_Boy, this guy could have been an Oscar winner._

An actor, that was what Izuna was. And a dickhead, too. Same things, really.

"You know what? You could also explain to him why they're burnt rags now. Tell him why you scorched his clothes along with THE PERSON WEARING THEM!" I was shouting now, venom dripping from my voice. Sora didn't look like she wanted to be here at the moment. I threw one of the pillows at him, if I had a knife, it would have been better

As for Izuna,

"Oh yes, about that. I'm sorry."

He was rubbing the back of his head nervously, his eyes were closed but he looked like he could burst out laughing. Sincerity was not one of his traits, I had come to realize that.

_What a bunch of bullshit! That liar, he's not even sorry._

I was about to shout out again but he beat me to it.

"Hey hey hey, In my defense,.."

I waited for him to continue his phrase, but even he couldn't justify himself without sounding like a complete douche. I decided to continue it for him.

"In your defense, you were ready to trample over anyone even if it meant burning them alive if need be, just to have a killing shot at you archenemy?" I asked sarcastically.

"Yes, pretty much." He answered, clearly not comprehending it was rhetoric. Perhaps he did and just didn't care. Izuna was being overly happy. He didn't look nor sound like the same Izuna who was breathing out fireballs and staring daggers at everyone only hours ago.  _Maybe he did get the killing shot._

No, that can't be it. He wouldn't kill Tobirama right then and there. Or rather couldn't. Madara had arrived there just on time. I assumed he stopped Izuna. But who knew, he was just as crazy as his little brother.

"You know, if you wanted to kill me, you should have just buried me alive or drowned me in a river. That way I'd suffer more." I spat back at him. Not that being burned alive was painful enough.

"Please, don't go around giving me ideas." He retorted, still unshakeable.

"Look, I'm sorry. Really. I did not intend to hurt you." He seemed a tad more serious now. But still not serious enough to be taken earnestly. "I'm not that type of guy." He said with a smile.

_Man, he's such a smooth liar._

_"_ I know you don't believe me and it's fine. I don't expect you to, especially now. But I must admit, I am curious..." He must have taken my silence as permission to continue talking when in reality, I wanted nothing more than to have him walk out of these four walls in less than sixty seconds.

"Just what type of guy do you think I am?" He asked, getting closer now to the bed. His eyes wide open, they were reflecting so much mischief in them it was impossible.

I was fuming. Angry at how he could be so at ease when I was this close from exploding. My arms were still crossed tightly over my chest as I sat crossed legged over the bed. I needed to calm the fuck down and not let this crazy fucker get into my mind.I was screaming internally and then took a deep breath and waited a few moments.  _Easier said than done._

"So, what was your impression of me?" Izuna kept prodding- no- provoking me. His voice only getting more honeyed. He was now six inches away from my face.

"You look like the type of guy who sucks his own dick." I responded as quickly and as calmly as I could. "Now, get out."

For the first time since forever, I had seen him falter. Even if it was just a slight twitch of the eyes, I knew I had him unbalanced for just a mere instant. That was, for me, my own tiny victory.

I could hear Sora trying to silence an upcoming laugh by cupping her hands over her mouth. I was sure she was trying to laugh away that disturbing image from her mind. I could still hear her though and that made me smile for some reason. So, she did hear me.  _All the more better,_ I thought. Maybe some embarrassment would do Izuna some good. A bit of humility would go a long way, but I knew this wouldn't work. No, he would need a bigger humiliation.

His grin suddenly disappeared and turned into a small smile.

"You know what? I deserve that. It's fine." He backed away.

_No. No it wasn't._

He brought up his hands as if in defeat and stood away from the bed.

"I'll be leaving you now." He said curtly as he went towards the door. I saw Sora bow down respectfully before he left.

_What was that in his tone? Was he...hurt?_

_Nah. That couldn't be it_. Even if he was, I couldn't care less. He had just tried to murder me. There was no excuse for that and I would not be guilt tripped into feeling bad for him.  _Absolutely not._

_..._

_Oh God, I should probably apologize. I am living under his roof and that was no way for me to act._

_Dammit!_

Well, that didn't take long.

However victorious I had felt, it was instantly gone. Now being replaced by faint traces of guilt. I was just going to forget that stupid feeling by gorging myself in food. As if reading my thoughts, Sora brought the tray to me on the bed. She then went to sit down by the windows, awaiting her orders, I was assuming. The food was too much and I was sure I wasn't going to be able to finish it all. Besides, I had lost some of my appetite all thanks to a special someone.

_Great._

And I felt awkward just eating alone. I had this compulsive need to share anything I ate with people around me, even if they had food, I would just offer anyways. Which was weird considering how much I loved food.

"Hmm, Sora. Would you like to come eat with me?" I asked calmly now. She looked surprised by my statement. She refused by shaking her head violently.

"No Mina-sama. I cannot."

"Can you also drop the honorifics. I find it weird and I insist." I never understood why she was using  _sama_ with my name. I had always thought it applied to very high ranking people. And Azami would always add to my name  _k_ _un_ or  _chan_ or whatever.

"Alright, Mina-sa..." She struggled with not adding the honorifics. It was a bit funny.

"And now you will come eat with me." I said a bit over the top.

"No, I cannot." She repeated.

"Uhm, yes you can and you will." I waved her over, I wasn't going to continue begging her to come. She finally got up from her seat and walked over reluctantly. We were now seated opposite to each other on the bed. Then she mumbled,

"Mina- That's a pretty name." I was shocked. No one really ever said that about my name.

"Thank you. Sora's not too bad if I must admit." I chuckled as I started digging into the tray full of food.

* * *

It was nearing late afternoon.

We had finished our 'breakfast' and then I went to take a bath. For the second time that day.

I had wanted to tag along with Sora and go help her with the dishes and whatnot, I felt bad for just leaving everything to her but she insisted vehemently that I stayed and freshened up. And so I did. I tried not to think about today's events. Today was turning out to be too long. _The summer here was way too long._

Instead I just focused on how to get myself into this complicated piece of...kimono. I had never found it this difficult before. It wasn't like the ones I was used to wearing here. This one wasn't black, it was royal blue with tiny white embroideries at the edges. A pretty color but it was too much. And so were the layers. It was impossible to get into. Sora had come to my rescue just in time and helped... _wrap me in it._

After an impossibly long amount of time, I was finally dressed.  _Properly this time._

I didn't understand why the sudden change of rooms and the change of clothes and I didn't think I would want to understand either. I didn't want to think about anything. My brain was numb and tired. I was treating my current predicament here as if it was a vacation. And it might as well be, so that meant I shouldn't think about anything I didn't want to.  _Isn't that what a vacation is about anyways?_

I was thinking of heading back to the library and look for another book to pass the time. I was still persistent on finding 'The Infinite World of the Tsukuyomi'. But I knew I shouldn't push my luck right now. Everything has its time.

As for Sora, she was following me. Everywhere.

"You know you can go back to do whatever you were doing. You don't need to be by my side twenty-four seven." I told her.

"But it's my duty to accompany you, see if you need anything." She replied simply.

"Why though?"

"Because Madara-sama ordered me to do so." She answered.

"Yes, but why?" I continued pushing.

"Because you don't know your way around here and Madara-sama doesn't want you to just roam around, stumbling onto things you shouldn't." Her tone was still even.

"Oh. Why?" I kept asking like a relentless child. "Why am I here?" I elaborated.

It took her a while to answer that question. "I...don't know." She said honestly. I could see that she was probably more confused than I was about this.

"Hmm, okay. Well then, can you take me to the library? I'm afraid I don't know my way there from here." I asked of her and she agreed.

We were on our way out now. Going through the same corridors we came in but exited the house through a different door. The one I had gone out from this morning, when I was following Tobirama and his group.

The sun was getting ready to set as it was nearing the horizon. I walked behind Sora, similarly to when I was walking behind Azami just before yesterday.

We walked straight, then turned right and then a left on each intersection we faced.

_Straight, right then left. Straight, right then left. Should be easy enough._

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

_This day does not want to end, does it?_ Madara couldn't help but think over today's events and the mere thought of them just tired him out. He was now sitting alone in his study, behind his desk inspecting the scrolls Tobirama had brought with him. He had just come out of a  _very long_ clan meeting with the elders and some of his councilors. It seemed Hashirama was more serious about the treaty he sent this time.

The whole meeting was spent debating on how to respond back to this envoy. On whether they should accept it or not. Some of the elders grew tired of the constant fighting with the Senju. They wished nothing more than to just die in peace. Of course they justified their reasoning under the guise that they have already lost a great number of powerful shinobis and territories as well and to continue fighting with the Senju would only lead to more loss. A part of Madara was also sick of this fighting. And it was true. They had lost good men.  _Really good men._

But there was still a good portion of councilors that opposed it, saying it would go against everything the Uchiha stood for and everything their fathers and grandfathers had...

It was at that point Madara had had enough of the shouting and dismissed them. He was getting a really bad headache just by being in the room. He then retreated to his private quarters. His study. Izuna hadn't uttered a single word during the whole meeting but it wasn't too hard to guess what he was thinking. Madara knew his brother out rightly despised the Senju and would definitely not agree with whatever they sent but he also knew Izuna would follow him wherever he went and whatever the choices he took, as long as they benefited the clan. Izuna was loyal, that was for sure.

Madara was replaying today's events back and forth in his mind as he was staring mindlessly at the scrolls before him. Hashirama had already drawn out blueprints for where the settlement would be along with some infrastructures Madara didn't bother paying attention to.  _He really thinks I would agree, huh?_

He even went as far as laying out the conditions of the peace treaty and carefully added a note saying 'If you're not satisfied with these conditions, I would be more than happy to come to a compromise between us. As long as you agree to meet of course'

_Fool._

Hashirama had always been a fool, is still a fool and will forever be one. To Madara at least.

Just like his brother when he tried to burn down the building down this morning.  _Well, he was aiming for the Senju_ was his justification.  _He couldn't have tried this outside the compound, when they would have left?_ Madara was furious at his brother's thoughtless actions.

It appeared to be that he had also managed to burn the woman along. But she was completely fine afterwards, according to Izuna. So fine that she managed to walk to the library. Or so he said.

Tobirama was always one with sharp reflexes. It was a good thing he doused his brother's jutsu or the main house would have caught fire. The Senju agreed to forget this 'outburst' and went back on their way to their own stronghold. Madara couldn't care less honestly, as long as they were out of his base as soon as possible. He had later informed Izuna why they were even here in the first place. Knowing that didn't make a difference to Izuna. He would have still attacked them either way. He didn't care.

Madara could feel that headache turn into a migraine. Being a clan leader wasn't all that great as it turned out to be. It was just paperwork with more paperwork and more and more...

Madara had enough. He stood up from his chair roughly, knocking it down as he did so. He needed fresh air. He was walking towards the inner garden. One of his favorite places to go whenever he was on the brink of exploding. It was a calming place. One where he could meditate in peacefully. He was nearing the place when Izuna came out of the blue and joined him on his walk. It was dark out and the only sources of light were the celestial bodies up in the sky and the lamps lighting the hallways a flaming orange.

"So where ya goin'?" Izuna asked with that annoying tone. Madara was already on his edge with his younger sibling. A big part of his day revolved around how he would discipline him into paying attention to his actions. But Izuna was way too old to be disciplined. His actions were stupid and careless and reflected even more stupidity on him. He could have caused serious harm. And to that woman. He only hoped that Izuna had the right sense of mind to take her to the clinic to get her treated. He probably didn't and that angered Madara even more.  _It's as if I don't have enough on my mind already, idiot._

They were already in the garden but something instantly caught their eyes in the distance. That woman- Mina was her name, as it turned out- was chasing after something in the dark. It was night already so the brothers couldn't see the exact details but they could tell it was a small cat. A black one, too. She was shouting nonsense at it as she chased it around the koi pond in circles. Things that didn't make sense to either Madara nor Izuna.

Madara was genuinely surprised when the cat disappeared up a nearby tree and the woman tried to follow by climbing upwards but failed miserably at it.

"Shouldn't she be admitted to the hospital right now?" Madara said as coolly as he could. Trying to mask his rising anger.

"For mental instability? I don't doubt it." Izuna replied jokingly.


	12. Heimlich

**_*EDITED*_ **

* * *

 

**_Mina's POV_ **

I couldn't tell if it was just by chance or it was fate or whatever people called it nowadays, but I could have sworn on my life that I had seen that black cat just casually walking through the inner garden as if it hadn't a worry on its mind. I mean all logic pointed to it being a completely different than the one that was stalking me back in my world yet I couldn't shake the feeling that little black furball was the one who left me there to-

_Die? Disappear?_

-down that hole. The more I thought about it, the more I became convinced that it had been a trap set by that cat. I didn't know how or even why it would do such a thing but I was sure enough of myself that the thought was gradually turning into a fact. In my own mind of course. Just as certain as the thought of that cat being here at the moment. Staring intently at me as if it had just won some sort of fight against me. Those long whiskers of his or hers, were slowly raising as its wicked smile slowly turned into that of a Cheshire cat's. Grinning as widely as a cat could. I didn't know if I was seeing things or not but as I stared deeply into its big yellow orbs I only grew more confident that this was  _the cat._

_The cat that landed me here in the first place._

And I wasn't about to let it just... _mock me._

No, I would catch that stupid little rascal and make it tell me how on earth I could get back to my reality. As insane as that sounded, it seemed to make perfect sense inside my head. It was at this point that I knew- no- felt that a great part of my psyche was slowly yet surely slipping away. I didn't comprehend how I could get a cat to  _tell me_ how to get back but I was resolute in doing so anyways. I began to inch closer to it without trying to alarm it, my footsteps as light as feathers. Almost.

"Here, kitty kitty..." I said as softly and non-menacingly as I could once I saw it had noticed my presence. It stopped strolling and eyed me. It was daring me to come closer.

_Fine. So be it._

I started walking a little faster towards it. For each step I took, it took one back but still keeping eye contact.

"Oh hell no-" I saw it stretch back slightly as if getting ready to sprint. And it did. But then so did I, completely ignoring Sora's pleas as I ran after the cat in circles. Looking crazy right now wasn't particularly my top concern.

"Come back here you little wench!" I screamed as I tried to lift my bottom half of the kimono, racing with the little feline animal. I still had the sense of mind to take caution so I wouldn't trip over the material or a rock and then fall down, perhaps even hitting my head on the stone benches and getting a concussion and then...

I was overthinking.

I couldn't see the cat clearly but its shape was still visible under the moonlight. I handed the book I held onto to Sora.

"Here." I practically slammed the book into her chest as I returned to play cat and mouse with that little puss. I had this faint yet strange and uncanny feeling that perhaps I was not the cat in this game, but the mouse.

"Mina-s... Mina what are you doing!" Sora was practically shouting now too but I wasn't listening. I was dead focused on catching that cat. It started pacing around the koi pond and I followed. When it ran, so did I. I tried to match its rhythm but it was faster than I was. I didn't realize there were tiny pebbles and rocks on the ground, so I did end up tripping over some, landing on my face. As graceful as one could. Which wasn't really. The nice looking kimono had ripped into a long slit up my right thigh. Anger was filling me now as I wiped dirt off my face.

I looked around for that cat and saw that it had retreated back into a nearby tree. I took my time walking there so I wouldn't fall again, just in case there were other hidden rocks somewhere. When I was a meter away from the tree, I suddenly lunged forward in a surprise attempt to snatch it. Again- it was much quicker than me. It had instantly leaped up the tree in long strides.

I heard hurried footsteps coming behind me.

I looked up the tree and saw that it had hid behind some branches yet didn't fully mask itself. I could still see those glowing golden eyes with vertical black slits as pupils. It was staring back down at me.

"Come down here you little rut and get me out of this stupid world! Or I'll wring your neck!" I wasn't going to of course. I loved cats, wringing their necks wasn't something I would do. I just wanted it to come down and pet it a little. And make it  _tell_  me how to get out of here. I attempted to climb up after it but couldn't with the clothes I was wearing. Each time I would go up a few steps, I'd always land back down on my ass, ripping more material from the kimono. I was getting really tired and apparently so did the cat. It yawned and stretched before it laid into a comfortable sleeping position.

I couldn't believe it.

_I was outsmarted by a cat. A cat._

Sora was now by my side, following my gaze back up into the tree. The cat was asleep. Or feigning to be. She placed a hand on my shoulder and said in the softest voice possible,

"Mina-sama, what were you doing? We need to get back to your room. It's getting late."

It was clear I wasn't getting to the cat tonight. I should get back to the room but who was to say this cat would be there in the same place in the morning?

"No, I'd rather stay here." Was all I said in response. I started moving to go sit by the tree trunk but felt a tight hand grip my arm.

"You will catch a cold. Please, let us just go." Sora said more firmly this time. It surprised me a little. I knew I haven't spent much time with her but in the short time that I did, I came to the conclusion that she was the subservient type. One who was prepared to obey orders from others unquestioningly, the silent type. So, a part of me was glad to see that she could hold her own ground.

"Fine." It didn't take that much to convince me. I was sure that I would meet this little furry creature again, soon enough. I tried to rub off the dirt that now stuck to the kimono.

_Great, it's ruined. I actually liked it._

We started walking back into the house, I was trying to gather the kimono together as I felt cold air brush against my inner thighs which felt exposed. I thought I had felt two presences somewhere in the garden but there was no one around as I searched.

* * *

_**Izuna's POV** _

"Yeah, well I don't understand it either." Izuna was saying to his elder brother. They were now back in Madara's study.

"So, you're saying that she just...healed herself. Brushed herself off, stood up and just left?" Madara had a hard time believing his brother. "Similarly to Hashirama's healing powers?" Repeating the same words Izuna had just muttered.

"Yep." Izuna said in a casual tone, not caring to elaborate any further.

"No hand-signs, no chakra emitting?" Madara questioned further.

"Nope." Again with the same casual tone, although..."How could she? You're the one who said she doesn't have chakra." Izuna pointed out.

It was true.

Izuna couldn't believe how forgetful Madara could be. "If you don't believe me, you could ask Jiro. He was there." He was now referring to the Uchiha shinobi who was guiding the Senju out and the same shinobi who had alerted Madara of their presence.

Izuna couldn't help but notice how tired Madara looked like. Which was probably nothing compared to how he felt. His characteristic eye bags looked ten times more darker than they usually are. His hair was a mess, like it always was.

_No surprise there._

His eyes didn't look like they could see. He didn't seem to be concentrating on anything. This worried Izuna a bit. Madara would only get like this after losing a battle. To the Senju. He wouldn't sleep for days, was only awake to go over every detail of the past fight and analyzing them. Trying to improve his strategies for the next conflict. He would sometimes sulk over how many men they had lost that time. How many families would probably never get to see their sons, brothers, fathers...

This wasn't to say that they would always lose to the Senju. They have won their fair share of battles against them. But sometimes...

Maybe Madara didn't realize it or maybe he did and decided to ignore it, but Izuna tended to watch over his brother in those days. He always followed him around, watching him. Making sure he didn't do...something rash. But seeing Madara that way always made Izuna rethink about how he could stop being so cocky all the time and perhaps pay more attention to his position. He was the second-in-command after all. His older sibling shouldn't bear all the losses on his own and it was his duty as much as it was Madara's to ensure their clan's victory. He couldn't lie, he had been lacking in that department. This would only persuade Izuna to train more, push himself harder. He always felt incompetent next to Madara and would always strive to get better. Not out of jealousy of his own brother's powers- no, in fact Izuna wasn't all that bad himself. He was just capable as any other Uchiha shinobi, if not better.

He would always train so maybe one day, he wouldn't feel so disappointed in himself that he couldn't help Madara or anyone.  _So that one day,_  he could lessen the burden his elder brother seemed to be carrying since becoming clan leader. Madara was the only familial bond Izuna had ever known. He never knew his mother. It was said she had died right after giving birth to him. His father was a brute. Only cared about winning wars and defeating as much Senju as he could. Even sending children out to war if he thought it would get rid of more Senju. Perhaps not that much different from what they were doing in their time. Except, unlike their father, they didn't enjoy going around killing people for the fun of it nor did they even dare think about sending out children, just as he sent out his own flesh and blood. Like some stories say. They wouldn't stoop down to their father's level. Instead, they only cared for the survival of their clan. And if that meant going to wars with others, so be it. It wasn't like they were the only clan out doing it.  _Survival of the fittest,_  was what Izuna had always assumed. And he would make sure the Uchiha were the fittest.

But this time was different. They haven't been in a fight with the Senju for a while now.

"So what's your answer?" Izuna finally asked after an interminable amount of silence had passed by. Madara's eyes were slowly closing, as if he would just fall asleep in his chair right there and then.

"Answer to what?" Madara replied with a question.

Izuna gestured to the open scrolls on Madara's desk. He was curious to know what he was thinking this time. It had taken him an awfully long time to refuse this treaty as he usually did. Which could only mean he was seriously considering on taking up the offer. This thought had crossed Izuna's mind a few times, each time sounding more absurd than the last. But perhaps his elder brother was in fact thinking this through. Izuna had faith in whatever Madara's decision was. If he did accept the treaty it would be for a good reason. And if he did not, it would also be for a good reason. Izuna would happily follow his brother, accept whatever his choices were. But perhaps with more reluctance to the first decision, if it were taken. Due to obvious reasons of course.

He waited for Madara to answer but it didn't look like Izuna was getting one tonight. Madara was already losing conscious. It would be difficult for Izuna to drag his brother to his bed chamber. So, he decided he would just cover him with a blanket that was laying around here, probably for this particular reason.

He gently slid the doors closed in order not to wake a sleeping Madara.  _No one should ever be subjected to such an unsightly task._  Izuna chuckled at that thought.

...

It was morning already and Izuna was thinking of ways to torture that poor girl.  _She didn't simply think she could get away with saying something such as lewd as that, in front of a maid too, and not expect me to retaliate?_

So many ideas were floating around in his head. All more ridiculous than each other. He was cracking his knuckles as he found his way back to her room. He didn't want to hurt her. Just mess with her head a bit.  _It wouldn't hurt, would it? Besides, it wasn't like she was sane in the first place, now was she?_

That maid Sora should be fetching her breakfast now. He had caught her before she went on to the kitchen and told her to also get his share and place them out in the garden. They would be having their morning meal outside. She seemed to ponder that thought, remembering how her mistress was... _distressed_  at Izuna's presence yesterday. But she she didn't dare question Izuna's orders.

 _Good._  Because Izuna didn't tolerate those who questioned his motives. Even when they had every reason to. Rightfully so.

 _They really should question me more often_.

A grin had found its place on his face before he slammed open her door. He didn't wait to see her reaction.

"We are going to eat outside in the garden today!" He said ecstatically, in a tone he had perfected over a long time. She looked up from her book and looked at him. She wasn't surprised, it almost looked like she had been expecting him. She was sitting near a window, reading, dressed and ready to go out.

"No, we're not." She said bluntly and in a cold voice.

"Well fresh air would do you some good." He used the same excuse he used on her the first time. He _really_  did think fresh air would do her some good. She was acting rather deranged yesterday night, running after that cat. He should have expected it though. And this would also give him the perfect opportunity to test out the waters. See how responsive she was.

He didn't wait for her to protest. He was instantly beside her, grabbed her arm and pulled her up, making her drop the book to the floor. He started dragging her into the hallway. She was resisting but not uttering a single word. She was strong for sure.

_But not stronger than me._

He was pulling her along, the same grin plastered on his face. Soon, they were in the garden. The food had already been placed near the koi pond on the ground. The trays were placed upon a wide and flat table and beneath the table were tatami mats. Cushions were placed as seats. Tea had already been brewed and placed as well. A jug full of water and one of sake were also added.

"I  _will_  murder you in your sleep." He heard a low threatening voice mutter. He sure would have felt threatened if he wasn't so amused. He was ready to burst out laughing but caught himself. She had stopped resisting a while ago when she figured out it was futile.

They went to their respective seats. Well, Izuna did. She just stood there behind a wooden pillar. He waited patiently for her to...find her seat. To which she eventually did.

He had said a small prayer right before he started eating but she had already begun cramming herself with food. He was a bit stunned at how care-free she looked. She didn't let his presence bother her. Or perhaps she was just eager to get away from him as fast as she could. The maid had decided it was a good idea to perhaps supervise this little...outing. She just stood by in the corner under the pretext that she would be able to provide anything if anyone needed her. Mina clearly didn't mind as well.  _Relieved she didn't have to be alone with me, huh?_ Izuna had assumed.

It was indeed a good morning. A bit on the chilly side, but it was good. The sun was just starting to shine.

He was already finishing his miso soup when he found her already standing up to leave.

"Where are you going?" He asked non-nonchalantly.

Sora had hurried towards them with another tray full of food and placed it down in front of Mina. Izuna  _may or may not have_  ordered her to do so. Alright, so he did. The woman was confused at first but then respectfully declined and began to leave. Sora had ushered her to sit back down. "Please miss, you must eat. It is going to be such a long day."

Izuna was quite intrigued as to why the maid would even play along with his childish game. She was a bad actor though and everyone could see that. She struggled to come up with a good excuse and that may have tipped Mina off.

"No, thank you, I'm full." She said with a fake smile.

"I insist though." Sora was borderline begging now. Mina gave in. Reluctantly though. "Fine."

She sat back down and was careful not to stuff herself this time. She was barely eating at all actually.  _Just putting on a show to please her maid? How considerate._

Izuna was internally laughing at the little comic sketch that was playing out before him and how an easy pushover the girl was. But he couldn't keep it internal for so long. He was halfway through his bowl of rice when he started to laugh out loud. A little too loud. Loud enough for a rice grain to fall down the wrong pipe and cause him to cough violently. He started to cough louder than when he had been laughing. His face then turned red. A not-so-good-sign type of red.

His gripped his chest tightly and then starting pounding. Hard. He was trying to get that piece of rice out of his trachea and preferably out of his body. Slight concern started to appear on Mina's face but she did not move. Skeptical was what she was. That servant girl, on the other hand, started running straight to her clan leader's brother.

"Izuna-sama!" She was shouting in concern. He was still coughing incessantly. He couldn't breathe. If he didn't stop soon, he could pass out. Sora was patting his back heavily and then proceeded with what would be called the Heimlich manoeuvre back in the real world. But that didn't do it and Izuna felt like he was slowly slipping away.  _"Izuna-sama!"_  She repeated with more panic in her voice. He fell to the floor with a thud. He could barely see what was going on as his eyes started to shut. Sora was about to leave to summon a medic but someone stopped her.

"Wait, don't go." Mina called out to her.

"But-" She was interrupted.

"I'll take care of it." Mina then started walking towards Izuna who now laid unconscious on the ground. She knelt down beside him and cupped his face with one of her hands and inspected it. She was examining him, scrutinizing every single inch of his skin.

Then a loud slap hit Izuna's face with full force. Sora's astonished gasp could be heard. Izuna did not respond. His face only moved into the direction it was forced in. A red large mark began to appear on his left cheek.

" _Hmm..."_  Mina's thought could be heard.

She brought his face back into its original position and leaned down, bringing her face a mere inch away from his.

"If you don't stop this little charade of yours, I  _will_  spit in your mouth." She whispered, every word spiteful as the venom oozing from her voice.

_Well well, she's more perceptive than I thought. Oh-_

Before he could even continue that thought, his mouth was forced open with tender fingers and smooth lips came crashing down onto his without a warning. His eyes shot open when he felt thick and warm saliva dribble down his throat. He went rigid and roughly pushed her off him. He would like to say it was due to the fact that someone had just ejected saliva from their body right into his mouth, but that wasn't it. No, it was the glare he could feel burning a hole into the back of his skull.

_Oh oh._

He got to his feet as fast he could and rushed over to Madara, who stood there rather suspiciously for an unknown amount of time.

Well, there were two things Izuna had just learned within the past thirty minutes. One; was that Madara was definitely angry with him. For almost missing the clan meeting or for his little brother's childish games, who knew? And two; that woman would not easily be tricked. Messing around with her might be more challenging than he thought. She was terribly shrewd. And cunning.  _Very cunning indeed._

_..._

"When will you stop playing your childish games? Grow up." Madara was saying, rather pissy even for him. He clearly didn't even go to his room to wash up.  _So, he just woke up, huh?_

Well, that could account for a part of his contentious behavior.  _But..._

"Oh, are you jealous, nii-san?" Izuna wriggled his eyebrows only to add annoyance to his already annoying question. Madara shot him a deadly glare. As deadly as he could make one out to be in his condition. He still couldn't believe he would meet up with the elders like this. _He was disheveled and messy and disorganized and chaotic and..._

His glare shut Izuna up almost immediately.

_It would be best not push him further._

They had reached the meeting room and everyone took their seats. A few people here and there shot Madara a glance, a bit surprised by his appearance. It looked like he hadn't slept in nearly a decade, though Izuna knew that wasn't the case. He had seen Madara doze off before he returned to his own quarters. How long he stayed asleep though...Izuna couldn't begin to guess.

The second-in-command took his seat left to Madara's own. They all knelt down and exchanged a few greetings. Despite all the so-called cordiality, the big elephant in the room would have to be discussed straight away.

"Well, have you reached a decision yet, Madara-sama?" Asked one elderly woman. She had been on the council for many years. Even during their father's reign. Lady Chiho was the head medic and not one to be easily messed with.

Madara took a deep sigh before he could begin. For once, even Izuna was just as clueless as the rest in the room. He hadn't a slight clue to what his brother could say or what his decision was.

"I don't need to explain myself." Madara began, "You already know the reasons why I would even consider this. With that being said, I've decided that I would meet with Hashirama for all intents and purposes."

_Well, that was short._

Izuna should have expected this though. His brother was thinking for quite a long time about something he would have normally refused in less than a second given any day. But Madara was changing. And everyone could see that.

"But Madara-sama-" People had already started to object. Not all people. Just those that opposed the envoy offer since the beginning. Which were half of those sitting in on the meeting right now. Izuna could have sworn there were more than half that objected to this yesterday. Some have apparently changed sides.

"Silence." Madara wasn't shouting. At all. But his voice was so deep it resonated so loudly in the room, it instantly shut up all the chattering.

"I've already came to a decision. I only need half of your approvals to actually go along with it." He stated. " So, who among you is open to such an idea?"

 _He was already beginning the vote?_ Izuna was perplexed at how fast his brother was moving things along.

Exactly as Izuna predicted, half of the councilors raised their hands in approval. The other half were nearly dying to get their hands on these people. Normally, if it was an odd number present like it was now, they would turn to Izuna to put the tie-breaker to a halt. But they knew this time wouldn't matter. They didn't need to look at him or ask him, he was on Madara's side either way. He always was and will always would be.

"Very well then..." Madara said rather calmly. "I will be sending out a messenger to deliver our response." He seemed to have finished what he wanted to say and was about to dismiss them. However, he continued on.

"I know some of you are displeased with such a decision but deal with it. Try to look at the... _bright_ side." He had obviously struggled with those last two words. Proven by his clenched teeth and tightly shut eyes.

Those were words no one expected to come out of Madara Uchiha's mouth. Even Izuna was surprised, the smile on his face surely showed it.

"Dismissed." He was telling everyone to leave before they even had a chance to argue this further.

_This is perhaps one of the shortest meetings we have ever had. A record._

Only Izuna was left in the room. Along with Madara.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" He had to make sure Madara wasn't doing this out of lack of sleep or sanity or even on a 'whim' as he did recently. His older brother must have thought this through in every aspect. Cautiously.

Because, to enter a peace treaty with the Senju would be-

 

 


	13. Over The Moon, Hashirama!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why but I feel more comfortable when writing in Izuna's POV. I just kinda go with the flow, maybe it's partly due to the fact we haven't really seen much of his personality outside the battlefield during the anime or manga, so it's kind of empty space. He was very devoted and loved his clan dearly and eventually fell to the Curse of Hatred just like most of his clansmen. But I don't know, I had always imagined him sort of playful and easy going and has a mischievous side, the complete opposite of Madara.  
> Anyways, yahhhh...  
> Enjoy xD

  ** _*EDITED*_**

 

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

_What. Was. Up. With. Him?_

He was definitely up to something alright.  _I just feel it. Nope. I know it._  He was up to something and it was not good.

_Gotta figure it out before he does something stupider._

Pretending to choke on rice and waiting for CPR was child's game. But to be fair, he really was choking at first. His struggle at the start was enough sign to show that he wasn't alright. But at some point, he managed to get the rice grain out. And I had managed to see that minuscule piece of food come straight out of his nose.

Left nostril to be exact.

But Sora hadn't noticed. When he continued on faking, I was curious as to why he would even try and so I just went along with it. He really wasn't a bad actor. Not at all. Although, the same cannot be said about Sora. Poor woman, she didn't know how to lie well. I didn't know what Izuna did or didn't do to get her to play along up until the point of his little act. She really seemed concerned and was panicking when he was losing it. I assumed she wasn't in on that part. No, that was Izuna's spotlight, he wouldn't share it with anybody. Again, I assumed.

She would have went on and called for a medic. Some part of me wished I would have just let her go get one so Izuna could get caught pretending by one of his own kin. That would have been embarrassing enough.

_Does he even feel embarrassment?_

I doubted that. Instead I just went and called his bluff on my own. Slapping him was the best. I should have slapped him more before exposing him. I didn't know what prompted me to do what I did next. I didn't even comprehend where all this courage came from today. I didn't usually go around threatening people to kill them in their sleep and even less, attempting to spit in their mouths. It wasn't very common for me to go exchanging my saliva with others. But I did so anyways. I had gathered up all the sticky spit I could muster in my mouth and would have spat on his face.  _Maybe I should have just done that. But I did promise him to throw it down his throat._

And I was not one to break my promises. This was an awfully disgusting thing to do, even by my standards. I was sure Mary would agree.

_Mary. Fuck._

No point in sulking over it now.  _Just go for it. How hard could it be to lock lips with this guy?_ Hard enough. I felt my stomach flip upside down, doing turns I never thought it would. I felt queasy and if I could only vomit what I had just eaten into his stupid mouth.

That would be the icing on the cake.  _I guess I just gotta try to find out hmm..._

I spread his lips apart and planted mine onto his. Then, I tried with all my might to push my saliva down his throat.  _This should wake him up. And also a great way to contract tuberculosis._ But I didn't have TB, thank goodness. If I thought I had felt nauseous before, I sure was now. His eyes suddenly shot open, meeting mine. His genuine shock was...satisfying. I really did win this round. I felt my stomach contents rise up to my throat and I was one second away from spewing everything I just ate down his unfortunate gullet. If he hadn't pushed me away in time, a very revolting mess could have erupted right in between us. _A very foul-smelling, sickening and revolting mess._

I couldn't decide on which was more off-putting, me swallowing back my own vomit or him swallowing my spit. Because he sure as hell did not spit that shit out. If I could even be so bold as to say that he swallowed it. That's what the rise and fall of his Adam's apple had suggested.

I soon found out that his shock wasn't due to my lack of personal boundaries with him, but because his brother was just standing there, staring at us. He made it seem like we were young teenagers who snuck out of class to make out in the janitor's closet. No wonder Sora was so silent.  _How long had he been standing there?_

_Creep._

I didn't think I could have held in my vomit any longer. I was this close from erupting like a volcano, but instead of lava, nasty puke would break loose. Yet, I couldn't let Izuna have the satisfaction of seeing me like that. That would ultimately show him I wasn't up to my word as I thought.

I held it in until they were gone and then I exploded.

...

Sora helped me change into another kimono after I oh-so casually barfed all over the one I was wearing. Everything I ate that morning was gone.

_What a shame, it was such a nice breakfast. It must have taken her some time to prepare._

I sighed.

"I shouldn't have done that." I finally confessed.

"Yes, you shouldn't have." She replied offhandedly. I turned around to face her.

"Then why are you smiling?" I was curious. She was strained to keep in a laugh but she couldn't any longer. She let it out.

"I'm sorry. It was kind of hilarious seeing what had just happened. No one would dare do such a thing and get away with it as casually as you did." She appeared to be more open now and it was a little comforting knowing that we didn't have to always be so formal.

"Yeah, well if you think puking was a casual way to go, then yes I believe I did an excellent job." I mumbled.

"Well, Mina-sama, it's a good thing you held yourself back from drowning Uchiha-sama in your vomit. Or else the elders would have had questions." She was still smiling.

 _Elders? So, they were at a meeting. Madara decided to just pop up to pick his little brother to go to a meeting like he was dropping him off for his first day at pre-school, because Izuna doesn't know the way around?_ I could buy that.

I was about to voice that thought when Sora decided to continue.

"But I doubt that was your true intention, was it?" She asked playfully.

"No, my intention was not to save him from embarrassment brought on by his elders." I said bluntly, crossing my arms. "I was just trying to save face. I didn't want to humiliate myself any further."

"Well, in any case, you did right by not...soiling him as well." I really couldn't understand what was so funny that she was still laughing about.

_Soiling? Soiling? Really?_

"Yes, well maybe he shouldn't have been pretending to faint after choking. That was very immature."

"How did you know anyways?" Sora was curious.

"I saw that he had already expelled the grain of rice he was so desperately choking on long before he feigned collapsing. Besides, his face had returned to normal color after turning into a tomato. And his breathing was normal." I explained to her.

"Perhaps he was just trying to steal a kiss?" She had suggested not so subtly. I raised my eyebrows in question.

_No way. That guy wouldn't. He's most definitely up to something._

"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to offend you." Sora had bowed down apologetically. She must have thought I was insulted when I quirked my brows. Perhaps I was a little bit but not in the way she thought.

"Come on, straighten up Sora. You said nothing wrong. And stop with the honorifics, please." I tried my best to get her to relax around me, I hated being so formal all the time. It felt very awkward to me.

"Oh yes, sorry I'm just used to it." She stood up.

"So what do we do now?" I was quite bored. I didn't know what to do. I had already finished the book I had gotten yesterday. It wasn't terribly long, just remarkably boring. It talked about a lot of philosophical ideas that revolved mostly around the shinobi world; their thinking, values and morals.

If there were any other types of books I detested more than romanticism, it would probably be those over the top philosophical titles. And those exceptionally hideous self-help books. They never really catered to my...tastes.

"How about we go to the market?" Sora had suggested.

"The market?" Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea. It was about time I finally got to seeing things around here. "Sure" I agreed, "Maybe, afterwards we can go to the library to return this book?"

"Yes, if you'd like to." She replied.

...

It was such a lively marketplace. It reminded of the one I would visit with my mother back in Square Garden. We usually went every Saturday morning, when we would get tired of the lifeless atmosphere of the supermarket.

There was a dense flow of people everywhere here. More people than I had imagined could live in this small compound.  _Maybe it wasn't so small after all._

The air was filled with smells of freshly baked goods and what I assumed to be recently cultivated produce. I could even smell the odors of some very exotic spices I didn't think their herbs could have ever been grown here. Market stalls lined the route on both sides, the ground beneath us was hardened mud covered with a layer of gravel and gritty stone. No concrete, no asphalt...not like back home. And this sort of gave it a much more natural appearance. Some stalls were even frying..fish? Or meat? Or both? They were definitely roasting something though.

But above all, there was that scent in the air. That scent carried that all too familiar pre-autumn chill. It was welcoming, in its own little strange way. I could hear small children scream for their mothers, some lost and some holding on to their mother's hands. The people themselves looked...bubbly. Even the shopkeepers. This flamboyant scene was so picturesque, it would be hard getting the images out of my mind for a while. Even back home, I would take in every little detail and hold on to it as if it was the last time I would see such a view. I wasn't paying attention to what Sora was saying, I was only following her, edging through the crowds of people. She had stopped by a few stalls but I was too absorbed in my surroundings to realize that some of the shopkeepers glanced my way. They must have been well acquainted with Sora because they all appeared over-friendly with each other.

She had bought some things. Mostly fruits though. I was still not really paying attention to her. She suddenly grabbed my hand and dragged me through the flock of people.

"Come on, there's a dango shop just up ahead. They make really good dangos." She said enthusiastically. I was still holding onto the book with my free hand. I didn't want to drop it accidentally at the risk of it being damaged or lost, so I went along with her.

_Dangos?_

We were inside a small shop now, hand-carved wooden tables and stools decorated the small room. Some people were already seated. Sora had taken the closest table near the doors and I went to sit opposite of her. I had never seen this part of the compound before. Dark curtains with the Uchiha crest embroidered in were hanging down from one of the walls, separating this room from the next. Which I assumed was the kitchen.

A mere moment later, I had already found a plate of dumplings being placed in front of me and a cup of steaming tea at its side.

_When had she ordered this?_

The same things were placed in front of Sora. I looked up towards the person who had brought us our food and thanked her. She was a young woman with the characteristic Uchiha traits. She held a small polite smile but took a long glance at me before she went on her way. I had momentarily wondered if I said something wrong or if there was something in my hair. I patted it down but I found nothing. Just a few curls out of place and the rest was in a bun. My hair was getting longer and I hated wearing it down when it passed my shoulders. Sora had insisted I'd let a few strands down, framing my face, just like their trademark bangs.

I was getting more curious about Sora. I really wanted to know more about her, ask her about who she was and if she really was an Uchiha. But I didn't want to question her in such a public place.

 _Perhaps when we're in the library..._ Seeing that it was usually empty.

Now that I looked at her closer, her dirty blonde hair wasn't as brownish as I had seen it before. Under the sunlight, she looked full on blonde. A few freckles covered her cheeks here and there. And her eyes weren't pitch black, but rather a deep brown, going on black.

"That's a pretty necklace you're wearing." Sora pointed out. I looked down and saw that I had forgotten to tuck in the pendant today. I instantly did at the sudden realization. I would normally hide it under the kimono because it was the only thing I had that belonged to me and me alone. And I didn't want anyone to ask me about it.

"Uhm yes. I had gotten it as a birthday gift." A light smile appeared on my face as I recalled my fourteenth birthday. Mary had surprised me.

"That's nice." She said simply. She was already halfway through her plate and I had just started. These dumplings were sweet. They had also been sugarcoated with honey.  _More sweets._  They were delicious but they were also the reason why I tried to stay away from sugar. Most of the time, these foods would go straight to my thighs or butt and sometimes my stomach. I had developed a 'mini-muffin top' according to Mary.  _Due to my love for muffins._

 _Bullshit._ I had thought back then, but it was kind of true. It wasn't big and I wasn't fat, but apparently it was small enough for Mary to pinch whenever she wanted to tease me.

 _'Stop! Leave my stomach alone. Isn't it enough you use me as your personal pillow?'_ I had told her once when she got annoying.

Or punching bag when she wanted to play rough.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Sora said,

"You better drink your tea or it will get cold."

I wasn't even able to finish one stick, partly due to my fear of getting fat. So, I went for the tea instead. Its bitter taste created a very pleasant contrast to the sugary sweets we had just eaten. I always thought green tea was a bit sour. To my taste buds. A lot of people I know had always thought it a bit sweeter, without adding sugar. I always preferred my tea with sugar.

We were finished and on our way out. I would have paid but I realized I had no money. I had nothing actually. Aside from the book. We headed straight for the library, seeing there was nothing left for us to do here.

"So what's up with the old man at the library?" I had finally managed to ask as we were closing in. She had seen him yesterday when we stopped by. He was seated in his usual place, hovering over the same book.

"Oh you mean Takayama-sama? He's been around for  _centuries."_ She may have been exaggerating that last part. Yes, he was quite old from what I saw but that wasn't what I meant.

"No, I mean where are his eyes? What happened to him?" I was clearer this time.

"Oh that...well it is said that he had lost them in battle quite some time ago." She casually said that as if it was a common occurrence. But I didn't believe her, even if she did. He couldn't have lost it in battle, there were no scars from a blade or anything sharp enough to permanently damage  _both_ eyes. No lacerations on the skin around his ocular orbits. None whatsoever, no, it actually looked like they were gouged out. Smoothly.

I didn't want to press the subject any further as we were now in front of the library gates.

We pushed it open and entered as quietly as we could, not trying to bother anyone had there been someone. But there wasn't. Except for Mr Takayama. Much to my expectations. I went straight to the shelf where I had picked up yesterday's book and quickly went in search for a new volume. I spent a quarter hour searching and eventually just chose a random one.

I went to Sora and sat beside her, she had already taken a book and buckled down. We kept silent for a while until I decided to break the ice.

"So how old are you?" I started with a simple question.

"Me?" She was surprised at my question for some reason. "I'm twenty-two years old. How about you?" She returned the question.

"Eighteen." I waited a while before asking. "Where are you from?" I asked.

"Hmm? I'm from here, where else?" She replied, skeptic of my question. I had this bad habit of not always being straightforward with my demands.

"Yes. Sorry, I meant to say are you an Uchiha?" She finally understood what I had been trying to get at. A sad smile appeared on her face as she turned to look away from me, focusing more on her book. A few moments passed by before she said anything else.

"Well, my mother was an Uchiha. My father was not. I never got to meet him as I wasn't allowed to. As you can probably see, I take more after him than my mother's own people." I was about to ask her why she decided to live here but it seemed like she already knew what my next question was.

"I was...permitted to live here and grow up with my mother's family instead." That was all she said. Though I knew what she was implying, it wasn't very hard to guess.

"You mean they kept you here because they feared you'd marry a non-Uchiha and pass on their bloodline to an outsider?" I asked cautiously, lowering my tone as I said so.

"I've never awakened the sharingan." She confessed barely above a whisper. She didn't particularly confirm what I just concluded but it wasn't like she explicitly denied it either. I didn't want to push her further honestly so I returned to my own reading. I had picked out a mystery novel.  _Never expected to find one here._

A while had passed before Sora talked again. "You know, if you do get bored of here, there's this really nice place just outside the compound's walls that I'd like to go whenever I want to think. Or not."  _Was she really offering me a way out of here?_ But it wasn't like I was going to escape or anything, I didn't know where else to go. And she must have known that, because otherwise, why would she be suggesting that she'd show me the way there? I didn't even know where the forest I had waken up in was. I had thought of returning there to see if there was anything I could find out about how I got here but I had always doubted that idea.

"Would you be willing to show me?" I asked, wanting to make sure.

"Of course!" She said more joyful than what she had been a while ago. "We can go right now, if you'd like?" Sora seemed pleased that I had accepted her offer. I stood up immediately. "Say no more. Let's go" I had extended her my hand.

...

We were walking down narrow streets that looked as though they were getting more confined. I would surely have trouble remembering the route here. We eventually reached the borders of the compound where the walls didn't look as secure as the others had been. In fact, there was a not-so tiny crack. Well, actually a hole. One big enough to let a person enter and exit as they pleased.

_Anyone could just enter and they wouldn't notice. They should probably look this over._

One would think the Uchiha would be more cautious. Though, I realized walking here, this area appeared to be neglected and abandoned.

I followed Sora through the hole. I was able to pass through with ease. This would definitely prove to be a problem for them. We suddenly found ourselves in a dense forest, surrounded by thick trees from every side. There was a small pathway barely seen that led deeper into the woodland. We walked through it. I made sure to take in every subtle detail around me. The dark green canopy above us provided more than enough shade from the burning afternoon sun. After minutes of walking in silence, we arrived at a small clearing.

A beautiful blue river was flowing in a generous stream, cutting through the forest. Rough sand were in vast amounts on either sides of the stream and large rocks poked out of the water here and there. I walked closer to the bank until I was by the edge of the river, I knelt down and saw fast-moving shadows.

_There were fish here?_

I could hear chirping and chattering nearby. It was amazingly calm. Nature here was charming and stunning.  _Truly stunning._ I found Sora had already taken a seat near the water a few feet away. I went and settled down beside her instead.

* * *

_**Tobirama's POV** _

"What do you mean you're going there?!" Tobirama was howling at his elder brother.

"I am positive you just heard me. And you're not stupid too, Tobirama." Hashirama was saying, "I'm going to the meeting with Madara. You are welcome to tag along." He repeated once again what he just said not even a moment ago. Even so, his energy had not dwindled in the slightest. He was just as lively and high-spirited as he was when they received the messenger hawk from the Uchiha that same morning. No doubt Hashirama was more than pleased with the prospect of  _finally_ achieving peace with the Uchiha.

"They couldn't even bother sending a real messenger." Tobirama was becoming increasingly irritated with his elder brother. He wouldd object to this idea with the stupidest reasons if he had to.

"Well, I find that a falcon messenger is just as real as any shinobi messenger." Hashirama retorted.

"I'd be inclined to agree with you if the  _hawk_  hadn't tried to claw out our cage keepers' eyes." Poor man, he may not recover from this and had potentially lost vision in his right eye. Permanently. He had been injured right before Tobirama had arrived to take in the message. He couldn't help but think that the hawk was trained that way.

"Yes, that was unfortunate. But that will not keep me from going." The Senju clan leader was adamant about his decision. It didn't matter what the elders thought or would say, Hashirama had already made up his mind and would go to the Uchiha complex to seek out a peace treaty. For real this time.

"What if it's an ambush?" Tobirama countered.

"I thought you were the smart one Tobirama." Hashirama used the most serious and condescending tone he could at the moment. Even Tobirama knew he was uttering nonsense. He decided to finally to drop the act.

"You know they chose the meeting to be in their territory, their compound, to give them the advantage over the negotiations?" He asked.

"Yes, I know. And I'm fine with it." Hashirama was signaling the end of this discussion.

Tobirama knew that he had lost. Not that he ever had the chance of winning anyway. Deep down he knew this treaty would be best for all. After all, he did share his brother's dream for peace. To finally end the bloodshed between clans that have been ongoing for many, many years.  _It doesn't have to be a dream anymore._

He should be happy such a dream is just within an arm's reach, yet he was still quite perplexed that an opportunity had just presented itself. Out of the blue. From the Uchiha nonetheless.

His brother was always sending peace offers to the Uchiha clan and they had always refused. Rather bluntly. But it looked like they were this close to accepting,  _this time_. And it only made Tobirama all the more worried. Mostly for his brother's safety than anything else. They had already specified the time and place for the meeting. Which would occur on their turf. The Uchiha were an unsettling bunch, according to the only albino Senju of his time. He didn't trust them. He couldn't bring himself to. But he knew he had to at least try if this treaty was going to pan out. He would hate to be the reason why such a dream would not work. He couldn't think of himself as the one that would disappoint his brother and his longtime vision of a peace that would finally bring about a time that wouldn't involve meaningless wars over petty disputes. A time where children didn't need to know the meaning of killing or starvation. A time he and Hashirama knew all too well. A time where Itama and Kawarama should have been born. But you can't change the past, no matter how much you'd want too.

_And you can't bring back the dead either._

Tobirama thought long and hard about that. Everything would have been vastly different if his dead brothers had survived past their tenth birthdays.  _Or would it?_ It didn't matter though, he couldn't bring them back and was not entirely sure he would if given the chance. Disturbing the dead wasn't really his cup of tea. Yet, he couldn't understand why the Uchiha would have wanted to accept this time.

_Perhaps Madara was growing just as reckless and tired as we had._

Madara knew exactly how it was to lose everything to the wars. He had lost his own share of siblings. And nearly lost the last one not too long ago. Tobirama was still baffled at how Izuna could have survived his attack. He had used his newest technique, The Flying Raijin Slice and was positive he had hit Izuna in a vital area. He should have lost a lot of blood even before reaching their base. He even saw Izuna struggle before Madara caught him and left.  _He should have been dead._

Tobirama never misses.

But for some unknown reason, Izuna was very well up and about, huffing and puffing and setting everything in his sight on fire.  _Even a defenseless woman._ Before Tobirama could even continue that though, he heard Hashirama calling out his name, irritably.

"Tobirama!" His brother was clearly exasperated. "What has gotten into you? I thought we've talked about this a thousand times before. This is what we want, no? A world Itama and Kawarama-"

"Yes, yes I remember. No need to repeat yourself." He cut him off and stood before his elder brother could have a chance at continuing this sad story of his. As if Tobirama hadn't lived it himself either.

"Well?" He heard Hashirama's voice from behind him as he neared his brother's bedroom doors. He had brought in the message himself once he had first heard of it. He went straight to his brother's quarters, who was still sound asleep like a baby. At this time of day.

Tobirama gave out a loud sigh.

"Yes, I will come with you. I will go get a squad ready to take with us. A few elders will most likely accompany us as well. We should be heading out first thing tomorrow, at dawn." He recited in his normal, expressionless and toneless voice. Something he had perfected to use on anyone but his brother. But he couldn't help it this time. He slid open his brother's doors and went on his way.

There was much to do if they were going to leave at dawn for the Uchiha complex. He would need to carefully choose his best men to come with but still take into account that he would need to leave some behind to look after their own base. They were by no means a weak clan and did not have a weak stronghold. But he couldn't risk it. If neighboring clans heard that both the Senju brothers were out leaving behind their compound 'unguarded' they might take this as a chance to attack. Normally, one of the brothers would stay behind and the other would go out. Unless in a time of war. They would both be out on the battlefield.

_This was no time to reminisce about the past._

He needed to hurry and get everyone informed and well equipped, because in truth, Tobirama wasn't entirely sure how this meeting would end up.

* * *

The sun was just rising. Its yellow halo was barely seen above the horizon. It was a chilly morning. The summer was reaching its ending days and soon, long nights would welcome them.

Tobirama was standing in full armor and fur collar in front of his men. He had chosen half a dozen of very capable Senju shinobi. They were in on the reason for this trip and they had accepted every possible outcome. Two elders were coming along and Hashirama as well as Tobirama himself would be joining. A total of ten renowned Senju shinobi on the move. Tobirama wasn't particularly comfortable with leaving his base with that many ninjas. He would have preferred to stay himself but he valued his brother's life more than his own. That was not to say Hashirama wasn't capable of protecting himself. No, he was much more capable than Tobirama and any Senju or shinobi alive. However, he couldn't be guarantee that the Uchiha wouldn't try something foolish.  _But the Uchiha were an honorable clan, they'd never do something lowly as that,_ was what Hashirama had said trying to ease his suspicions. It didn't work. And yet, he still found himself going along with his elder brother.

"I'm sure you're all ready for what's to come. Be prepared for every possible circumstances heading your way." He gave them his last warning. They all nodded in respect. They could see the two elders that had volunteered to come. But the big man himself still hadn't shown. He was the main reason they were going in the first place.

_He better not have slept in, that idiot._

He had warned his brother not too drink too much last night in his 'early celebration' for the peace treaty to come. He had also warned him they couldn't be late. Tobirama was meticulously punctual. In fact, they were one hour earlier than the normal schedule because he couldn't possibly predict any diversions coming their way.

_Last night..._

_..._

_"What are you doing?"_  Tobirama had dropped by his brother's room to make sure everything was set with him. He had gotten everything ready for tomorrow's journey. The only thing left was his brother. He opened the doors to Hashirama's study, only to find him gulping down several bottles of sake. Some were already empty and rolling off the floor. Some were still intact on his desk. His brother wasn't the regular drinker, but he was a heavy one when he did. And a gambler. A very bad one, too.

Hashirama was staring mindlessly into the night, a sake bottle in one hand and another placed on the window. Surely to balance himself if he had truly drank that much already. He hadn't sensed Tobirama's presence yet. The younger Senju then cleared his throat loudly, to catch his attention.

"What on earth do you think you are doing?" He repeated with much more irritation in his voice. A frown had already appeared on his face. Finally. Hashirama had turned and noticed his brother who was now one feet into his study room.

"Oh, Tobi! It's you. I'm so glad. Come share a drink with meee!" He was very much out of it.

Drunk. Super drunk.

 _How was he even still standing?_  When he tried heading into Tobi's direction, he stumbled repeatedly. Tobirama had resolved himself to stay put in his place, not daring to even extend a hand to his hopeless brother. Instead, he crossed his arms as he watched Hashirama struggling to make his way a few feet from where he was. He wanted to see his elder brother fall face first to the ground. The humiliation...wouldn't have affected the drunk Senju in any way. But he didn't. He managed to reach Tobirama.

"You know, I'm just so happy ya know..." He was mumbling nonsense." This was what we've always dreamed about and now it's coming-ing tru-uee." He was over the moon for sure.

"If I were you, I wouldn't get my hopes up so high. You never know what could happen and you shouldn't be celebrating so early." Tobirama was trying to stay realistic.

"Stop being such a buzzkill Tobi. Madara would never go back on his word, pfft." Hashirama's normally tan complexion was red. Glowing red.

 _"Stop trusting the damn Uchiha so much."_  He growled back in response, his crimson eyes were narrowing. Hashirama just ignored his brother and went on with his blabbering. He put one arm Tobirama's shoulders. The younger Senju was instantly reminded of who the elder brother was in this relationship. In terms of physicality of course. Mentality-wise...Hashirama was still a child. But he was an overgrown man child. He was taller than Tobirama. Setting down the sake bottle, he freed his hand and ruffle his brother's white hair. Something Tobirama had always hated since they were young, but the clan leader appeared to be content that he let out a deep, bellowed laugh. Ever since Hashirama grew his hair, Tobirama thought of using it to his advantage. As his white locks were being tangled, he pulled roughly on Hashirama's own long brown mop of hair. That set him free.

 _"Oww!"_  Hashirama exclaimed. "You know there's so much more to life. There's something called family. Something I would actually like to strive for. I wan-t to find me a good and strong woman, one who'd want to bear my children." He laughed at that. Yes, Tobirama could recall the many times his brother had been rejected despite being the prodigy of his clan. So far, every single one of those women had the faintest amount of logic. They could see how unstable of a man Hashirama was. He couldn't imagine one would eventually agree to marry his elder brother. He was an infant. Whoever would agree to such a thing would be out of her mind. More wicked than Hashirama for sure. He continued to jabber on.

"..and have children. Many children. I don't know. Maybe four or five or six? I don't know yet. I'm just so excited! This new peace treaty with the Uchiha would create such a peaceful settlement for our children to grow up." He was now practically squealing like a teenage girl. Tobirama couldn't believe his brother.  _He must have drank a shit lot._

"Yes Tobirama. Stop looking at me like that. Even your children. You will have them." His elder brother seemed so serious for a mere second. It was scary. Hashirama wasn't pretty when he was serious. Then all of a sudden, a bulb must have lit up in Hashirama's mind.  _Oh-oh..._

That wasn't a good sign because almost always-  _almost-_  the ideas Hashirama would come up with were catastrophic.

"You could perhaps marry a nice Uchiha girl." He whispered that part. "What better way to strengthen our future alliance than with a marriage between our clans?"

 _This. This..._  This was beyond idiotic. So idiotic Tobirama thought he might have lost a few neurones just by listening to his brainless suggestion. He then had a sudden urge to knock some sense into his brother. Hard knocks.

" _I. Would. Rather. Die."_  He had to utter every single word carefully so it could get through his brother's thick skull. He was turning away, ready to leave and having had enough of his elder brother's drunken behavior. He had even forgot why he came here in the first place.

"What about that girl you told me about, hmm? The one with the creepy healing techniques like me and no chakra?" He was now dancing around clumsily, like a fool indeed. "She sounds lovely ta ta ta..."

He was beginning to hum loudly. Hashirama had outdone himself this time. Tobirama needed to put an end to this or else Hashirama wouldn't have slept tonight. He walked slowly to his still twirling brother and hit him on his head. Hard. Harder than he should have. But it still did the trick. The drunkard suddenly fell to the floor, fast asleep. The young brother carried Hashirama to a couch in the corner and let him down. He was out of there before his elder brother took in his next breath.

_Oh great._

...

"Why are you late?" He saw Hashirama running to them in the distance. They have been waiting for nearly twenty minutes. Twenty minutes that could have been spent on the road. It took around six hours to get to the Uchiha territory borders and eight to their compound. That was without stopping or any distractions. Things that couldn't be accounted for.

"Oh yes, I'm very sorry about that." His elder brother avoided the question, not very smoothly. Everyone could surely smell the heavy sake in the clan's leader breath. They all instantly understood why there was a delay. Tobirama had only hoped for Hashirama to be in a clear state of mind before reaching the Uchiha.

He sighed and quietly face-palmed himself.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" He asked as assurance. Everyone nodded in response before they all disappeared between the thick trees of the forests.

 


	14. Catch! Furball Incoming

  ** _*EDITED*_**

* * *

 

** _Izuna's POV_   
**

_I can't believe he's actually going along with this._

The Senju should arrive within the hour and everyone who wasn't a shinobi had preferred to stay away, afraid another battle would just erupt between the two clans right in the heart of the clan settlement. Madara wasn't that stupid, he would never risk the safety of his own clan just to have a chance to slit his enemy's throat.

No, not like Izuna.

_Not like me at all._

Madara wouldn't just go around puffing and blowing fireballs at the expense of destroying everything around him. That wasn't a good idea at all, Izuna hadn't realize the rage that had overtaken him in those moments. He couldn't think. Only imagined about sending a half dozen Senju corpses back to where they came from. One of them would be his own longtime rival. Childhood enemies. He would have relished in seeing Tobirama's body fried to a crisp. But Izuna wasn't a moron. He knew the extent of his capabilities and his weaknesses. He also knew Tobirama's own potential and he sure as hell would not have been able to take down six very well skilled Senju warriors alone, after just recovering from his last battle, if it weren't in their disadvantage to be present in their base. His wound had taken an enormously long time to heal. Longer than usual. Tobirama nearly killed him the last time. Well, he kind of  _did._

But he was alive now and practically given a second chance, Izuna wouldn't be as foolish as he had been before. He had to understand how on earth he couldn't manage to see Tobirama's sword slice right through him. He never saw it or Tobirama coming. His sharingan hadn't detected any movement until the katana had already done its damage.  _That's impossible. Nothing could ever escape the sharingan's field of vision._

He thought at first. Although, he began to doubt that. It appeared to him that Tobirama had developed a new jutsu, one the sharingan couldn't see. And this unnerved Izuna. Deeply. Because then he would have to admit that perhaps the sharingan wasn't as 'all-seeing' as it was always assumed.

_No._

He couldn't think that. While he did unlock his Mangekyou sharingan and that significantly improved his visual prowess and his defense, that jutsu Tobirama had used would prove to be troublesome against any sharingan user and Izuna had vowed that he would do whatever it takes to figure out what the jutsu was and how to block it.

_They'd be here soon enough._

He was still in the dark about what his brother was planning, what his conditions were and what he was  _really_  after. If Izuna didn't know, then no one else would know.

_No one._

He was starting to get a nagging headache that wouldn't go away since yesterday. He didn't get the chance to wash his throat with soap until after the meeting. He had rubbed the insides of his mouth vigorously trying to get the taste of foreign saliva out of his trap. But it was too late, he had unconsciously swallowed it when he pushed her off.

He was wrong this time. Outdone at his own childish tricks. That was utterly disgusting what she did. No one would have dared do such a thing to the Uchiha's leader  _baby brother._

Despite being accustomed to his immature pranks and juvenile behavior, they couldn't lay a hand on him in fear of Madara. This amused and disappointed Izuna at the same time. It was funny watching them suck up whatever trick he had up his sleeves but it also angered him that they wouldn't react to it.  _Like they had no balls. They need to grow a pair or two._

They couldn't fear Madara forever, besides they should stand up for themselves.

_I really am a child. I need to grow up._

But where would be the fun in that? There was an already older and an uptight brother. Having two wouldn't be very good for the clan's image. Or so he thought. That was the rationalization he could come up with.

Yet, this girl could just easily open his mouth and spit down his throat as if it was nothing. For a long while after the meeting, he couldn't get the taste of salty lube- _ish_ liquid out of him, even after washing it. He was appalled, grossed out and revolted at the action and the feeling that accompanied it. But...it excited him.

_I like her._

She had guts.

_And I like guts._

His quirky grin appeared once more as he was nearing her bed chamber.

_I hope she really likes this gift._

He had brought something along with him he thought she would surely appreciate. He was petting the furry creature that was laying lazily in his arms, cradled like a human baby. As he passed his own brother's bedroom and was closing in on hers, he could hear loud shouts. Women voices.

It seemed like she was arguing with her maid. He could distinctly make out a few sentences.

"What do you mean I can't get out?! He can't lock me in here!" Mina's voice was booming.

"I'm sorry Mina-sa..sa.., but Ma..Madara-sama ordered me not to let you out of your room for today." Sora, the maid, was stammering. The stress could be clearly heard in her voice.

" _I DON'T CARE. He can't keep me in here!"_  The brunette repeated. Izuna then heard shuffling around the room. He was getting intrigued.

"Please Mrs Mina, the library is closed for today anyways. There's no where to visit." Sora tried pleading with her mistress.

"No it isn't." She replied bluntly. More shuffling. Then it stopped abruptly as the door creaked open. But no one had entered.

Then in an instant, a black ball went flying across the room landing roughly on Mina's face. Its claws grabbing tightly to her hair and skin and its meows were more like screeches.

Izuna couldn't tell who was the one giving out the loud, piercing cries. He was about to roll over laughing but then,

 _"Eeeeehhhh! Get it off meeee!"_  She was shrieking. The more she tried to pull the cat off her, it only dug its claws deeper into her pale skin.

_Oh my, those would leave some nasty scars._

Izuna was now chuckling loudly. It was hilarious. The woman was stumbling around, unable to see as the cat clung onto her face firmly, not wanting to leave. The cat's hisses were getting as loud as the woman's cries herself. She was struggling but it only added to Izuna's bemusement.

 _"AIIIIEEEE, GET IT OFF. GET IT OFF MEEEE NOW. PLEASE!"_  He could only imagine what sort of pain she was in without really needing to see her face.

She was trying desperately trying to get the cat off her before she suffocated but the cat was more determined than she was. It wasn't letting go and only seemed to be clawing and scratching more and more... It was trying to balance itself. Izuna hadn't planned any of this. He was just going to casually throw the cat at her and inform her that she wasn't allowed to leave the room for the day. But it looked like Sora had beat him to that. The maid was trying to pry the cat off of her poor mistress' face, in much vain. Mina, with her vision completely blocked, unexpectedly banged into the sharp edge of the dresser and tripped over her kimono backwards, falling to the floor with a noisy crash.

_Ouuf. That must've hurt._

He hurried over to the bed side, curious to see what had happened. Tears of laughter were now flowing down his cheeks. He tried to hold it in for as long as he could but he enjoyed this too much to do so. This wasn't what he planned at all. This was turning out better than he expected. _Much better._

Everything went silent. She calmed down and so did the cat. Sora was panicking, not knowing what to do.

_Finally._

Mina gently pulled the cat away sensing it had loosened its grip a bit. It let go and bounced off her face, revealing a bloody appearance that held a disturbingly peaceful expression. Izuna stopped laughing and soon recalled where he had seen such an expression before. Much like Madara when he was deadly silent and unnaturally pacific before exploding, just like the calm before the storm. Yes, that's what it was. She was in that phase right before she lost it. While Izuna would love to stay for the upcoming show, he couldn't stay any longer. The Senju should be approaching soon and he would have to be at the gates to greet them since Madara wouldn't.

But before he did leave, he had to hand it to the cat. He admired the handiwork it did. It left not one inch of skin free from its grasp. It was even standing nearby in the corner admiring its own work as well. It seemed... _pleased._ Mina's face was covered with scratch marks, some very deep, as well as bruises and blood. A bit too much blood. He began laughing again and she took her first breath.

"Why you..." Her voice was raspy. He momentarily wondered if the cat had also done some damage to her vocal cords.

"Pfftt. Ha!" He was wiping new tears that started streaming again. "I...I just came by to inform you..you that.." He couldn't gather his words. He pulled himself together.

"I just wanted to tell you that you can't leave this chamber for the day. Madara's orders." He was casually repeating what Sora had been saying a while ago. He added,

"I know you might get lonely so I thought I'd bring you some company.  _SURPRISE!_ " He said in his annoyingly cheerful voice just to add salt to her injuries. So, he continued,

"I couldn't help but realize how much you were infatuated with this cat nights ago. You wanted it so urgently I couldn't keep it away from you." His eyes were gleaming with sheer wickedness. Her eyes on the the other hand were wide with disbelief as she was still laying on her back, staring into his onyx ones. That disbelief soon turned into pure rage. Sora had disappeared off to somewhere, probably getting water and towels for her.

_On the other hand, I probably shouldn't stay here._

No one was around to witness what she could do to him and it didn't seem wise to stick around and press her any further.

"So, yes,  _BYE!"_  He waved his hands as he got off the bed and hurried out the room, shutting the door behind him. He would leave the rest to Sora. He felt somewhat satisfied that he had done  _something_  with his morning. This was nothing to what he still had in mind. He wasn't even trying to mess with her yet.

_But I am more than looking forward to it._

His arms were crossed behind his head as he walked towards the entrance of the compound.

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

He was in his study. Mentally preparing for what was about to happen. He often wondered if it wasn't too late to go back on his decision but realized it was no use. They were probably on their way here. He rubbed his face trying to clear his mind. He was still a bit groggy since waking up an hour ago. He had overslept yesterday, making up for the sleepless nights of the past weeks and simultaneously not really making up for  _all of them_. He made sure everything was prepared the moment he sent out the message yesterday morning. He told the maids to get everything ready and neat for the meeting. Open up the larger assembly room and do whatever maids do. He might have also left everything else to his brother and he was starting to regret that decision. He convinced himself at first that if Izuna played a role in organizing this meeting and in negotiating the treaty then perhaps he wouldn't see this a a futile attempt at 'peace'. Madara wasn't thinking clearly yesterday. At all. In fact, after assigning everyone their duties he went straight to bed. And slept all day, evening and night up until most of this morning too. He didn't understand. This wasn't in his nature but he couldn't help but succumbing to his fatigue.

Despite having showered, cleaned up and ate, he was still dazed. He better get his act together before the Senju arrived at his doorstep. Izuna should be out there ready to greet them.

_Fuck, why would I tell him to do that?_

He was prone to doing questionable things when he lacked sleep and anyone with a single brain cell needed to start  _questioning_ him when he was in such a state.

But he was clear-minded enough this morning that his first order of the day was: keep that damned woman away from wandering around the rest of the house. He didn't want her to just stumble around and accidentally crash the meeting. He didn't have time to deal with her. He didn't even understand why she was even here.

_Oh that's right, I brought her here. Now-_

_Why did I do that again?_

He couldn't even remember anymore. Madara was considering just letting her leave. There was no use for her here.

_But she saved Izuna._

Right, she did. Sort of. He recalled back to that dark night seemingly long ago. He should have thanked her or something but he honestly couldn't care less anymore. She can leave if she wanted to. Just not today. After the meeting is done.

He needed to make sure she didn't do something stupid again like sticking her tongue down his brother's throat. She might as well have been sucking his face. He couldn't believe it when he saw it. Madara was almost certain Izuna had instigated the whole thing.  _But to go along with it?_

That would take someone even more foolish than his little brother.

He could already imagine her breaking another window just to get out. Madara decided it wouldn't be such a bad idea to go check on her. He was sure the maids were getting tired of sweeping off broken shards of glass. He went into the direction of his own quarters. She wasn't that far away.

...

He knocked on her door, gesturing that he was about to enter in case she was...indecent. But that was useless, he didn't wait for a reply and just barged in. He was curious to the scene playing out in front of him. She was sitting cross legged on the edge of the bed, bloody towels surrounding her and a bowl of warm water settled on the floor beside her. The maid was wiping blood off her forehead and so was she. Yet, her gaze didn't drift to him but was stuck on a little black cat sitting comfortably in front of her, near the wall. It looked like she was staring daggers at the little feline animal, to which it just responded with a knowing smirk. She had finished using the blood-soaked towel and tossed it at the cat. It just yawned in response. By now, the maid had taken in Madara's presence and stood up to bow down to the clan leader.

He nodded in her direction but the girl was still staring at the cat, completely unaware of his presence or she was but was choosing to ignore him. He could only imagine what happened here.

_Izuna._

But something had caught his eyes. There should have at least been scratches or cuts or scrapes or something. Anything that would account for that amount of blood. Except, there was nothing. He couldn't see a single cut or injury that should have been the source of her bleeding. It was like the blood just appeared. Unless it belonged to someone else.

_But that couldn't be. No._

He concluded that she had been in some sort of fight with that cat and it clawed at her face, hence the blood but where were the scratches and bruises that would prove that?

"What happened here?" He finally asked.

"Well Madara-sama, Izuna had stopped by and wanted to gift Mrs Mina...Mina-sama." Sora corrected herself. "He brought her this cat. And it clung to her face, clawing at it."

 _Did she really believe his brother's sad excuse?_ What was Izuna thinking? He didn't understand why his brother would do such a thing. Why would he bring her this cat? He probably flung it at her and it landed on her face.

He sighed heavily. Mina was still in a staring contest with the black cat. A one-sided staring contest. On her side because the cat seemed to be sleeping now.  _The same cat she was chasing around at night?_

_Huh._

"Whatever. Just don't let her out of here." He said to the maid before turning to head out.

"You can't lock me in here." She finally spoke, but wasn't looking at him. She was intently focused on burning that cat alive with her glare.

"Oh really? So you speak?" He turned back around to face her. "Look at me when I speak to you." Madara ordered her. He was getting back into his crankier mood and he was okay with that. She crossed her arms and met his gaze with one of her own.

_Was...she pouting?_

_"You. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere."_  He was trying to get the message across. "Is that clear?" It was his turn to cross his arms and shoot her his customary glare. She seemed unfazed. Her face a light shade of red, from all the blood that covered it.

"No." Was all she said. Curtly.

 _"No?"_  Madara repeated that one word syllable she just uttered. He wasn't used to hearing that word too often, especially from women. He was getting rather impatient, he had things to tend to and really didn't want to waste any more time here.

"Yes. N-O.  _Noooo_." She was severely undermining him now. His sharingan unconsciously activated. He stepped closer to her and the atmosphere of the room got all the more tenser. Sora was nervous and fidgeting with her sleeves. She had heard and seen what Madara Uchiha was capable of when pushed just over his edge. Though, she couldn't think he could possibly hurt Mina. He hadn't laid a hand on her.  _Yet?_

He was just glaring at her. For a very long time.

"Uhm." She began. "Am I supposed to cower away now? Back up into a corner? Drop dead?" She was returning his glare, with more curiosity in her eyes than deadly intent.

That was strange. Madara had thought that by putting her in a genjutsu, she would be more cooperative. Like most people were when they were out cold. But she was unaffected. Nothing. Granted, he wasn't trying that hard, but was still trying nonetheless. She was looking straight into his red orbs and wasn't swayed in any way. Then he remembered-

_That's right._

She didn't have chakra. How could Madara have forgotten that? But then... _What did she fall victim to, that night at the library?_  Genjutsu would only work by affecting the opponent's chakra flow.  _But she doesn't have a chakra flow_. Unless she pretended to be asleep in his arms when he carried her.

_No._

Madara was sure she was out of it. Asleep. This wasn't right.

He deactivated his sharingan and suddenly grabbed her by the arms roughly. He pulled her up and dragged her along with him.

"Hey! What are you doing? Let me go." She was trying to pull away from him. "Not this again. Don't tell me your brother has already managed to get himself killed again! Serves him right. I hope that Tobirama finished the job this time!"

He was shocked by her words.

"Shut up." They were out in the halls now. Madara could hear the faint calling of his name. The maid was torn between trying to help her and go after them or stay obedient to her leader's orders. She chose the latter.

"Urghhh leave me alone! I never did anything to you. FINE I'LL STAY IN MY ROOM!" She was screaming now. He didn't care. The Uchiha leader would get the answers he wanted. Now.

...

They were in one of those run-down shacks they would use to stock old and unused weapons. There were two guards standing in front of one of the wooden cabin. They bowed down instantly and greeted him in unison,

"Madara-sama."

Madara didn't pay attention to any of them and barged in through the doors. He was now dragging the poor woman by her kimono collar. They were relatively surprised at the sight of their leader hauling a strange woman into an old broken down shack. It was not like he did it everyday. They didn't dare follow him in unless he called out for them.

He threw her in the middle of the room and looked around for some rope. They were surrounded by rusty and aged blades of all shapes and sizes.

_Why the fuck were those two idiots guarding a place like this? Dammit did I order them to?_

He made a mental note to tear this shack down and get rid of these useless weapons. His eyes found what he had been looking for. In a blink of an eye, he had went and retrieved it and was back by Mina's side before she could even ponder an escape. The rope in one hand and the female in the other, he brought her over to one of the pillars. He undid the rope and started to tie it around her waist before attaching it to the wooden column. Only after assuring himself it was tight enough so she couldn't untie it but not so tight that it would suffocate her. Madara couldn't help but notice that her ample bosom had risen up a little as a result of the several layers binding her underneath her chest. It made it seem like they larger than before. He instantly darted his eyes back up to her own. She looked..confused. Not scared or nervous. Just confused and muddled.

"Who are you?" He said as menacingly as he could. It was about time he asked her that question.

It took her a while to answer.

"It's about time you asked me that question, no?" She had muttered in the softest voice possible, perhaps unsure of her own reply and whether Madara would strike back. But it was like she read his mind.

He only glared harder. His eyes now glowing crimson. The only thing shining in this room, beside the sunlight barely coming through a tiny window at the upper corner.

"I'm Mina." She replied more confidently this time.

"You know what I mean." His voice voice was getting darker.

"I'm afraid I don't." Mina replied. She was testing the limit of his patience and she knew it. So, she added, "I'm not from here."

"Then where?" He questioned.

"Somewhere far away." Her tone dropped to above a whisper. A hint of sadness in her voice and a sorrowful look across her face.

He didn't understand.  _Why was she being so cryptic?! Couldn't she just come out and say it?_ He hated it when people were always beating around the bush. Especially women. They were the worst at it. He was just about to say that but then someone interrupted him before getting the chance. It was one of the shinobi standing outside.

"Madara-sama! The Senju have arrived." He declared as he bowed down.

_Dammit._

He thought he was finally getting somewhere with this... _creature_. He sighed and turned to walk away, leaving the women bound to the pillar.

"Stand guard here. Don't free her. Look after her and make sure she doesn't try to escape. And if she does,  _stop her."_ He ordered the man.

He was on his way to the eternal fires of hell that awaited him.

...

"Madara! My dear friend!" He heard that all-too-familiar voice greeting him with a shout.

They had already been seated in the council room before he arrived. Hashirama was practically bouncing with joy and about to tackle Madara as if they have always been friends forever and not bitter enemies. As if his brother hadn't just attempted to kill his own. His glare stopped Hashirama dead in his tracks before he could step any closer. The Senju leader then went on to gather himself and put on a respectable face. Or something of the sort.

"Let's just get this over with." That was all Madara needed to say for everyone to take their seats around the oval table. He noticed that the Senju weren't wearing their custom-made armors as they usually do when they 'visit' the Uchiha. They didn't seem to be carrying their weapons either. Normally, one would take that as a sign that the other party meant no threat and were exposed to any attack that could mortally wound them. But Madara didn't trust them. Even if he himself wasn't carrying anything. And supposedly none of the elders that were sitting in on this. But not Izuna. He still held onto his katana.

_Just in case?_

He didn't want to give it too much thought.

There were at least two Senju elders aside from Hashirama and his brother Tobirama. There was one other Senju sitting in. A councilor perhaps. Madara was sure there were at least a couple more present but not in the room. He was informed that there was a total of ten on their way here. The other five must be waiting nearby.

"Since we're all here." Hashirama had begun, seeing that Madara wasn't going to say anything else. "I'd like to say how grateful I am at how much effort you put into organizing this meeting and the consideration you are giving to this treaty. It's a great milestone for both our respective clans who have never, to this day, seen eye to eye. So, thank you."

Hashirama was as serious as Hashirama could be. Which said a lot about the man who couldn't even keep a straight face.

"Would you agree to the peace treaty?" He jumped straight to the point of debacle.

No one on the Uchiha's side would talk until their leader talked first. Madara was stumped for words. He didn't know how he was going to say this. Before he could even utter a syllable,

"I'm assuming you do but have your own conditions." Hashirama had said in his place. Despite being years apart and only met on the battlefield as enemies for most of their lives, Hashirama had always been able to read Madara's mind. Even in battle, making them a perfect match.

"You could start by releasing the territories you had just taken. Return them back. And we'll consider it even in that aspect." He had demanded bluntly. He could see Tobirama's permanent frown turn into an annoying scowl.

_Already getting our panties in a bunch, are we?_

He would like nothing more than to humiliate Tobirama but he needed to keep himself civil and professional.

"Alright." Hashirama had said, however Madara was waiting for that  _but._

"You start by releasing your hold on the coastline regions."

"No." The Uchiha's leader was short in his answer.

"How could you expect us to let go of territories when you won't stand down of your own?" Tobirama interjected. Madara paid no attention to the white haired man. He was ignoring him so one of the elders spoke up instead. Lady Chiho was it?

"Simple. Because they were ours. We didn't take them from you." Her raspy old voice gave the room a bit more...personality.

"Compromise is the key." Was Hashirama's favorite quote. Madara's irritation was steadily rising.

"So you expect us to hand down our regions to you while you refuse to release yours simply because 'compromise is key'"? He asked rhetorically.

"We're not asking you to hand over your territories. We're merely asking for you to free them. We didn't mean to imply that we would take them." The Senju was trying to remain peaceful, much to Madara's growing agitation.

"Free them?" He repeated.

"Yes. Just hand them back to the clans who originally inhabited them."

"You're making it sound like we're enslaving them, bending them against their will?" Perhaps they were. The Uchiha sometimes used excessive force to subdue any 'resistive factions'. Well, it wasn't like they were going to admit that to the Senju who undoubtedly did the same in some of their conquests.

"No. We just want you to relieve those clans-people of their...bindings to the Uchiha. They should be governed by their own, not an outsider clan. Something I'm sure you'd detest if you were in their place."

What was Hashirama trying to do?  _Appeal to Madara's humanitarian side?_  Because there wasn't one.

Madara raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He laid his head between his palms as he leaned his arms on the table.

_What was he really getting at?_

"Fine. Let go of the territories you hold. All of them...And we'll let go of ours." He gave the brown haired man an ultimatum to which he didn't even take a second to think over.

"Deal." He said almost instantly. A few pairs of narrowed eyes darted to the Senju head. Even Tobirama was bewildered as to how his brother could just give up all of their conquered lands so quickly without even consulting them.  _What purpose did they have if it wasn't to accompany Hashirama so he doesn't agree to some stupid shit like he just did?_

"Hmm, okay then." Madara didn't mind as much as the other Uchiha councilors did because in truth, the amount of land they had was nothing compared to the Senju. By giving up all their regions, they would be essentially giving up most of their profitable resources. They had much more to lose than the Uchiha, while it made Madara angry that the Senju managed to vanquish many regions recently and even overtook over some of theirs, he didn't object to them releasing their hold over all of them.

Besides, just because the Uchiha would also give up their hold on their own conquered lands didn't mean they couldn't trade with these clans. Although, Madara doubted that some of these clans would be so open and  _willing_ to trade with them, after what they have done. No need to fret about that now. They had more alliances than they had hostilities with other clans. They were still on good terms with the Hyuuga.  _Relatively good terms._

 _"_ Since that issue is out of the way." Hashirama spoke up once more. "Are there any other conditions you do not agree upon?" He asked.

"Yes." Madara answered. "The 'full-transparency' clause is utter nonsense. We will agree to no such thing."

"You should understand that it would only end up as an advantage to both of us and strengthens this alliance. It would serve as a stepping stone for the Uchiha and the Senju to finally get along by getting to know each other. We're not asking you to hand over your sharingans to us."

_Of course you wouldn't. You'd take them either way from corpses on the front-lines._

Madara's thoughts instantly went back to the several incidents where they'd find multiple murdered Uchiha shinobi with their eyes hacked out. It was always right after a war with whatever clan. It was common knowledge that rival clans would try to get their hands on their dojutsu whenever given the chance. And battles gave them the best chances. However, the Senju were the worst. They didn't even try  _that hard_  to deny it.

"Maybe you should." Izuna finally spoke up. "While you do that, you should also make it public knowledge how your own kekkei genkei works. Along with any other  _distinct_  jutsus that you might want to share with us." He looked over to Tobirama as he said that. "You know, for the benefit of both clans. Sharing is caring, no?" Mockery was evident in his voice.

"Yes. I wholeheartedly agree. Exchanging knowledge could only further our understanding of each other and our nature." Hashirama was conceding rather quickly.

"WHAT? Are you mad brother?!" Tobirama howled at his elder. "You can't just hand out our-"

"Tobirama!" Hashirama hissed at him, cutting him off. "I came here with the intention of walking out with a newly forged alliance. And I  _will not_  let  _anyone impede it. Not anyone_. Is that clear?" His authority was more obvious than it had ever been as it instantly shut Tobirama up. His voice then softened a little.

"Besides, we've never been this close to an alliance with the Uchiha ever before. This a chance that comes only once every other lifetime."

"We were agreeing to a peace treaty, not an alliance." Madara said, his voice heavy and intense as it always was after hitting puberty.

"What's the difference?" Hashirama jokingly asked.

"There's a clear difference,-"

"I know, but I was hoping for more than an indefinite ceasefire between us. I had been aiming for a more connected bond between our clans. One that would even involve trading, perhaps even building a settlement..." Hashirama trailed off when he saw that no Uchiha was reacting. Not even Madara.

Madara was waiting for his counterpart to continue, he didn't understand why he stopped mid-sentence. Then, something shone in Hashirama's eyes as if a light bulb had lit. He didn't trust that look on Hashirama because it  _almost always led to something catastrophic._

"I've even thought of a brilliant way that could reinforce this alliance!" He was abnormally cheery now. Everyone on the Senju's side was curious, this didn't appeared to be planned.  _Some idea Hashirama must've come up with on the spot._

Everyone but Tobirama seemed to be intrigued at their leader's impending suggestion. Madara had noticed apprehension dawn on that Senju's face. Then in a blink of a second, Tobirama's chakra flared up so violently it cracked the edge of the table. Standing up, he banged his fists and yelled at his elder brother.

"You will not  _dare propose such a thing!"_

Hashirama backed away, his hands up in defeat, a depressive aura surrounded him. "Alright alright Tobirama, please don't rile up your chakra."

Madara as well as the other Uchiha sitting in the room were amazed at how quickly and easily the roles between the Senju brothers reversed. It occurred to him that only Tobirama seemed to know what his brother was about to put forward as consideration. The younger Senju brother sat back down and calmed himself. Fissures had appeared on the table where he had slammed his hands. However, this didn't stop Hashirama.

" _Another way_ that could solidify this pact is the building of the settlement..."

 _Finally, getting to the part that matters._ Madara was listening intently as the doors behind him to the meeting room slid open abruptly.

"Madara-sama." The shinobi that he hadd left almost an hour ago to guard the woman was bowing down to him. "We have a problem."

"What problem?" He said, clenching his teeth, obviously bothered by the sudden interruption. Every pair of eyes in the room darted to the ninja standing before them. He was a nervous wreck, perhaps knowing that he had just interrupted something  _delicate._

 _"I said what problem?"_ He repeated, more scornful this time. The shinobi looked at him trying to pass on the message through eye contact, but Madara was completely oblivious to the glances. The other Uchiha elder who was silent throughout the whole meeting up until now, spoke for the first time. It seemed like the old man had caught on.

"Perhaps you should go Madara-sama. It appears to be urgent." Madara turned to look at the man speaking. It was Takayama, the one whose eyes were taken away from him under the suspicion of treason. Madara wasn't born during the time as it happened back in his grandfather's days. Takayama was now the keeper of the archives.

"Fine." He stood up roughly and left without another word.

...

"What in the living hell?" He looked at the seemingly lifeless body in front of him. Her body was slumped over to the side, unconscious. She was sweating profusely and her dark hair damped from the beads of sweat as it stuck to her forehead and cheeks. She had vomited all over the place, but mostly herself. The stench of vomit filled the already small room, intensifying the smell ten folds. He could still see that she was tied to the pillar.

"WHY IS SHE STILL TIED?" He was shouting now. The shinobi went swiftly to loosen the rope binding her. "Sorry, sir." They mumbled as they fiddled with the knots. Whether they were taking an abnormally long time or Madara himself was growing impatient, he wasn't sure.

"Move." He ordered them. He went straight to her and yanked the rope away with one pull. Her numb body would have flopped to the ground heavily had he not caught her in time. She reeked of both sweat and puke. And her temperature was abnormally high.

"What happened here?" Madara asked as he carried her up.

"She...she was screaming to let her out of here as she tried to resist. She then began shaking and shouting more before she puked. Non-stop. She was complaining of how hot it was and then fainted eventually. We thought she was pretending at first but then-"

"Why didn't you get a medic? Why the fuck am I here instead?"

A small and squeaky voice spoke up. "I believe she has food poisoning. She must have been panicking as her temperature was rising and then lost consciousness." The young woman- who Madara hadn't noticed until now- explained.

"So why was she still tied up?" He was tired of questioning them and wanted to get back to the stupid meeting.

"Well sir, you said not to...let her go, so we..."

"Are you serious? Are you goddamn kidding me?! She was erupting like a volcano and you thought it best to keep her tied up?" Madara couldn't believe the lack of logic among his clansmen.

"NEXT TIME, USE YOUR SENSE AND DON'T DRAG ME OUT FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS. CLEAR?" He raised his voice again, unintentionally. He had to wonder if his shinobi feared him more than they were willing to use their common sense. That didn't sit right by Madara. He didn't want his clan to dread him.  _Is that how all of them see me?_ He only wanted the best for them and did everything in his power to make sure they wouldn't fade away with time as some clans did. Hence, this stupid meeting with the Senju.

"Here." He was about to hand over the motionless woman to one of the guard shinobi to take her back to her room. But he couldn't. She had snaked her arms around his neck, unwilling to let go. He tried to budge her but she didn't move. She was asleep yet she had a firm grip. She was definitely unconscious but her breathing was shallow and heavy. He could have forced her off. However, he didn't feel like waking her. Who knows, she might chuck up another storm. All over him. A sight he would like to avoid at all cost.

He sighed and motioned his ninjas to follow him as he lead the way back to her chambers.

* * *

He laid her back on her bed gently and was about to leave to return to the meeting. But he couldn't draw his gaze away from her. She was sleeping peacefully now. Her breathing had returned to normal. Vomit still covered most of her kimono, though. And her face was slowly turning redder as her temperature was spiking. Her long wavy hair splayed underneath her and across her shoulders. The soft curvatures of her brown strands reminded him of the gentle swaying of sea waves during the summer. Long buried memories of the past when he would occasionally go to the beach with his mother when he was very young. These were one of the only memories he had of her. He didn't like to think too much about it because he would always be reminded that he never really had her growing up. But he was luckier than his brothers as he had known her the longest.

This woman looked like she was glowing under the bright sunlight that was fading away with the sunset, as she laid on her back. Almost radiant despite her overall grisly appearance. Her soft pinkish lips we-

_"MADARAAAA!"_

_Fuck._

Hashirama's voice was booming from the end of the hall.

* * *


	15. Nii-san! I'm Getting Married!

  ** _*EDITED*_**

* * *

 

...

"MADARAAA!"

Hashirama's footsteps could be heard a mile away. But he wasn't a mile away, he was two doors away.

Madara didn't even think for a second.

"Don't let her out of your sight and make sure she recovers." He ordered the medic that followed him and the maid, Sora. He was out of the room in less than a second. He shut the door behind him and went on to deal with the oncoming headache that was Hashirama. He didn't understand why but he knew he couldn't let Hashirama come a step closer down this hall.

_What the hell was he even doing here in the first place?!_

How could the guards let him come this far? How could Izuna?

"Get back, Hashirama." Madara warned his long time friend. His tone was menacing. Cold. Distant.

"There you are! I was getting worried that you had fallen into some kind of trouble when you didn't return straight away." The Senju leader had a beaming smile. A fool indeed.

_He must also take me for a fool too._

Madara knew for certain that Hashirama  _knew_ that his best friend could very well take care of himself. He just wanted an excuse to get out of that meeting room and go look for Madara. Whatever his reason was.

But he shouldn't just be strolling around without a guard.

"So, these are your quarters huh? What a lovely garden view I saw when I was walking by." The air-headed leader was ignoring Madara's caution. He kept on walking further down the hall.

" _Get back Hashirama."_ Madara repeated, much more intently this time. He was getting way too close for his own good.

"Is that your room over there?" He asked, nodding to the room Madara just walked out of.

_What did he care anyways? Asking something like that._

Madara didn't make a habit of inviting people to his room whenever and Hashirama was no exception. He would be the last to enter his chamber. Ever.

 _Over my dead body_. Madara would just have to die first. It wasn't like he was hiding anything there. No, it was actually rather impersonal. He liked it that way. It was just that he didn't let anyone enter his private rooms. Despite not having anything of valuable to him, it was still his.

 _I don't appreciate people snooping around in my bedroom and stealing my clothes_.

But Hashirama wasn't even pointing to his chambers. Yet, he didn't want him entering that one as well. In one sense, it was an extension of his space. And by that logic, anything in that room belongs to him. Anything.

 _And anyone_.

Madara had convinced himself for a few moments that morning that he would let her leave as of tomorrow but he was quickly changing his mind. It wasn't like she was in any condition to leave anyways.

"What are you doing here?" He asked him.

"But I just told you..." Hashirama replied.

"You shouldn't be here." Madara blocked his way from getting any further. "We're going back." He took Hashirama's arm briskly and started to guide him down the  _right_  path. But the man was stubborn as an ox. He put up more of a fight than that woman ever did and he wasn't even using his full strength.

"Oh...what are you hiding from me Madara? What's back in that room, huh?" Hashirama spoke as if he had already forgotten the countless battles they faced against each other. His tone was friendly and welcoming, but most of all, teasing.

He was ignoring Hashirama as he pulled him along and then he stopped in his tracks.

_This was ridiculous._

He let go of the man.

"Get back."

"Huh?" Hashirama was confused.

"Get back to the meeting room. We haven't finished discussing the treaty you want so badly."

Hashirama straightened up and became serious. But he didn't take a step. Instead he just looked at Madara and didn't utter a word.

"What?" The Uchiha leader was fed up with this charade. He was either gonna say something or he wasn't.

It was a while before Hashirama answered.

"In all seriousness Madara, just how far are you really willing to go to consider this alliance? Would you accept it?" Madara never thought he would see his bitter rival in such an...earnest way. He continued,

"Tell me your decision now. Set aside from anyone else. No elders, no brothers and no councilors involved. Just you and I. Tell me if I'm wasting my time here. If that's the case, I will not stay a moment longer."

_Hmm._

_At last._

What was Madara supposed to say? He knew he needed the approval of those present with him at the meeting. So, was he supposed to give an answer right then and there? He really needed to think this through in order not to make an impulsive decision. A decision that he could later regret. One that would have major consequences if he chose to go back on his word. He contemplated for what he deemed a long enough pause.

_"Yes."_

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

_Ooohh_...

Oh God.

 _Food poisoning? Why? Just why? What did I ever do to deserve this?_  The longer I stayed here the worse it got. But I couldn't do anything about it.

I didn't understand. How could I have been set on fire and managed to walk away without a single scorch mark? How was I beaten to a pulp by a stupid cat and still had no scratch marks whatsoever? And yet I couldn't get over this stupid problem?

I was laying on my stomach, my temperature was soaring and I was sweating profusely. My hair; damp and stuck to my face. I soaked both the sheets underneath me and the pillow cases. They reeked of sweat which only added to my disgust and gave me all the more reasons to vomit. I couldn't stand being covered so I kicked them away from me. I was now wearing one of those cotton nightgowns that wasn't too heavy and was a bit see through. Actually it was pretty much transparent. Yet I felt it made me more feverish. I tried ripping it off multiple times, not a care in the world that Sora was there. Or that medic.

But Sora wouldn't let me.

So now, I was face down flopped on the bed, head bent to the side, nightgown barely covering me. My thighs and my breasts were exposed. Well, A great part of them was. They were glistening with sweat too. And made me feel all the more icky. I didn't want this but I really couldn't handle the heat.  _Anyone_  c _ould walk in at any moment._  That was what Sora said.

Now, if you translated that, she meant to say; Madara could barge in at any moment and take you away. Again.

Or something like that.

Even Izuna could be watching at the door.

Sora seemed very reasonable, it was just too bad my mind was pretty numb I couldn't follow what she was hinting at. Besides, my basic instincts to try and cool down my body overrode my own logical thinking.

_I was dead. I felt dead._

But I still couldn't comprehend what happened. Food poison? It was probably due to salmonella but not the typhoidal types. I was vaccinated against typhoid when I was young. But not recently. So, I couldn't say.

I couldn't shake the thought at how I could have been exposed to it in the first place. And was I really the only one infected? Surely there had to be more? Was Izuna infected too? I wondered for a moment there if the younger Uchiha brother was also writhing in pain like me.

Salmonella bacteria wee usually transmitted in similar ways. Through contaminated food and water, carried by house flies who touched...

_Shut up! Don't think about that._

Everything that I had tried to eat until then just came retching out. The smell of my own puke made me want to puke more.

Thinking about how salmonella is transmitted wasn't a pretty image one would want to bring to mind.

I tried to get it out of my head so I could stop vomiting. Someone in this compound must be sick as well. I was assuming that we were all eating from the same food sources. Maybe not all of it has been infected but a batch should be.

These stomach aches were killing me. But this had nothing to do with the food poisoning.  _These cramps would be the death of me._

They had always been painful since I first had them.

_Stupid contractions. All because I couldn't give this uterus a stupid baby._

Yes, I was still blaming my uterus for the painful cramps that started days ago. That was how delusional I am. I couldn't dare say it out loud, it wasn't like I needed other people to know how unstable I was at the moment. It had been four days. Four days since Madara had taken me to that rundown shack. It was scary when he did so. No one did that. No normal and sane person did that-  _then again, he never claimed to be normal nor sane, did he?_ \- at least, not in my world. Not unless that person was about to rape someone or kill them. But I very much doubted that was the situation that was going to happen here. No, I was definitely sure he was going to leave me there, torture me first and then get rid of me. In all honesty, I couldn't bring myself to care right then. Not at all. I should have expected anything.

Although I haven't been feeling well that day. Even before Madara dragged me out. Even before Izuna came and graced me with his presence. And brought a lovely gift with him as well. _Almost_  as lovely as him being there.

Just thinking about him made me enraged _. What was his problem?_  I didn't do shit to him. If anything, he was the one who nearly killed me. What I jokingly said to him was nothing compared to his latest shenanigan. I was almost certain he had ordered the cat to attack me. I didn't know how but he did. And I will get back at him. I wasn't going to stand down to that moron.

"Urghh." I just vomited into my fifth bucket since yesterday. I pitied anyone who still had the nerves to stay in this room.  _Poor people._  This room would have to be bleached once I recover.

 _If I recover_.

Honestly, Sora had been more than a great help. She had not once left my side since I fell ill. Not even my own mother would have bothered to stay that long. Bless this woman's heart. Sora was amazing for having to put up with all of this.

This probably wasn't just a food poisoning. Besides the normal bleeding that had stopped yesterday, I had a fever, felt dehydrated and my all limbs were hurting. Badly. I couldn't move. Even after bathing and cleaning myself, I thought I would eventually feel refreshed and better since at least one of my problems had stopped. For the time being. It will return again next month. Like it always did. Until then, I tried not to spend every waking moment dreading when the next cycle begins.

I was just there now...splayed across the bed on my stomach. In a not so appropriate position. Groggy and dizzy. I could barely turn an inch. I felt myself drifting off and my eyes became too heavy to keep open. But I was still a bit conscious. Conscious enough to sense a person had entered the room. I couldn't make out the details but I knew it was a man.  _A very tall man_. That was the last thought I had before I drifted off to dreamland.  _Sweet, sweet dreamland._

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

"How long will it take for her to get back to normal?" He asked both the maid and medic he assigned to her since then.

He was a little surprised to find out she had food poisoning. If that was in fact the case then there would be other patients like her. Which was indeed true. There had been a few other maids reported to have the same symptoms. Maids from the other wing, where she had originally stayed.  _Perhaps, she might have contracted the infection when she was there._

Madara wanted to see how she was doing so he decided to stop by her chambers before he headed back to his. It had been a very long few days. They had accepted the Senju's treaty.

_Alliance._

Well, actually Madara did. Without consulting his councilmen. Something they weren't too fond of. But he was Madara Uchiha, who would stand up to him?

His own brother sure didn't. In fact, he seemed to be supporting him. Despite the fact that what Madara had agreed to went against all of Izuna's not-so-private...distaste for the Senju. And even with that, Izuna couldn't refuse his elder brother. With very good reasons. It was Izuna above all else and everyone who understood Madara the most. He knew why Madara finally succumbed to the peace pact with his long time rivals. And that was enough reason to follow Madara, even if it meant that Izuna would have to set aside his ego and pride. The Uchiha clan leader was well aware of Izuna's decision and he was eternally grateful. Because if Izuna hadn't been on board with this, it wouldn't have passed by as smoothly as it did.

He was one of the main reasons why Madara had even signed the treaty in the first place. Or will sign. In three days time.

It was clear that some of the elders disapproved of this spontaneous decision but it was common knowledge that if Izuna backed up his brother, which was most of the time, there was virtually nothing they could do. This was supposedly why there was a council in the first place but its purpose was quickly defeated once Madara came into power. Madara alone was difficult to control. And he was stubborn, which he knew very well. To have Izuna by his side, they couldn't be stopped. Whatever their choices were, everyone would end up agreeing even if they didn't. Madara valued his brother above all and the same could be said about Izuna.

A lot of the younger Uchiha shinobi and with the new generations coming looked up to the infamous Uchiha brothers more than some old wrinkly men with canes. Madara wasn't completely oblivious to his surroundings and so he used this to his advantage. Thanks to all of this, which was also partly how he was able to get away with something as serious as that, he managed to enforce most of his decisions. Entering into an alliance with the Senju was not something any Uchiha leader could casually agree to on any given day. And yet entering an alliance with them would also bring together two of the most powerful shinobi clans present today.

 _What would it take to maintain that alliance,_  Madara couldn't take a guess. He couldn't even tell how long it would last.

He was carefully planning on how the official signing of the treaty would take place. Hashirama and him had both settled with signing it at the site of where they would build their new common ground. Their settlement. The same place they would go to when they were young, dreaming of a place where a child wouldn't, for once, need to fight another child to survive. No war, no fighting. They vowed that they would make sure they would do everything in their power to bring it to life.

 _It was nothing but a pipe-dream_.

Which was what Madara thought for the longest time. But now, it wouldn't be a dream anymore. And the fact that he could have a hand in that only brought him... _hope_. Something he wasn't allowed to have growing up in the midst of wars. Something he wouldn't allow himself to have once becoming a shinobi, a man, a leader.

He was now in her room.

Which stank. Horribly.

_What on earth...Dear Kami._

What has she been doing? Vomiting nonstop? This stench...it was very strong. He could almost feel it in his mouth. It was horrible but he had smelled worse. This paled in comparison to the stenches of battles and wars, of decaying bodies and bleeding men, of burnt flesh and severed limbs...

The smell of vomit would not affect him.  _But still..._

He asked them when she would recover but he he didn't hear a response. More like he wasn't really paying attention to one. Madara was too preoccupied with examining her.

When he had entered she appeared to be somewhat conscious but was on the brink of dozing off. He believed she had noticed him and was almost certain that she had. And so she would have instantly went to cover herself but as soon as she saw him she was already out cold. She was too out of it to actually do anything about her state of.. _.undress._  Madara couldn't tear his eyes away as much as he wanted to. The woman was now fast asleep, still looking as pale as she had been four days ago. It looked like she pushed the covers away and was sleeping on her stomach. It didn't look like a very comfortable position to sleep in. Whatever she was wearing was hardly covering her figure.

He could see large, bare patches of creamy beige skin exposed. Which appeared to be glimmering under the sunset.

_Sweat._

That's what made her look glowing under the waning light. She had moved her leg upwards a little and the piece of clothing slipped exposing one thick thigh. Madara also noticed sizeable mounds that were her breasts which were unfortunately still partly covered by her hair and hidden behind an arm. Down further and he saw a slightly protruding tummy. It appeared to have flattered her figure rather than offend it. Whatever areas the nightgown was miraculously hiding, he could still see underneath. It was sheer see-through and that made him all the more focused on her lovely, very rounded-

Someone stepped into his field of vision, blocking what was one of the most interesting views he had in a while that didn't involve decapitating his enemies. Sora again.  _What does she want?_

"She'll be ready by then sir. Do not worry." She said with such polished finesse. She must have caught him gazing at the sleeping woman. For a very long time as it might have appeared. She slowly slid up the covers to hide her...sleeping mistress. She wasn't dressed appropriately for whatever occasion this was.

Madara silently cursed himself for allowing himself to be caught. And for even staring in the first place. This was no way a clan leader should behave in front of his clan. Much less in front of the women.

It was evident the maid had felt uncomfortable that their leader was ogling her mistress. It unnerved Madara but he was more curious at how, why and when this Sora grew very protective of Mina.

"Right." He said in a low voice, not wanting to bother anyone else in the room. He started to turn away and walk out and the two waking women bowed down as he left.

...

He needed her to be fully awake and ready before he left off to sign the alliance. He had to settle whatever business that there was with her. Madara had to figure out what he was going to do with her. But first, he woud need to know who she was, where she came from and why she was even here. He knew he would eventually have to let her go. She wasn't a pet he could just keep around because he felt like it. But he could if he wanted to.

And he desperately wanted to for some reason. But the logical part of his brain that was still functioning at half capacity told him there really was nothing for her to do here.

He didn't really count 'somewhere far away' as a legitimate answer to where she came from. But _assuming that it was one_ , it still left who she was and why she was here a mystery. There was more to her than just her name, that was for sure. There was this one tiny detail that had been silently bothering Madara for a while now. Like how she knew Tobirama would slice through his brother all those weeks ago. She specifically warned him right before they left off. And thanks to Izuna and his big mouth, he told Madara about it. And Madara was thankful for that little piece of information was told to him because if it wasn't-

She knew more than she was letting on. Like she was a spectator at a play. Madara couldn't sop thinking about that tiny detail.  _What if she knows anything else? And wasn't saying?_

Which then brings him to his next question: Why was she running around naked in a forest? What did she want?

All he heard from his brother and a few maids was that she was delusional, mad- completely fucked, in Izuna's words, and didn't believe this world existed.  _Could she have lost her memory?_

No. It didn't really fit with other problems that have appeared since. Madara needed answers to all these questions and just as his luck would have it, it was the day of the meeting and she happened to have food poisoning.

It was urgent that he would get down to business and figure out what on earth was wrong with her. This was long overdue. But he couldn't help it. He had other responsibilities to take care of first which had his full attention.

It was night already.

The last few days went by like a flash and yet seemed endless, if that was possible. Madara couldn't really explain it. He couldn't remember what he had done of significance those lost days. Aside from the pact he made, there really was nothing he did.  _Sleep._  Yes. He slept. Still trying to make up for countless nights he spent awake fighting, arguing, signing paperwork...

"What'cha thinking about?"

Madara heard his younger brother's annoying voice from the doorway of his study. He chose to go to his study instead of his bedroom to get a head start on papers that were already piling up.

"Nothing that concerns you." He said bitterly. He knew he could be harsh with Izuna sometimes, but under the tough treatment, Madara had the only soft spot reserved for his brother.  _Flesh and blood always stick together, no?_

"Hmm. Don't lie. Everything concerns me." He said, boasting about how allegedly important he was that he was always involved in anything and everything happening inside these compound walls.

Madara sighed heavily, he was still tired even after the plenty of rest he got in the last couple of days.

"What do you want, Izuna?" He asked.

"Me? Oh nothing." His stupid grin was already plastered on his face. A clear sign that he was lying.  _Well, from the looks of it he wasn't even trying to._

"How about  _you don't lie_  and just spit it out." Madara's patience was already at its limit. He never had much of it anyway.

"Okay. I'll spit it out. I think it's about time I take a woman. You know? I mean it's really known around here that you'd probably never  _get hitched._ So, at least one of us could be normal huh? What do you think?" Izuna was just blabbering nonsense now. And it was like any little patience Madara had dissipated into thin air. He began messaging his temples not wanting to participate in whatever little childish schemes his brother had up his sleeves.

"Get. Out. Izuna." That was all he could say before he could really snap at his brother.

"But this is important elder brother. If you could not have heirs to take after you then I'd think no worthier descendants than mine would be up for the position."

Madara was now certain that his brother was up to something. _Something fishy_. Firstly, he never talked about getting married and having children up until now. As far as Madara knew, it never even crossed his little brother's mind. Secondly, he was way too young to get bonded to someone for something as serious as marital binds. Something he wouldn't easily get out of as he did with his other shenanigans. Uchiha law, rather tradition, would have his head if he'd do something incredibly stupid as to murder his wife just so he could get an 'easy exit' out of the marriage. The woman's family would run after him with blazing pitchforks demanding his death. If the woman wasn't from a prominent Uchiha family. If she was, Madara still couldn't guarantee Izuna's safety either way.

And cheating was nothing short of being looked down upon and he was the Uchiha leader's brother. He would have to learn to behave himself, which was something Madara had doubted that Izuna could ever do. Which brought him to his third point; Izuna couldn't take care of himself, how could he possibly take care of a family? Children even. He was a child himself and having other children around him would only make it worse.

But in all seriousness, Izuna had never given a thought of taking the leader position and Madara was sure of this. He had explicitly told him he didn't want it and that it didn't suit him. Izuna knew himself better than anyone and if it wasn't in his interest, so be it. He wouldn't force it on his sons either. So that sad excuse about heirs and whatnot was utter bull crap. It wasn't that Madara  _couldn't_  have children, he just chose not to have them now. He didn't want to settle down so early. He was still young himself. It didn't matter what the others said- mostly the elders- twenty seven was still plenty young.

He still had so much to do, to accomplish for his clan before he could even think about raising annoying brats.

_But what if-_

_NO._

Just because of the few women that he did sleep with already did not come back to him with a pregnant belly or a child claiming to be his, did not mean he was incapable of having children. It only meant that he was just  _exceptionally_ good at pulling out before he could even finish. Except for the handful of times he didn't. That didn't mean something was wrong with his spike.

 _Right_?

If he really couldn't have children then he failed miserably at the one thing he was meant to do as a man. His manhood would be completely-

No. He refused to think further about this. This was only a trick by Izuna to make him question his own manhood. _That little sneaky bastard-_

"GET OUT NOW." He shouted but that didn't shake Izuna. Not even in the slightest.

He couldn't get it. What was his brother trying to get out of him? Madara didn't bother with mentioning all of the above reasons to him. He didn't need to because the younger brother already knew them and this only reinforced Madara's belief that Izuna was very much concocting something.

"So anyways, I was just thinking that it was time for at least one of us to start a family. The elders are getting fidgety and I honestly can't say that I blame them. I heard Hashirama was already getting engaged to some Uzumaki woman while you're here still moping over your sorry ass. That guy will have a brood of little Senju spawns following his every step in no time. Those people breed like rabbits in case you haven't noticed." Izuna was getting unbearable just like how this room was getting unnaturally smaller. It was suffocating. Madara couldn't contain his anger anymore but Izuna continued anyways.

"And now thanks to this new alliance that would require us to build a settlement with them, imagine the rumors that would spread like wildfire among the Senju. They'd think you're the type that gives his ass to-"

A hard punch was coming Izuna's way but he dodged it narrowly. The Uchiha leader and his younger brother were this close from getting into their usual sparring that would result in at least half of this wing crumbling to the ground or break into pieces. Madara had a difficulty understanding how his brother could keep his cool façade through all of this. He knew he had temper as his friend but Izuna was outright cold and emotionless. Nothing ever got to him.  _NOTHING._

"Thus, in conclusion, I've taken it upon myself to find a woman who could bear our genes onward and so it doesn't seem completely unnatural and suspicious to the outsiders why the Uchiha leader refuses to have heirs." Izuna was raising a finger as he spoke those last words like Madara was an idiot who didn't understand the implications of what he had been saying up until now.

Madara was beyond furious. He grabbed Izuna by his high collared shirt and roughly threw him out of his study and shut the door loudly. He returned to his desk and tried as best as he could to forget the discussion he just had. He was rubbing his temples with enough force to cause a glass to crack, thinking that if he would rub hard enough he would be able to erase the memories of the last ten minutes. He was fairly disappointed when he still heard Izuna outside his study. He screamed,

"But I haven't even told you who I had in mind, nii-san! I think you'd like her. She's beautiful too."

_Boy._

_If someone doesn't get him out of here-_

Izuna was playing with fire. Yet again. It was clear in his honeyed voice. It was mocking and deceitful. He never called Madara nii-san unless he was ready to do something moronic. Madara didn't care if this is what he did with other people but he couldn't accept such behavior from Izuna. He was about to do something stupid and possibly with very serious consequences.

 _Great. As if I don't have enough on my plate already_.

This time he needed to tread carefully with his younger brother because for the first time in his life, he hadn't the faintest clue as to what Izuna was planning and was quite afraid for his own safety.

* * *

 


	16. Oh Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!
> 
> OK, So I don't know what possessed me to write this but I just wanted to try my hand in the lemon department lol. Translation, this is actually my first attempt at it, so don't kill me hahah. I know I'm horrible and if this isn't your cup of tea, I'd suggest skipping the first part which is basically Madara's POV xD
> 
> Also, I don't understand why I've been writing a lot in Madara's POV recently.

  ** _*EDITED*_**

* * *

 

_**Madara's POV** _

He could hear soft and gentle moans underneath him. They were barely audible and nearly muted by his own groans. Which were loud if compared to her own. Loud enough to muffle her sounds. Her voice was like music to his ears right then and at those moments, it had lost all its sharpness and raspiness he was accustomed to hearing the few times he had talked to her. The sounds coming out of her were almost melodic and it only added to his pleasure. Yet, he couldn't deny that it still kept that...smoky appeal that was still present whenever she talked. It always hinted at something mysterious but it was more sensual now than it was inexplicably obscure. It had been such a long time since he had the pleasure of hearing a voice like that. It was feminine and tranquil just like the voices from the other women before. However, this one was different. It only outlined the huge differences between them. She was the polar opposite of him.

Madara couldn't fathom how they could have gotten into such a position but he couldn't care less. All he wanted was to-

" _Mmm-"_ She was getting louder and he didn't mind. He felt her legs wrap around his waist as she snaked her arms around his neck. She pushed the heels of her feet right into his lower back burying him deeper inside her. He held tightly to her plump thighs as he thrust harder into her, his movements were more erratic and unsteady than they had been mere moments ago. He tried to pull out, not wanting to do something he could regret soon enough. Madara couldn't bring himself to look at her for some reason. He had already memorized every single inch of her body but he just didn't have the guts to look her right in the eyes while on top of her. He turned his head away, trying to avoid staring down into wide brown orbs that still held some innocence in them that made him feel like he was doing something wrong. As if he was taking something from her she didn't want to give him. And yet at the same time, it held that expression of longing. Encouraging him to keep going. Madara didn't think such two conflicting desires could unveil themselves simultaneously. Her beautifully long wavy hair was like a sea of infinite-

He felt long nails dig into his muscled back. She knew he was refraining from going any further. Not like there was any further they could go. He had started and it was his job to finish. She forced him to look at her.

Madara saw that her lips had tucked into a small smile. They were a pinkish hue, soft and smooth. Like other intimate parts of her body. It was like she was urging him not to stop. He was tired and sweaty and his muscles ached. He didn't have it in him to refuse her and he wasn't sure he would have even wanted to either way. He had been gazing intently on the pair of welcoming flesh that were smiling up at him.

_If I could just-_

Not a second later, he crashed down his lips to meet hers in a passionate kiss. They were just as soft as they had appeared to be. He may have been exhausted but his stamina could have let him go on for days. Madara was never short on strength. While he was too busy distracting her with his tongue, he had managed to loosen her grips on him. He unclasped her legs from him and took them roughly in his hands only to push them upwards to either sides of her. As if she was folded in half. He lifted both her feet over his shoulders. Madara had lost, or rather let go of, any inhibitions he still had up to this point. She gaped at him, surprised at the sudden change in movements but it soon changed to a look of pure pleasure.

Madara was no longer concentrating on how she looked but focused rather on keeping a steady tempo so he wouldn't just end this too quickly. Sliding in and out, each thrust more powerful than the last. He only wanted it to last as long as it possibly can. His sweat beads were falling right onto the woman underneath him, mixing in with her own perspiration. His long black mane touched parts of her body. She was biting her lips trying to silence her growing screams, her eyes; firmly shut.

Madara saw her lift her upper body as she was bucking her hips into his, matching his own pace. She leaned her head into the nook of his thick neck. He felt loud slaps to his back and heard a quiet whimper.

 _"Fas..ter."_  Her voice was breathy, couldn't formulate one word. He almost didn't hear her above the loud smacking of their bodies and the rhythmical pounding of-

" _Fast-er!"_ She was much more clearer this time and the Uchiha, with a body sculpted to a degree more befitting of a Greek god, was more than glad to oblige to her demands. The sounds of their hammering was echoing in the room and the wetness between them where they were oh-so intimately locked was growing damper.

He knew he wouldn't last much longer in spite of his wishes. She had already reached her end long before him but didn't object in having herself attain her limits a few more times. He didn't oppose it either, he would have been the last one to anyways. But he finally reached his own climax and was about to-

...

Madara's eyes shot open suddenly. Vivid images of his... _dream_ was still reverberating in his mind. Endlessly and loudly. As if it was on repeat. It was as clear as day. The sounds of wet and naked velvety flesh smacking against wet and naked velvety flesh were ringing in his mind. It was almost deafening.

He was still trying to comprehend what had just happened. He was laying down on his bed, his back to the mattress and staring up into the ceiling. He felt a bit hot like his temperature had went up a few degrees.

He'd have to be awake in a few hours so they can head out for the official signing of the treaty. He still hadn't gotten anywhere with her.  _Aside from the dream._

It had taken him by surprise. He rubbed his eyes vigorously trying to wipe away the images from his mind but it was too late. They were imprinted there and would stay for a  _very_  long time to come. A part of him was a bit delighted at such a thing and this shocked him more than the dream itself.

_What am I going to do now?_

He never had a dream like that since he was a pubescent boy. He was now an adult and could do pretty much anything he wanted.

And anyone he wanted.

_Just fucking great._

While he had to admit to himself that he may have had a  _happier ending_  in the fantasy, he couldn't deny he also had one in this reality. He needed to get up and clean himself.  _And the bed, too. What a mess._ Preferably before the maids arrived. He knew he had enough time as it was still a few hours 'til dawn, when they were scheduled to leave, he also knew he wouldn't be getting any more sleep tonight.

_A good night ruined._

If he was truthful with himself, it wasn't ruined. At all.

* * *

_**Tobirama's POV** _

"So it's truly happening?" They were an hour away from the site of the agreement. Tobirama was still skeptical about this so called 'alliance'. It was just in his nature. He could never accept anything definitive until it was occurring right then and there. Only in the last possible moment could he allow himself to believe that whatever alliance this was, was going to happen. And he reasoned with himself that he couldn't account for any kind of distractions or circumstances that could arise which would tip the balance of their plan. Anything was possible and Tobirama knew better than to have hope for something that could potentially not happen. It was a naive thing to do.

And apparently his elder brother never got the memo. Hashirama was overly joyous. Tobirama hadn't expected anything less and he gave up long ago on his anija learning to act his age.  _It was simply something that wouldn't happen in my life time,_  he came to conclude.

And if that day did come and Tobirama was alive to witness it then it could only mean one thing. That the world was ending. The day Hashirama started to act maturely was the day the world would flip over. Something would have to be catastrophically wrong if it brought his airhead big brother to his senses.

But today wasn't such a day. It was in fact the opposite. Hashirama was beaming. He was finally getting everything he wanted together. First with the alliance and now with this out of the blue 'engagement' to one Uzumaki Mito. Tobirama was shocked when his brother announced it as soon as they had returned that day from the meeting. He never knew his brother was already looking for someone. He merely mentioned the idea to him the night before in a drunken stupor. Unlike most people, Hashirama didn't forget what he said or did when he was under the influence. If he really did set his mind on getting married then he would get married. But not in a span of a day. So, Tobirama assumed straight away that this engagement had been in the works for a while.

What bothered him though was that Hashirama didn't think to tell him privately and before anyone else instead of announcing it to the group publicly on their way back. Tobirama was also sure that at least one of the elders knew about this before hand. Before Tobirama himself.

It kind of hurt him to know that his brother didn't feel comfortable enough confessing his relationship with Mito long before an engagement was arranged. Just because he had no real interest nor intention to settle down himself, he would not have berated Hashirama about his own decision in this matter. Besides, Hashirama had never kept anything from Tobirama, no matter how ridiculous it was. This confused the younger brother.

_Was that what the stupid drinking was about? Was he trying to tell me he was engaged already?_

His anija did have his own ways in doing things but this time was just bizarre.

Tobirama had met Mito a handful of times. She was the next heir to take on the leader position of the Uzumaki clan. A clan the Senju had very close ties to, seeing that they were distant cousins. Mito was the only child of the current head of the clan. He had no sons nor daughters other than her. But she was not chosen because she was his sole progeny. In fact there were several other _very capable_  Uzumaki shinobi, both men and women, who could handle the position.

However, there was no one more capable than Mito herself.  _Yet, she agreed to marry my brother. Why?_

Doing so would mean she would have to relinquish her claim to the position and would ultimately join both the Senju and Uzumaki under one leader. Hashirama.

Not her.

_Why?_

Surely, the Uzumaki clan had no obvious intent to relocate. But then who would rule over the clan? Tobirama could only think of a proxy. And in that case, Mito would still be the rightful ruler. She would have to visit her homeland every now and then to settle in any changes or pass any laws.

But this didn't concern Tobirama at all. It was none of his business and he preferred it that way. He put in most of his energy in the last few days into joining a group of both Senju and Uchiha shinobi at the site of the new settlement. They had laid out the preliminaries and the terrain of the new village. They also made out the borders and cleared them. It was a joint effort, a decision by both Hashirama and Madara who thought this would be a good method to try and get both clans to work together.

Okay, it was mostly Hashirama's idea but Madara didn't object to it. In all honesty, he couldn't find fault in the Uchiha shinobi  _just this time_. It was agreed upon that these shinobi, Senju and Uchiha alike, would not fight but help each other into setting the parameters of this so-called village. No one dared to say anything nor go against their respective leaders words. They hated each other but either respected or feared their leaders much more, to the point they were willingly compliant with this task. They even managed to built in a few simple houses for the time being. They would serve as temporary headquarters or whatnot. The Senju and the uchiha would meet there to plan the construction of the town. The blueprints were already ready and designed by the Senju himself. The Uchiha were welcome to make any changes they saw fit. But they needed more shinobi and civilians to chip in with the establishment.

Of course Hashirama could solve this dilemma with a simple wood style technique but he was insisting that 'building the village with their own hands, with their own sweat and blood would bring them closer together'.

Tobirama wanted to smack his brother right that instant when he uttered those words. And Hashirama wasn't even drinking. Sometimes, he couldn't believe the idiocy that would overtake Hashirama. He was way too gullible for his own benefit.

This was why Tobirama had always been the sensible and logical one, he utilized his brain far more than Hashirama used his emotions to dictate everything. He waited patiently for both groups to arrive. They should be here soon and he couldn't wait to get this over with. They were ready. Everything was ready. Paperwork mostly.

But let's face it, paperwork idsn't really hold any value.

 _I_ _t wouldn't really hold the Uchiha from going back on their word._ _If they do._

Never once did Tobirama think that it would be the Senju who would break the treaty. It wasn't in their nature to deceive others.

 _Idiot, this type of thinking is what would drive a wedge between this supposed alliance._ He scolded himself at his own pre-assumptions which weren't completely unfounded. But he had to try his best, give it his all if he truly wanted the peace he had always dreamed of as a child. If he couldn't do it for himself then he would do it for his clan, for Hashirama.

"Tobirama-sama, Hashirama-sama has arrived." One of his shinobi had announced to him.

Hashirama would be arriving with all the Senju council memebers including the elders as well as the advisers. A fraction of their shinobi warriors would also be accompanying, they were there for show. A sign of the two clans coming together.

Surely enough, the Uchiha would be arriving soon with their own group.  _And Izuna._

Boy, did he hate Izuna. He was the only Uchiha he vowed to never get along with. Him or Madara actually. He would tolerate them but most definitely not try to 'befriend' them as Hashirama suggested.

_Those two bastards don't know what the meaning of friend is. Wasn't that how they got their Mangekyou anyways? Supposedly?_

_Remember. Deep breaths. Breathe in, breathe out. And repeat._

Growing up with a brother like Hashirama, one got used to his stupidity. Even if it was something infuriating, Tobirama would take a few deep breaths before he proceeded in whipping his brother. It always worked back then and it still worked now. It calmed him a bit.

He wasn't wearing his customary armor nor his fur collar. He also left his happuri back home. He wasn't 'going to war' per-se, so there wasn't a need to dress like he was. But he did keep his katana by his side.  _Just in case. One never knows._  Maybe he would need it. Instead of his blue uniform, he wore a traditional black hakama and a white haori left open over his kosode. The clan's insignia was woven in on the sides. He didn't want to 'dress up', he was perfectly fine wearing his armor thought it would have been less than appropriate for an event such as this.

Tobirama was now on his way to greet his brother.

* * *

_**Izuna's POV** _

He was waiting for Madara to show his ass. Which should have been here at least a half hour ago.

_What could be taking him so damn long?_

Izuna only wanted this day to get over with. He could already feel a bad migraine making its way through his head. The sun was rising and they needed to leave now. They were travelling with a fairly large amount of people and if they wanted to come back in the same day, they would need to get going as soon as possible, in order not to leave the compound so unguarded.

Izuna hadn't rested his eyes yesterday, not even for one blink of a second. He couldn't. So, in lieu of resting, he had decided it was a good idea to train in the middle of the night. By the time he finished, it was too late to try and get some sleep. He showered and got clean, saving himself the extra time consuming tasks in the morning. He also happened to hear Madara awake in his room doing only Kami knowing what. It appeared to Izuna that Madara was also awake like him, not sure if he got any sleep as well. He overheard loud shuffling and scraping of furniture on the wooden floor.  _Was he suddenly in the mood for redecorating his room?_

Sometimes Madara would decide to do random things Izuna couldn't quite understand. And he liked to think he knew his elder brother well enough. He then made out sounds of... _ripping sheets?_

Everyone would say that Izuna was the odd one but he would really have to think that over. If anything, Madara was stranger than his younger brother. No one really knowing his true intentions behind some of his actions, similarly to Izuna. However, unlike Izuna, Madara knew how to hide what he wanted effectively until it came the time that he wouldn't. He on the other hand, while most people were unaware of his aims, they always knew he was up to no good. Which was more than what they could say about Madara.

 _Whatever._ He didn't want to think over this too much, he had a long day tomorrow. Instead, he went to the inner garden and sat on the stone benches, meditating and trying to catch onto whatever rest he could manage. And he stayed there silently until the horizon turned a light orange-ish hue.

...

And then he went to visit her. Because he had nothing better to do. _Yes, because I have nothing better to do. I don't have a life._

Izuna couldn't care less whether he had a social life or not, he was the quiet type despite appearing the complete opposite. He would make himself look like a clown and wouldn't care. Deep down, it really wasn't who he was.  _Who am I though?_

He passed by Madara's room to get to hers. Madara was definitely awake. Doing something Izuna wasn't sure he wanted to know. Sometimes, it was just best  _to leave Madara do what Madara does_. No questions asked, because nine out of the ten times, you wouldn't want to hear the answers. _If you were even given one._

He reached her bedroom and opened the door as quietly as he could, not wanting to disturb her if she was asleep. They said she had gotten better in the past three days. Izuna wanted to see if that was true. His eyes instantly darted to the bed, expecting a sleeping figure under the covers. But the sleeping figure wasn't there. She was sitting on a leather chair placed near the windows. She was napping on the window. Her head between her arms which were folded and rested on the sill. What really caught his attention was the little furry fellow settled beside her arms, sleeping in a similar position. Izuna couldn't tell if the cat was imitating the girl or she was imitating the feline he gave her as a gift almost a week ago. They both looked like they were in a deep slumber. He was laughing silently. The window was opened, letting in the first sun rays of the day and the chilly breeze blowing a few strands of brown hair as well as short black fur.

He also noticed the heavy dark circles underneath her eyes which were probably a result of lack of good sleep. Odd, since she was seemingly asleep now. Unless, she wasn't able to take a proper nap throughout last week. Her eye bags were almost similar to Madara's, whose own had taken years to perfect. _And yet, it only took her a mere seven days to look just as terrifying._

_Well, then..._

He found himself waiting at the gates with his fellow clansmen, waiting for Madara. Izuna just had to wonder what possessed his brother to be so late.

"For the love of.." Izuna sighed loudly, exasperated just as much as the other Uchiha shinobi. Most of the elders were already present and a few civilians that worked construction were coming along. Everyone was getting curious and agitated at their leader's tardiness.

 _How fucking hard could it be to dispose of a damn body!_ Because that was what Izuna had assumed. All that noise and staggering in the middle of the night wasn't normal and so with just that to go on, he came to the conclusion that Madara must have had one of 'those nights' where he might have exaggerated a bit and killed whatever poor woman that was with him. It wasn't like those nights happened often and besides, no woman had entered and never came back out again. No, no one was killed as of yet. But Izuna couldn't put it past his elder brother.  _Perhaps that was what the ripping of sheets for. To wrap the body in. But why would Madara take this long? He had all th-_

"Izuna." Madara's distinctive voice put a stop to his train of thought.

_Speaking of the devil._

"Finally. What on earth were you doing all this time? We should have been out already an hour ago." Izuna replied. He took note of how  _traditional_ his leader brother looked. Madara didn't look half bad if he just put in the effort.  _Maybe then he wouldn't scare off potential brides._

He honestly couldn't comprehend what went on his big brother's mind. He often pictured it as a black hole where nothing existed. He never thought about the future or how the clan would go on, even after his death.

Because they were all going to die eventually. _Some sooner than others._

They just didn't know in which group they wouldd end up. In spite of what most people thought about Izuna, the younger Uchiha was a more keen observer and had a sharper perception than what he was known for. He knew very well that Madara would have to eventually get this over with, if not for him then for the clan. According to the elders, and Izuna couldn't deny that. He understood very well what they feared if Madara wasn't able to produce heirs that would succeed him. If he were to unexpectedly die in one of these never-ending battles and had no heirs to take after him, then a fight for the position of leader could start and whatever bickering happened within the clan could significantly weaken its power as they divided into factions. And that would ensue for many years to come until the Uchiha were near to existing no-more. They've seen this happen to many other reputable clans before who were now on the brink of extinction after being hailed as one of the greatest clans alive. The Hagoromo was such a clan. He knew Madara was stalling and didn't care for it. Izuna shouldn't care about this as much as he was at the moment, since it wasn't directly him involved but...  _There was nothing wrong with giving Madara a little push, no?_

He needed heirs or someone of his flesh and blood that would take after his place but that thought never passed through Madara's mind, apparently. It was out of the question Izuna would take that spot. He could see how his brother suffered and well, he didn't want to spend the rest of his days in meetings with old crones and grandpas or even sign off on papers until he couldn't use his hands anymore. No, Izuna preferred his freedom within the palms of his hands.

It was clear Madara was still angry at him from that  _heart-to-heart_ they had a few days ago. He was avoiding his elder brother up until now just as much as Madara was avoiding him. So they couldn't break each other's necks. It was a comforting thought, knowing that Madara was capable of wringing his neck when pushed far enough.

"Let's go." Madara said curtly as they started heading out.

* * *

_At last._

The Senju were already there by the time they had arrived themselves.

Things were moving along faster than Izuna thought and the day went by quicker for some reason.  _Maybe because the days were getting shorter._

Yes, they were definitely at the beginning of autumn. The leaves were already falling and the normal heat of the summer was slowly disappearing and replaced by cool breezes. Izuna had to admit, Madara and Hashirama chose a very well positioned area to build this village. Though he struggled to see how they would be able to clear all those dense areas of trees. It was an immense forest and seeing where they set the barriers, they would have to cut down a great portion of the woodland. The signing of the papers had already been done. It took two full hours which didn't seem to be much. Most of the morning was spent travelling to the location.

It was now mid-afternoon and finally,  _finally_ they've settled everything. Izuna still couldn't believe this was happening. _It couldn't be._ He was still holding out hope that someone in the crowds, of both Senju and Uchiha, that now encircled them would just drop dead. Have a heart attack or a stroke. He didn't care, someone just needed to drop dead. Now. If he was honestly speaking, he wished for a particular pale man to die right then and there. But he knew that was simply too good to be true. Tobirama was in excellent shape. Even better than Izuna himself, since he was being honest. He had a bigger built than him and was two years older than the Uchiha. But if someone  _was_ to abruptly die here, it should be Hashirama.  _That would surely put a stop to this treaty._

They were standing oppositely on each of their respectful ends. Izuna and Tobirama were glaring at each other all the while Madara and Hashirama were  _'extending olive branches'._  Both their clans crests woven into cloth banners, hung behind the leaders. The Uchiha emblem on a purple banner, the Senju's on a white one. They've finally shaken hands, a sign of officiating the peace treaty. Loud claps from both sides broke out between the crowds. It was evident that there were a great number of them relieved that this was happening while some were still skeptical about all of this. No one could really blame them. It was obvious that word of this alliance would get out and travel through all of the Land of Fire. Other clans would hear of this. How they would react were still unknown. Would they wage an all out war against them or perhaps try to ally with them?  _Only time would tell._

Everyone hurried to congratulate both leaders on 'this amazing accomplishment'.

Izuna wished this would finish already. He couldn't stand being within a ten mile radius of Tobirama without trying to slice him open. He hadn't unsheathed his katana  _yet._ And neither did Tobirama. Which took great efforts on both their parts.

An hour passed, then two and then three and so on.

The crowds had dispersed by then but a few were still lingering around. The evening was near as the sun set and light was fading away. Hashirama was animated and talking with everyone he saw. Right now, he was talking Madara's ears off. But Izuna knew that Madara wasn't really listening just by the look on his face. He has shut out the world and everything; he couldn't,  _wouldn't listen to anybody._ A look Izuna was well accustomed to.  _What could be so boring that it had Madara shut down?_

He walked straight to their direction, eyes never leaving Tobirama's, who was standing idly at the side. Watching the two as Izuna was. Whatever they were doing, they would always be competing against each other. Even if it was a stare down. Of course under the excuse of making sure the other leader wouldn't harm their brothers. Which pretty much went against the whole purpose of this treaty. Surely, the Uchiha and Senju weren't going to battle at a place like this. They weren't that dumb. But if it gave both Izuna and Tobirama the excuse they needed to keenly and somewhat unnaturally, as much as it was creepy, keep staring at their brothers, then they had no problem with it.

"...So, you see, Mito had said yes." Hashirama was saying. Izuna was now within hearing range of the pair.  _So that was what Hashirama was chattering about.._

He had no problem interrupting this little one-sided conversation.

"Hashirama-dono." He bowed slightly out of respect. It didn't matter if he was a Senju or not, Hashirama was still above Izuna's level and he should learn to show his respect. _Unfortunately._ And they were allies now, weren't they? So he had to either way. Just as any other Senju shinobi now had to bow down to Madara as well.  _For the sake of the treaty, suck it up._

 _"_ Izuna! _"_ Hashirama said, a bit too enthusiastically. "It is good to see you again up and about. I had heard what happened last time we met and I wanted to sincerely apologize for any wrongdoings we may have inflicted on you. But that was in the past. I'm glad we could meet under much better circumstances."

_Was this guy delusional? Just because we signed a treaty with them does not make us friends and yet he was talking to me like we had always been ones. As if his brother hadn't just tried to kill me. Did he consider that fight a spat?_

As much as Hashirama wanted to believe all was as good as gold on both sides, in reality, there was still much animosity on each side towards the other. It couldn't be helped, they've been that way all their lives, and their parents' as well, grandparents and so on so forth. Spanning over countless generations.

"Yes." Izuna replied curtly. He wasn't going to fake it. He desperately wanted to go home. That was all he wanted. His sudden interruption pulled Madara out of his daze. For a second there, he thought he saw a hint of relief glimmering in his elder brother's eyes. He must have thought Izuna came here to save him from Hashirama's nonstop blabbering.

_Silly brother, doesn't he never learn?_

He also noted that Tobirama was in a much closer hearing range than before. No, he basically invited himself into the discussion as well. Just like Izuna.  _Huh._

"Well, I just wanted to bid my farewell before I go on. It's getting late and I need to head back to the compound." He was informing his brother mostly.

"Really? I thought it was planned that you and Madara would be staying here for the next few days. I believe they've even built a few accommodations here already before our arrival." Hashirama wasn't willing to let this go.  _Fine, I'll just have to improvise._

"I know. However, there are matters that I have to tend to back home." He wasn't willing to say anything more until he had fully gauged their reactions.

 _"What matters?"_  He succeeded in attaining Madara's attention because it looked like he'd caught on to Izuna.

"You know, dear brother..."  _Play it safe._

 _"_ No, I don't. Come out with it." Madara said, he was indeed getting more suspicious. So was Hashirama and Tobirama. It was evident by the frown already forming on his face.

"This is embarrassing, but since you asked nii-san-" Izuna began, his devious nature was taking over once more. "I must go see my bride-to-be. I told her I'd be back by tonight. You know how worried she gets if she doesn't hear from us." The younger Uchiha was grinning. Madara's mood suddenly went foul. _Dark._

Hashirama was clearly surprised by Izuna's not so subtle confession. A wide smile had already appeared along with a quirked brow. Tobirama's features remained steady, fixed as the constant frown he wore. Hashirama spoke instead of Madara.

"Is that so Izuna? You've already taken a wife?" He was genuinely surprised.

"Uh-hmm." He wasn't really focusing on the Senju leader, but rather his brother, whose expression was turning more angry as his eyes betrayed his disbelief.

"What wife-to-be?" He managed to say through clenched teeth.  _Yep, he was angry alright._

"You know who she is brother. Sometimes you really surprise me by how forgetful you are." Izuna was outrightly mocking Madara. He didn't care and went on,

"She's been sick lately. Food poisoning I believe. So I just thought it would be best if I returned tonight. You, on the other hand-" He turned to face the Senju brothers in front of him, "Can stay here if you want. I think it would be a great idea if you and Hashirama-sama could stay and talk some more about the village planning. Isn't that right Hashirama-sama?" Izuna was being overly polite and flashed his toothiest smile. Of course Hashirama hadn't a clue to what Izuna was doing. He was purposely stranding his  _dear_  brother here while he went happily back to where he came from. Tobirama though, didn't look like he bought any of it.

"Yes of course. I couldn't agree more!" Hashirama was beaming at the prospect of spending the night with Madara to talk about the dream they had finally been able to achieve. And of course reminiscing about old memories.

Madara was too stupefied by what Izuna just did to be able to respond.

"What, brother? Don't you trust me enough to hold down the compound?" He challenged Madara knowing full well he couldn't entirely shout out he didn't trust Izuna with something as important as that. Much less in front of these people.

"Relax, I won't burn it down." He assured him with the most unnerving tone he could use.

"With that being said, I should probably get going. Good-bye Hashirama-sama." He bowed down the same way he did when greeting him, still smiling. "Bye Madara!"

He waved his brother off and then sprinted right out of there.

 _Oooh boy, aren't I dead?_ Izuna was way too amused thinking about how his brother would get his revenge on him later on.

 _"IZUNAAA!"_ Madara shouted after him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, what a long chapter.


	17. Kagami

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In all seriousness, I really do appreciate any kind of feedback, it does help me see things from others perspective and that's incredibly helpful. And that's why from now on I decided that I'd make the story a bit more coherent hahaha. A bit late I know XD Something I probably should have done from the start, but oh well...

**_Mina's POV_ **

I felt so much better now. Extremely better. Everything was very peaceful these last few days and I was certain it had to do with both Madara and Izuna being absent.

I was very happy. _Really._

But I was also insanely bored. Nothing ever happened around here when they weren't present. It sucked because I was stuck here with no way of getting back home nor knowing how to. As much as I hated their guts, they were practically the only source of entertainment around here. Despite all the hair grabbing, flame throwing, 'ingenious' pranking and the occasional verbal assaults, I didn't really let all of that get to me and as much as I wanted to but I just couldn't. I tried my best honestly. Yes I'd get mad for a while and hold onto a grudge for as long as possible, but I never let myself sulk over it for too long. It didn't do me any good. Besides, I've been through so much worse when I was young, I grew up learning to let things slide. Well I actually haven't been set on fire before but if I was going to be honest, it wasn't as painful as some of the memories I had.

Which wasn't right as I've come to realize as of recently. I should learn how not to let things slide. But it was way too tedious and tiring to keep up a front, so instead, I like to forget things. Bury them. Put them behind me. Leave them in the past. However you want to put it, I wasn't really the fighting type. I rather prefer a peace of mind than having to worry about whatever fight I picked with someone.

Being at ease was a hundred times more relaxing than always budding heads with other people. Which was why I never really understood how people here were always at each other's throats. Always at war and always fighting. _Didn't they ever get tired?_

From what I've heard, mostly from Sora, was that Madara left to sign a peace treaty with the Senju. She didn't seem too fazed by it. She wasn't angry nor content. It seemed like she didn't really care what happened with the clan politics.

So apparently they were going ahead with it. The only difference was that Izuna was still alive. Which he shouldn't be. Why was he still alive? I was angry at my own actions back that night. Sometimes I'd think I should have let him die. I couldn't be blamed for it if I had just shut my mouth and pretended not to understand anything. And then it would be the medics fault had he died. They would have been the ones to suffer Madara's wrath.

_But then who would I have to spit down their throat? Cut their clothes? Trash their room? Spread chili powder between their bed sheets and pillows?_

This was what happens when I get too bored. Izuna should also learn to lock his room. If he so desperately didn't want people sneaking in like he claimed before.

Stupid pranks were the only things I did that seemed to pass the time here. While Izuna may be out right now, I may have decided to slip in his room. Redecorate it for him. It wasn't that hard to find when I asked around. The maids here were reluctant to answer but did so anyways. I asked Sora to get me some chili and voilà. Not entirely proud of what I did, not because I was ashamed of stooping down to his level; not at all, but because I was weak. These were childish pranks. For the love of everything that exists in this world, I could not come up with a better joke to play on him. He wasn't here and there really was nothing I could do. Not at the moment anyways. If Izuna wanted to be a prankster, I only needed to outprank him at his own games. While that did seem unlikely, only time would tell. I also may or may not have the keys to his room.

I have tried to visit the library the past few days when I started feeling remotely better, but it was closed. The doors were locked. It was strange so I kept coming back everyday. And today was no different. It was still unavailable. I was now walking back to the main house, contemplating on what I've done with my life up to this point. Which wasn't much. I knew the roads by heart now so I didn't get lost those couple of times Sora decided to skip our little trips there.

_Where could the old man be?_

Seeing that he was the only one there all the time, he must be the one in charge of it. Maybe he wanted a few days off to himself. I thought of going to the river bank I'd visit every now and then. I turned a right on an intersection where I was supposed to take a left to go back to the house.

_Since I was already out, I might as well go there._

I passed by that empty neighborhood once again. It wasn't really a neighborhood, more like a street. Its large and run down houses made it seem larger than it actually was.

Maybe this was where they used to live. This could have been the first foundation of the compound long ago, before they expanded it to the east. It was clear no one lived here. The houses looked like they could crumble down any minute, the windows glasses were broken, dust and dirt covered nearly every surface.

Except one.

One house, while it still appeared as ancient as the rest, didn't show any signs of continued dilapidation as the other buildings. It could only mean that someone must be living there or visits it often enough to make sure it doesn't break down completely. There was even a few pots with green plants placed at the porch. The only decoration to the otherwise plain house. No paint; nothing. Just wood. It fitted in perfectly with Its surroundings; the forest on one side and its companions on the other.

It wouldn't hurt to go take a closer look, now would it?

I walked towards the house slowly. When I got in a closer range, I could see a figure sitting on the porch, swaying along the directions of the rocking chair. It was a man. I could see him clearly now. A wide pillar had obstructed my view before, but I could tell it was the old man sitting there. Takayama was his name if I recalled correctly.

_Fancy seeing him here..._

Here out of all places? Coincidence perhaps? So this was where he lived. He was just sitting there silently, not looking at anything in particular. Not that he could anyways. Yet, he still had that dazed look in his-

_Dammit, I was about to say eyes!_

He just looked spaced out, that was all.

Alone. He was always alone. His beard seemed to have grown longer than the last time I've seen him.

I was lonely too and felt like I wanted to talk to someone. Izuna wasn't here, not that I'd talk to him, so I guess this Takayama person would have to do.

I took the first steps up his porch and quietly made my presence aware.

"Hello" I said with a low voice. He didn't turn to face me. Instead he just replied with his eyes closed,

"Hello there."

 _Fuck, what am I gonna tell him? I should have thought this through._ I wasn't accustomed to just going around and starting up small talks with strangers. I had a bit of a shy personality. I guess the usual 'how you doin'' would work.

"Uhm...how are you?" I asked. It was at times like these I was grateful that he was blind. That sounds so wrong but I couldn't help it. I didn't want him to see me fidgeting with the sleeves of my kimono like a nervous little eight year old girl. Like I'm trying to make a friend for the first time. But that was exactly how it felt. It was a bit nerve wracking and I hated it. Mostly myself because I couldn't get over this anxiousness that followed me wherever I went. Just get it together.

"I'm doing well. How about you, child?" He asked in return, never turning his 'gaze' towards me.

"I'm fine." I answered simply. I tried to think of what else I could possibly say. I didn't need to think much longer because he eventually broke the silence.

"I suppose you want to know why I haven't opened the archives recently." It was like he was giving me the perfect excuse.

"Yes, I do" I sat down on the steps beside him.

"Well, I'm afraid I don't have a valid answer other than that I didn't feel like it." His lips perked up into a small smile. The wrinkles of his old age appeared right then. I honestly wasn't expecting that as an answer. I was actually looking forward to something like 'Per Madara's orders' or 'Someone just died' but not this.

'You weren't expecting that?" It was like he read my mind.

"No, not at all." I was slightly shocked.

"Then what were you expecting?" He continued asking playfully. His tone had softened but was still raspy, just like a smoker's voice.

"Uhm...nothing in particular" I lied.

"Is that so? Then why are you really here? Certainly not to see me nor ask about the library." He catches on quick. Of course I didn't know where his house was, I just stumbled upon it by accident. Meaning I really couldn't have went there to ask him about the library even if I had intended to. I assumed that was how he reasoned it. I laid my hands back on the wooden floor behind me and tossed my head back a bit. The sky was clear. No clouds. Not a single one.

"I was just wandering around" I confessed finally.

"Why?"

"Because I have nothing better to do." It was somehow getting easier to talk now.

"Why don't you have something to do?"

"Because I'm stuck here."

"Stuck?" He repeated, questionably.

"Locked up." I tried to elaborate further but failed.

"If you were locked up then you wouldn't be wandering around now, would you?" He said.

_Good point. But..._

"That wasn't what I meant." I tried to explain myself.

"Oh I know what you meant." _What?_ I turned my head only to see that he had gotten up from his chair and went to water the plants.

I tried to not to 'read between the lines' of what he just said but it was difficult. None of us said anything for a while.

"I like your pendant" He spoke out of the blue. I looked down and saw that the pendant was tucked away. It didn't matter if it was or it wasn't, it didn't matter if it was now or back when I first met him at the library...he couldn't have been able to see it on any occasion.

"How did you know I was wearing a pendant?" I asked, my suspicions were growing by the second. He continued on watering the plants, not once even turning in my direction.

"My great grandmother had one just like it." This Takayama person was strange to say the least.

"That wasn't my question." I said more sternly.

"I just know."

"Know what exactly?" I persisted. But he didn't give in. So, more silence ensued as I waited for his response. Seeing that it wasn't coming anytime soon, I stood up to leave.

"It was a family heirloom passed on through many generations of my family. It belonged once to my great grandmother long ago but had since went missing. She cherished it deeply as it was handed down to her from her mother and so on." He was recounting his old family's history. _Interesting. Not really. Where was he going with this?_

"It was given to one of my ancestors by some man named Hamura."

_Hamura who now?_

* * *

 

I was sitting by the river, trying to make sense of what just happened.

An old man who was supposedly blind. No, not supposedly. He was blind. I would have left room for doubt about his ability to see if he had had eyes, but he didn't. No eyes, no vision. It was as simple as that. He wasn't making any sense. So, I decided to stick to logic.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. It must be anoth-" I had told him but he had cut me off.

"Concentric silver circles with a minuscule red gem at its center." He had just described the necklace, still occupied with the task at hand. "Just like my great grandmother's."

"It must be another one." _He was joking, right?_

"If you say so." I could tell he was smiling even if his back was turned to me. His voice was filled with mirth. _And mockery?_ I couldn't tell. Before I could inquire any further, he finally faced me and spoke once more.

"I apologize but I would like to be left alone now. I need to rest." He was basically kicking me out after deciding that he'd had enough with this conversation. He went for his cane and walked back into the house.

"Wait-"

He had already shut the door.

I found myself laying on the sand by the stream. _How did he know? How could he?_ He knew much, much more than I thought he did. I was sure he was hiding a tonne more of information he wasn't sharing. _For now._ I needed to get it out of him. The sooner, the better. He couldn't just expect to say something like that and then shut up. He also couldn't imagine that I wouldn't ask any questions. _Or maybe that was exactly what he was playing on? Was he just dragging me?_ He surely knew that I'd seek out answers. I didn't know what to do now. Everything was getting more confusing all of a sudden. I resisted as best as I could to go back and barge on his doors, demanding answers but that would have been rude. And he could just simply choose not to tell me anything. It was safer to just play nice instead of being impulsive. _If that meant I'd have to wait for tomorrow to visit him once more, then so be it. I could wait. I think. I really hate to be kept waiting. Patience is a virtue. Right?_

I stood up and brushed off any sand that was on me. It was getting darker and I needed to head back home.

 _Not home._ It wasn't my home. It never could be. It was just a temporary house I resided in until I could figure a way out of here. Being at home had a completely different meaning than just staying at a house.

Everyone here had already gotten used to my presence. There were no more second glances, no more curious looks, no more harsh glares...there was nothing now. Just a few simple nods here and there. I went straight for the inner garden and found Sora sitting on the grass. A little boy sat beside her. A little Uchiha boy. He was leaning on her as she had her arms around him. I didn't know if I should interrupt them but it looked like they heard my footsteps before I could even think of walking away. They turned around and saw me standing there awkwardly. I was torn between either heading back to my room or go say hi. They didn't give me much of a choice now.

Sora was the first to speak.

"Mina-san. You're back!?" She was cheerful. And still had the difficulty in getting rid of the honorifics when referring to me. There was nothing I could do about it and it was just better to let it go without making a fuss over something so simple.

"Hi there." I greeted them with a small smile. I walked over as Sora was waving me to come. She stood up and so did the child. He was so small, couldn't be more than five or six. He had immensely wide eyes, the biggest I've seen to date. They were black like any other Uchiha. His porcelain skin was flawless and was a beautiful contrast against his soft and wavy black hair. It was short and tousled, framing his face. He was adorable and would undoubtedly grow up to be a handsome man. I waved at him but he retreated behind Sora, he was shy. Sora introduced us.

"This is my friend Mina, go say hi Kagami." She ushered the boy towards me and turned to say, "This is Kagami, the son of a maid here. A friend." I thought I had seen a flicker of grief in her eyes but I couldn't be sure. The boy was still hiding behind her, refusing to leave her side.

I got down on my knees to reach his height.

_Kagami?_

_Kagami..._

_Oh. I see._

I felt my smile widen unconsciously as I remembered who this child was. Or would turn out to be. I made sure to soften my voice a little, be more gentle than I usually was.

"Hi there Kagami." I extended my hand to try and get him closer to me. "I'm Mina." The boy was struggling, not knowing whether to stay behind his friend or go greet a stranger. He was mulling that over for a while but finally took a step forward and shook my hand.

"Hi" He whispered.

"It's nice to meet you." I was trying to be cheerful and bubbly like how Izuna was or Sora right before I came.

"It's nice to meet you, too" His voice was getting quieter.

 _He was adorable! And just so precious. A cutie patootie._ I just wanted to take him in and hug the living hell out of him. His cheeks were like targets, all I wanted was to squeeze them. I didn't normally like children, never even thought about having them. But there were just a few undeniably lovable ones out there that were hard to reject. This Kagami was one of them. He looked so pure, so innocent... If he could just stay like that forever.

I was beaming with joy now. Something I haven't done in a very long while. Even before coming here. I wanted to take him in my arms and just share the...happiness that was surging in me. I didn't know why or how but I felt my spirits rising just by seeing this little kid. I was this close to grabbing him but I really didn't want to scare him off, so I held myself back. Sora was instantly aware of how delighted I was, so she suggested,

"Kagami, would you like to stay with us a bit longer?" She was smiling as well.

The kid must have been crept out by the overly gleeful women surrounding him, I wouldn't blame him if he wanted to dart out of here this instant.

"No, thank you. I would like to go back now." He said politely, looking up at Sora.

"Oh ok, I'll take you back to your mother then." She told him and then to me, "I'll come back and bring you your supper."

"Oh no, don't bother, I'm not hungry." I assured her. In truth, I still haven't regained my appetite completely. They were on their way when I said,

"Bye Kagami." He waved back as they left.

...

I was back in my room getting ready to sleep. I changed into a simple nightgown and got into bed. Sora insisted on bringing me dinner in spite of my protests. _Why would she take the trouble of preparing meals?_ She contended to always bring the food here when I would object and suggest that I could just go to the kitchen and grab something. But I could understand how casual that would be. Too casual for this time and place.

I couldn't sleep. My mind wouldn't stop thinking. It wouldn't shut off, its gears constantly rolling, never halting. Suddenly, a knock on the door caught my attention. It couldn't be Sora, she was just here and must have already went to bed. _'Retire for the night'_ was what she always said every night before she went off to her own chambers.

"Yes" I asked quizzically, loud enough for whoever was on the other side of the door to hear. They didn't identify themselves and entered instead. I saw Izuna had made himself welcome.

_Dammit, he's back already?_

"Welcome back." I said with as much bitterness and impassiveness as I could.

"Thanks." He replied. He didn't say anything else. His deadpan expression mirrored mine.

"Can I help you with something?" I asked rhetorically. He was abnormally quiet. I couldn't tell if he was angry or just plain normal. But this wasn't Izuna's normal. His straight-face conveyed all the dispassionate and expressionless impression anyone could muster. Even his voice was void of any emotion. He was just empty. Blank. Absolutely nothing got to him. It was very bizarre.

"I saw that you've made yourself comfortable in my room." He replied.

"Yes, I did. I saw that it was in desperate need of refurbishment, I just couldn't help myself. I had to add my touch to it." I answered mockingly. "I'd say it gave it a bit more...of personality. _Of spice._ Wouldn't you agree?" It was my turn to goad him.

"Yes, I actually agree."

_Uhm, what?_

"Oh really now?" I was surprised by his answer even if he meant it as a joke.

"Yes. I see that you couldn't bear to stay away from me for a whole day." If he meant to say that playfully, it sure didn't sound like it. His lifeless demeanor made it seem like he was actually serious. I rolled my eyes.

"Oh yes. I just couldn't sleep without having your intoxicating smell surrounding me." This was just turning out weird. Very weird. I turned to face the windows and pulled the covers over my head, wishing that he would just leave already. He didn't. I faintly remember something similar happening not too long ago. Except his brother eventually got the clue and left. It seemed that Izuna still had much more to say.

"Where are the keys?" He inquired, still stony as ever.

"What?"

"Where are the keys to my room?" He repeated.

"I don't know." I was saying, responding from underneath the covers.

"Just give them back." It wasn't a question anymore.

"I threw them. In the garbage." I lied. He didn't say a single word for the longest time. _Urghh.._ I pulled the covers down and turned to face him.

"Why don't you just change the locks on your doors? It would be much easier, if you want to avoid me sneaking into your room again." I proposed. He was unresponsive. _Wait, don't tell me he actually hasn't thought of that?_

"I want the keys back." He crossed his arms, the only sign that portrayed his impatience. Finally.

"Fine." I got the keys out from underneath the pillows. I stood up, wrapped the covers around me so he couldn't see me half naked, and walked over to the door. The keys were in my hand. We were mere inches away when I raised the dangling keys in front of his face.

"You want them?" I asked teasingly. "Here." I dropped them to the floor right next to his feet.

" _Oopsies._ " I feigned the most guilty surprised expression I could. "I dropped them. My bad. Forgive me, would you?." I waited for him to bend down and pick them up.

He barely raised a brow when I shut the door in his face.

"Good, now I could sleep."

* * *

 

** _Izuna's POV_ **

_Did she...Did she just shut the door in my face?_

She did. He looked down at the keys on the floor. _She's getting gutsy. What to do with her, hmm?_

He rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out what was he going to do now. Madara was at the settlement and would be for a few days. And until then, Izuna was free to do what he wanted. Relatively free, that is. And until then as well, he would be alive. He still wasn't sure what Madara would do to him when he came back. Stranding his brother there like that was unwise but then again, Izuna was well known to make very unwise decisions. First off he certainly had no intentions of marrying anyone. Much less to the woman who just threw him out. _No, never._ That wasn't his plan, he would make sure his ruse would pay off. No matter what.

He tossed the keys to the side with his feet, he didn't really need them. He already broke through the door and made arrangements to change the locks. Or rather will make arrangements. He started walking back to his room. If you could even call it that. His clothes were torn and thrown everywhere. Chairs and desks were toppled over. The few books he had in there were disorganized but were now somehow, miraculously, arranged in a neat order on the bed. A few mirrors broken here and there and curtains were ripped. His bed reeked of pepper. She put too much of it. He was actually allergic to these peppers, the mere smell of them had him coughing relentlessly. He ordered a maid to get rid of the sheets. And the bed. Izuna wasn't sure if Mina had known this and did it purposely or unknowingly, but it wasn't a shabby idea. How she got the keys in the first place, he couldn't figure but she still managed to do it. Meaning she could get her hands on anything else she wanted. It wasn't enough that she snuck into Madara's room.

He couldn't sleep in his room tonight, not until he was sure every corner of the room was dusted and any faint traces of the chili pepper was gone. On his way to the training grounds, he found the cat he threw at her walking around, searching for food. It noticed him and came quickly. He bent down and petted its black fur. It purred in response, stroking its small head in the palms of hands.

"Hey there little fella." He began talking to it. He would do this sometimes when he had nothing to do. "She kicked you out too, huh?" He chuckled. It was clear that she didn't appreciate his gift. Or him for that matter. And he couldn't see why.

"Well that was mean of her." The cat continued to purr as if agreeing with him. He took it into his arms and carried it with him. At least he can _value good company when he sees it. If she won't._

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

I saw Kagami more often nowadays. He would always hang out with Sora whenever she was free. _Was she also a baby-sitter?_ I thought so at first.

Occasionally, I'd crash their little get-together. He would open up more each time he saw me. He wasn't as shy or scared of me as when we first met and that made me relieved. Having a kid afraid of you wasn't a particularly nice feeling. I also came to learn that his mother, Sora's maid friend, was ill and she couldn't take care of him.

"She actually doesn't want him to see her...in a such poor state." Sora had told me. She was devastated by her friend's imminent passing. "She...she's not doing very well right now."

"Oh.." I was speechless. I didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry." I felt horrible. This child was about to lose his mother and he knew it. He could see her suffering everyday but didn't quite comprehend it fully.

"So am I." She said heavy-hearted. She was already preparing for Kagami's mother's looming death. I was already wondering what wold happen to the child. Sora was already answering that question.

"His father was killed in battle when Kagami was just an infant. He died protecting Izuna-sama. He was a great shinobi and Madara-sama felt indebted to him so he decided to let the child stay under his wing. Sometimes, he would train Kagami himself. Of course, he would always ask Azami's permissiion beforehand."

_...What?_

Sora had just said a lot. _Azami? Why her-_

"Azami is Kagami's mother?" I was shocked. I really was and it certainly showed on my face.

"Yes, she is." I had no idea. _Was that why I never saw her?_ So she did work in the other wing but sometimes I would pass by there to go to the field. I would never find her yet I would see all the other maids. I felt heaviness in my heart and genuine sorrow for the first time since arriving in this fictional land. But it didn't seem so fictional anymore. This poor, little innocent boy was going to be orphaned.

"Can I visit her?" I asked Sora.

"I don't think that is such a good idea." She said curtly. I didn't want to push her further, she was already dejected enough.

"What will happen to Kagami?" I didn't know what else I could ask.

"I will continue to look after him obviously." I couldn't blame her for being in such a foul mood.

"I'm sorry. Truly. But why was Azami a maid here? If Madara did indeed feel gratitude towards her husband for his sacrifice, he wouldn't have let her serve in his household." I tried to see how Madara could even do something like that.

"She was already a maid here before she met Kagami's father. They married and had Kagami afterwards. After his death, Madara-sama offered to release her of her duties and she could have still resided here with her son, who was one years old by that time, if she wanted. They would be under Madara's care and protection but she refused. She said she would rather earn her living than sit around and do nothing. Her health had been deteriorating since then."

I couldn't believe it. The only times that I have seen her she hadn't looked sick at all. The last time I saw her, I was mad at her. I recalled when I was asking for a bed and she had told me to blindly follow Madara's orders. I couldn't understand back then how she thought so highly of Madara in the way she talked about him. _I need to apologize. Quickly._

I could never forget how coldly I treated her and I wouldn't forgive myself either. I was about to ask Sora when I could see her and I would have insisted but then Kagami came out of nowhere, running towards us. He was smiling. Beaming actually.

"Madara-sama's back!" He was shouting to us. Sora instantly put on a mask and smiled back. I copied her just for the sake of the boy. I couldn't understand why he was so happy Madara was back. _For some people, his return is a bit of a concern._ We were sitting on a bench in the garden when he came and lunged at us. He wasn't just happy, he was ecstatic. I returned his hug as tightly as I could while he was gripping my hair.

"Oh really now?" I asked, bemused. He finally let both of us go.

"Yes! Really. He's at the gates. I heard Izuna-sama say to the guards." He was talking quickly now, almost like he was afraid he would lose the words.

"You mean eavesdropped? Hmm?" I was teasing him, he turned slightly red.

"Same thing." He justified himself. I smiled.

"Then why are you so happy?" I was curious. I have never seen a person react that way upon hearing Madara Uchiha has arrived at their front porch.

"Who wouldn't be? It means I could restart my training!"

_Ahh, that's why._

"Aren't you a little too young to be training?" I arched a brow.

"Are you kidding me?" He crossed his arms and pretended to be offended. This kid was good. _I wonder if all Uchihas were good actors? Except for Sora of course._

"I'm seven." He didn't look seven. Not at all. He was so small. I was a bit concerned if he should even be training at all. Sora was just listening in on our conversation up until now.

"If that's the case then, I should probably go help out the other maids in preparing for his return. Kagami, you stay here with Mina, okay?" She spoke. He nodded.

* * *

 

_**Madara's POV** _

It was good to be home.

The last few days were...nothing short of unbearable. _All thanks to Hashirama._ Madara didn't even want to think about this. All he wanted was to sleep, seeing he hadn't shut his eyes in nearly four days. _Again, all thanks to Hashirama._ The damned Senju leader wouldn't give him a break for a mere second.

_I don't care what happens. I'm just going to sleep._

He tried not thinking about his brother or what he was doing. Izuna and his schemes could wait until Madara wakes up. Yet, he could still feel the boiling rage inside of him at his younger sibling for ditching him there while he returned happily to their home. All under a stupid pretense. _Stop thinking about it, dammit._

He ignored everything and everyone in his way and went straight for his room. He zoomed out the world because he desperately needed to.

On his way there, he saw two figures in the garden. A 'tall' figure and a shorter one. He stopped in his tracks to make sure he wasn't imagining things. He wasn't, even after rubbing his eyes.

He saw Kagami running after the woman, Mina, like they were playing a game of hide and seek. Barefoot. He was much faster than her. She could barely move around with that kimono. She had to pull it up to her knees so she she could even attempt to run. It looked instead like she was leaping from one place to another, trying to avoid being touched by Kagami.

He heard loud laughter coming from their direction. Their features were seen clearly under the shining sunlight. But there was nothing more brighter than the smiles they wore. They looked genuinely happy. Especially Kagami. He had never seen the boy smile so much, never in a such happy state. Not even with him and when they would train. Despite loving training with Madara, as the boy claims, he was never this content whenever they sparred. He knew it was mostly due to his mother's condition, yet he was here, completely carefree and untroubled with Mina. Who was just as exuberant as the little boy was.

Madara never thought he would come home to see a sight like this. Shocked would be an understatement. He may have been tired but he could see where this was heading. Mina wasn't particularly paying attention to where she was going as she was failing to dodge Kagami and ended up tripping on a rock, yet again, but this time instead of falling on her face, she slipped and fell into the koi pond.

Water splashed everywhere and a few fishes emerged with it, spilling into large puddles on the grass. The Uchiha boy only laughed harder at the expense of the woman's humiliation. More water was being splashed as she tried to pull herself out of it while struggling, _hilariously._

_Should I?_

_I am just going to go now. This is not my problem._

And as suddenly as he appeared, he disappeared, tip toeing towards his room.


	18. Vomit Izuna Vomit!

**_ Mina's POV _ **

_ Amazing. Fucking amazing. You couldn't pay attention to where you were stepping, you stupid woman! _

Scolding myself wasn't going to get me out of this pond. Pulling myself together would. But that was hard to do with this stupid kimono that was stupidly heavy. _Dammit!_ It was dragging me down. This pond wasn't even that deep and yet I was having a ridiculously hard time getting out of it. Five minutes of flailing my arms around like a crazy woman and flapping about was how I eventually took my first breath that wasn't completely void of oxygen or any other gases. I held onto the stone edges surrounding the pond, trying to compose myself. The kid was laughing at me. I couldn't blame him, he probably thought this was hilarious. It wasn't. I could have 'drowned'. In a pond. I always had a feeling I would die a moronic death. Like drowning in a koi pond. _Or falling down a rabbit hole. Same thing._

After what seemed to be a long time, I finally got the courage to pull myself out of the water with great difficulty.

"Hey kid, help me out, would you?" I asked him. Kagami had finally calmed himself, probably realizing this wasn't a funny joke as he had thought. He took my hand and tried to yank me out with whatever little force he had with that teeny-weeny frame of his. I couldn't believe I was asking for help from a little seven year old. But he did manage to do so and I ended up flopping to the ground. The dry and warm grass underneath me was...nice. I turned to lay on my back, head positioned upward and staring up into the sky. The sunlight was already drying the kimono. I didn't know why but I felt tired. Kagami came closer and sat next to me, mimicking my position. I would have taken him into my arms but I didn't want to get him wet. We stayed there silently without saying a word to each other. We were just appreciating the nature surrounding us.

* * *

 

That damn headache wouldn't go away. I thought sleeping it off would help but it clearly didn't. I also thought it would hint off to whoever was knocking on my door to go away. But then again, it didn't. Whoever it was kept knocking incessantly for the past hour. _That's some patience they had there._ Any kind of person that had the time to stand there in front of my door for that long, without as much as calling out my name or saying anything for that matter, and knock without taking a break, surely wasn't serious. It was probably not urgent or else they would have barged in unannounced. It wasn't Sora either because she would always identify herself before coming in. Whoever it was, they were joking. Annoyingly. _I was just trying to sleep, was that too much to ask for?_ I was considering to just opening the door and telling off whoever stood there. This was no time to play games.

"It's past midnight for crying out loud!" I lost my cool. I threw the pillow away from my head and headed towards the bedroom door. Unfortunately, the pillow couldn't muffle out the loud knocks.

"What!" I yanked the door open with a force that could have unhinged it.

"Damn. Would you calm down?" Izuna said as a matter-of-factly. I was about to slam the door in his face again but he intercepted it this time and placed his foot forward. "Madara wants to see you." He said.

I didn't hear him. Actually, I did but just ignored him and went back to my bed. I didn't understand whatever game he was playing but I would not be pulled into it. Instead, I just went back to bed and covered myself. He only stepped closer.

"I said Madara wants to-"

"I know what you said." I cut him off. "Get out."

"But-" He protested.

"I'm sure Madara could wait until the-" It was his turn to interrupt me.

"He can't. He says it's.." He suddenly stopped talking. He was definitely up to something. "You know how Madara gets when he's impatient." That was all he said.

"Actually, I don't."

"Well then, you wouldn't want to." _Was he warning me? What did Madara even want at this time of night?_ Probably not something good. It was never something good given any time of day. Should I push my luck and ignore Izuna? Or should I just-

"Fine." I groaned loudly. I went to get a robe to wear but Izuna had already grabbed my hands and dragged me along.

"Would you wait a second? I need to get something to wear!" I implored him.

"No time." He replied curtly.

"What on earth does Madara want?" I tried asking. And as I expected, he said nothing conclusive.

"How would I know?"

"Can you let go of me now?" I asked him.

"Sure." He let go of my hand as we came to a stop in front of a door. "Here, he's waiting for you in his study. The way there is just behind this door." He opened the door quietly and shoved me in 'gently'. Before I could even turn around and give him a piece of my mind, he already shut the door behind me. I was now in a strange room. It took my eyes a while to adjust to the darkness but I could make out the framework of a bed and a few chairs...

 _Darn it! I was in his room._ Izuna...Was this his plan all along? Or did Madara really want to speak to me? I couldn't see a reason why he would. Except maybe continue the conversation we were having back at the cabin. When he thought it a genius idea to tie me up. Izuna did say his study was just around here and I could see a sliding door on the other side of the room. There was a faint light flickering behind it. Probably a candle. It was cold in here and I wasn't dressed appropriately. _Izuna wouldn't give me the chance all because 'Madara was impatient'_. I would have to think of something to get back at him for this. I thought I heard faint noises from somewhere in the room. _Groaning? Grumbling?_ I couldn't tell but I didn't see a figure laying on the bed so I assumed he was indeed in his study. _Maybe Izuna was right._ I took a few steps closer to the presumed study room and as I was about to knock on the door, a cold hand grabbed my wrists and stopped me from going any further.

 _Oh oh..._ I was beyond scared to turn my head and find him there. _Maybe Izuna wasn't so right after all. That fucker._

"What are you doing here?" His voice was cold. Icy. And dark. Really dark. I flinched at the chill running up my spine. I started to back away, still not looking at him. The room only got colder for some reason. I swallowed in any insecurities I might have had at the moment and did my best not to show my unease and fright.

"I..I.." I was stuttering. _Get your shit together, Mina. Together._ "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." I started with apologizing, maybe he'd have mercy on me if I showed him my remorse. I could have lied and said that I got lost in the dark but that wasn't a really good lie. I've been here for God knows how long and I would know my way around by now. I was going to put it all on Izuna.

"Izuna...Izuna-sama told me that you wanted to see me." I tried to add the honorific to make me seem more...respectable but I was afraid it might have had the opposite effect. He probably thought I said it in mockery.

"He told you to come to my room _dressed like that?_ " He questioned. I didn't know how to answer him and wasn't even sure he would believe me if I told him what really happened. _It wouldn't hurt to give it a try, no?_ I finally had the courage to turn my head and look at him. I saw that he himself wasn't wearing much. Just a cotton robe he probably pulled on the instant he heard me approaching. It was loosely tied and I could see his chiseled chest, few hairs running down his well-defined body and towards his-

"Up here." He said, snapping me out of my gaze. _Crap! He caught me._

"Uhm." I coughed and cleared my throat. "I swear, your brother told me to come here right this instant because you were impatient. He never gave me the chance to get dressed and dragged me here."

"And you were dumb enough to follow him?" He asked, his eyes showing no emotion whatsoever. _Yes, yes I was dumb enough. No need to point it out._ I was speechless. Completely lost for words. But he continued.

"Let's say what you're saying _was the truth,_ would you care to explain to me what this is?" He said as he raised a slithering snake. I screamed, surprised at the sudden appearance of a serpent right in my face. I tried to pull away but his grip wouldn't budge. I was horrified of snakes. Fearful. Terrified. Scared shitless. I kept on screaming, more nervous of the snake than Madara himself. He finally let me go and I darted to the other side of the room. I couldn't comprehend how he could be so at ease being that close to a snake. Or even hold it. I tried to open the door but it was locked. _Locked? Izuna._

Madara probably thought I had planted it there. He didn't say anything else but I could already figure out what he was hinting at. If this snake was poisonous, he could very well think I placed it in his room as an attempt at his life. _An attempt at his life? He thought I tried to kill him?_ Not that he would be killed by a snake. No. He wasn't that mentally impaired. Okay, so he wasn't retarded but quite clever. Clever enough that he couldn't be easily taken down by a mere serpent. Everyone knew that. Except me. I probably appeared as the only foolish one who would try something as stupid as this. But I didn't.

"It was Izuna!" I was shrieking, growing panicky at being in a confined room with two monsters. He still wasn't saying anything and I desperately wanted to get out of here. I kept on fidgeting with the door but it wasn't opening. It wasn't locked from the inside. _Damn you!_ I kept pulling at the knob, turning it in every possible direction. Madara didn't move an inch. I turned around to face him and found out he wasn't holding the snake anymore. I panicked even more.

"Where is it?!" I was jumping out of my skin, shrieking every now and then. The room was still dark and I couldn't see anything. I leaped from one foot to the other, afraid the snake was anywhere near me or my feet. "Oh God where is it! Get it away from me!" I was shouting as I tried to unlatch the door with no success. I heard a loud sigh behind me then footsteps. Madara tried to unlock the door himself but he, too, failed. He only tried once before he punched a hole into the door and put his hand through. He seemed to have unlocked it from the outside. He opened it and gestured silently for me to get out. I have never been so grateful to him before. I was dashing towards my room, nearly stumbling over the chair that barred the door from the outside. I ran as fast as I could until reaching the own security of my room.

* * *

 

I didn't sleep. I couldn't. I was up all night thinking the snake could have followed me back. I was paranoid. I had to wrap myself in the covers like a sandwich and stayed like that until the beginning of dawn.

It wasn't until then that I found it safe enough to step on the floor.

...

I tried to control myself. I really did. I knew something was up with Izuna yesterday night. I also knew he was up to something and despite telling myself that I wouldn't fall into his trap, I walked right into it with open arms. Perhaps I was just that dumb.

And now Madara thought I tried to kill him in his sleep. Or something of that kind. I hadn't a clue as to what the Uchiha leader would do. Not a single hint. I wanted to get my hands on Izuna so bad. _Kill him with my bare hands. Choke him. Stab him in his heart. Douse him in gas and set him aflame._ Whatever that would do the trick. I was sitting in the garden, pondering on what my next move would be. I needed to act fast before he got the chance to play his next card. I was lost in thought when I heard Kagami call my name.

"Mina-chan?"

"Kagami. Good morning." I feigned the best smile I could in my current state.

"Good morning to you too." He replied in his usual polite tone.

"Is something wrong?" I was beginning to wonder where Sora was. I hadn't seen her all morning and she was almost always at my side by now.

"No. Sora-chan just feels a bit sick. She told me to find you and stay with you." He informed me.

"Oh really?" I was beginning to get concerned. "Where is she? I would like to see her." I asked him. Sora must have told him not to mention to me where she was because he seemed to be struggling on whether to answer or not.

"She's in her room." Kagami finally said.

"Can you take me there, please?" I had never been to Sora's chambers because she insisted 'I didn't belong in a maid's quarters'. _As if I belonged anywhere in this world._

I followed the young boy to her room. It wasn't far away from mine and when I entered, I instantly recognized the place. It was a carbon-copy of the room I used to stay in before I moved here. It was more furnished though. There were two beds, one of them was made and the other had Sora laying in it, head bent over a bucket and I could hear her retching. The smell of vomit engulfed the room and I was immediately reminded of my own recent situation.

She finally recognized us and tried to get up to greet us. I ushered her back down.

"I'm sorry Mrs Mina, but it seems I got the bug like you." She tried to laugh it off but it only sounded like she was wheezing for air. I helped her lay back down.

"Hey, Kagami, do you think you can being me a bucket of cold water and a few towels? Oh and call a medic, too." I asked the boy who was growing more concerned for his maid friend. He nodded and went to fetch what I asked of him. I felt her forehead. She had a fever. I really couldn't say what she had. Perhaps the casual cold or flu or perhaps food poisoning like I had. She was sweating profusely and looked terribly pale.

"You shouldn't be here, Mina. I'll be fine." She tried to get me out but I wouldn't let her. I had every intention of sticking here at her sides as she did when I was ill. If it meant I had to camp here then I certainly didn't mind.

"Shh.." I shushed her, trying to get her to sleep.

* * *

 

_Food poisoning._

_That was what they all had. Well, most of them anyways._

It was their turn. Ever since I saw Sora, more people have been turning up sick. With the same symptoms. All these people resided in the main house. Which could only mean that all the food sources inside this household were infected. Not the whole clan's. That was a slightly comforting thought, otherwise hundreds of people would be found ailing and nauseous. This also meant that they had to get rid of all the food that supplied this house. The whole place smelled of vomit like how my room was, once. Maids, elders, shinobi and guards, it didn't matter who they were or what their social class was, salmonella doesn't differentiate between them. _As much as some elders had a hard time believing that. It started a week ago._ More and more people have been turning up at the small clinic inside this home. It wasn't the same clinic where injured shinobi came to be treated. This one was much smaller and was probably only used for 'check-ups'. It had taken me nearly four days to get the bacteria out of my system and yet it was taking Sora a full week. Eleven days to be exact. She was showing signs of improvement in the last two days but it wasn't completely gone yet. Food poisoning doesn't even usually last that long. But then again, everyone's immune system is different and so some people heal faster than others.

I even managed to help some of the medics. They looked like they needed it, not because they didn't know what they were doing, but rather because they were understaffed. I couldn't do much besides get them what they wanted since I didn't have chakra and couldn't use medical ninjustu. I often wondered if medical ninjustu in these cases had similar effects to antibiotics. I knew very little about how they use it asides from manipulating their own chakra to treat the injured. In my world, antibiotics, vaccines and therapies were used to stimulate or even help our immune systems to combat any infections. It was often encouraged to let our bodies naturally fight first exposures to pathogens so they can recognize the antigens and improve our secondary immune responses if infected with the same micro-organisms again. It was preferable than letting chemicals like antibiotics, some synthetic and some not, work instead of our immunity, that way our bodies don't end up depending on them. Of course, this doesn't apply to major infections or diseases like cancer. This only lead me to wonder if a body here was healed by medical ninjutsu repeatedly rather than letting the natural process of healing take its course, would it grow dependent on chakra? Would any wounds heal slower than usual? _Would the fibrous mesh not fuse as quickly as they should be to block any excessive bleeding? How about in the case of non-physical wounds like infections that affect our organ systems, would the foreign chakra have any effect on lymphocytes?_

So many questions were flooding my mind until a heavy voice interrupted my thoughts. A wide smile appeared on my lips as I watched the tall figure beneath me gag on his own vomit. Izuna.

"What are you standing there for?" He repeated in between pukes. It was wonderful looking down on him like this. I would be lying if I said I didn't take any pleasure in seeing him like this. Because, in truth, I was overwhelmed with immense delight. Satisfaction. Glee. Gratification. Amusement. Everything and anything that could describe the happiness I felt in these moments. I crossed my arms and said with as much mockery and contempt as I could,

"Karma's a bitch, wouldn't you say?" I asked him. He was in no condition to answer even if he wanted to. "Eh?" I continued."I hope you're feeling better. No. Actually I don't. "

I had ran here the moment I heard he was sick. Not out of genuine concern of course, but so I could come have a laugh. And laugh I did. For a full ten minutes. He deserved this and so much worse, but the time for that will come and when it does, I'll be waiting expectantly at the front row. I've laughed enough for today, so I decided it was time for me to leave. As I was heading for the door, I heard him call out to me.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"What? There are more worthy people who deserve my help than you." I simply told him. "Besides, I didn't think you wanted me to stand there by your bedside."

The maid that was taking care of him and who happened to be one of the few that weren't infected, looked really uncomfortable. I had come by with a tray of food as an excuse to take a look at him. I didn't want to seem completely heartless. I've even made the soup myself. He should be grateful. I momentarily wondered if that was what I looked like back when I was sick. Seeing him, I could only imagine how bad I must have had it too. He was as pale as a sheet, smelled worse than a dead raccoon and spoke as if he had a fork stuck down his throat. His hair was drenched in his own sweat.

"Feed me." I heard him say.

"Beg your pardon? " I raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure I heard him correctly.

"I said..." A loud cough erupted from him. "Feed..me."

_So I heard right after all._

"Ok." I agreed. He brought this upon himself. I walked over to his side of the bed and and sat right next to him. I took the bowl of soup off the tray and brought it closer to him.

"Open wide." I said, using a tone a mother would when feeding her newborn baby. "Here comes the airplane!" I could feel my smile widen. I may have also added a hint of chili peppers to the soup. But he doesn't know that. He looked at me wide-eyed, his skepticism was clear. Yet he took the bait anyways along with the spoon, into his mouth. His eyes never leaving mine. I waited patiently for him to calm down before I spoon-fed him the rest of the soup. He started sneezing uncontrollably and so I waited more but then he coughed. Heavily. He wasn't stopping and it has been nearly four minutes. Something wasn't right. I gave him a second glance and saw that red patches started to appear all over. Particularly his face and throat. And he began itching, like if it was a rash. This went on for a while.

...

"He doesn't happen to be allergic to chili peppers, does he?" I asked the maid who now stood concerned by my side. I wasn't really looking her in the eyes as I said this. I was too busy watching Izuna have an allergic reaction to the ingredients in the soup.

"Uhm, yes I believe so." She finally replied.

 _Oh... this only keeps getting better_. A wicked grin replaced the faint smile that was once there. I couldn't believe it, it was almost like hitting the jackpot. _Too good to be true._ I put the bowl back on the tray and stood up. I crossed my arms and pondered if I should stay and help him or casually leave him to his own business.

"Shouldn't we be helping him? He doesn't look so good." The maid was borderline panicking and it appears she had every reason to. Izuna was turning a bright red. Like a tomato. He was coughing and looked like he was suffocating. _I should probably help him...but if I let him go any longer..._

"Relax, it's alright. He just might go into anaphylactic shock. We could always inject him with a shot of epinephrine and send him off to one of your medics you know and let them do their magic." I said as indifferent as one could be in a situation like this. Which wasn't a good thing. Anyone going through a severe allergic reaction needs to be treated on the spot. I was only playing lax because...well this was Izuna. He deserved much worse. Besides, I won't let it go too far-

_You idiot. You should have thought this through before attempting to murder this man._

_Oh-oh._

That voice again. I only heard it before when it warned me of these people back in the forest where I first woke up and when it mocked me for falling into the pond. Something was off. I took a side glance at the maid and asked,

"You don't _also_ happen to have epinephrine shots here, do you?" This was bad and I couldn't help but worry. The woman shook her head slightly and answered with a question.

"What are epinephrine shots?" I was going to safely assume they didn't have them here. I ran over to Izuna's side and sat on the bed next. G _od, why didn't I think this through! Of course they wouldn't have adrenaline injections here!_

_Didn't I just say you were an idiot?_

"Shut up!" I may have said that a little too loud for my liking, startling the maid in the process. _How would I have known this was going to happen?_

_I don't know. Ever thought about using a single brain cell? Oh wait but thinking would actually require you to use that one brain cell._

This voice was becoming increasingly annoying. But this was definitely not the time to have a full blown conversation in my head. I wrapped my arms around Izuna's waist and tried to pat him hard on his back. I didn't understand what I was doing but I knew I had to expel out everything he just ate. He could die and then I would be blamed for it. _I didn't intend to kill him, I swear!_

_ Pfft, keep telling yourself that. _

I helped him lean over the bed and brought a bucket closer to him. He needed to vomit the peppers he just ate. I kept patting him roughly but that wasn't helping. He kept on coughing continuously. His eyes were swollen shut. It seemed like he was having trouble breathing as he was wheezing. It was like his throat was swelling as well and closing in on itself, preventing anything from entering or exiting.

"Come on Izuna. You need to vomit what you just ate. You can do it. Come on now!" I was trying to encourage him to puke up everything but he wasn't responding. It wasn't like he could anyways. My voice was gentler and more softer than I usually portrayed it. I never thought that one day, I would use such a tone on Izuna Uchiha. However, I didn't want him to die. If Izuna died then I was dead meat too. No doubt about it as it was only logical. And if we did follow the rules of logic, then in that case, Madara Uchiha _will eat me alive_ until my bones were the only remnants of who I once was.

"Come on, yes that's it!" I was desperately trying to remain positive and optimistic. I didn't want to be at the mercy of his elder brother. He still wasn't vomiting but a 'brilliant' idea struck my mind.

"Izuna" I called out to him while snaking my arms around his shoulders tenderly. "You have to stick your fingers down your throat." I said as I guided his hands towards his mouth. I held two of his fingers and ushered it to his oral cavity. This was the only idea that came to me at the moment. I couldn't do anything else, it was up to him to stick his own fingers down his throat, because I sure as hell wasn't about to do it. And he did.

Thankfully, he vomited. But not a lot. Not as much as I hoped he would. I needed to make sure every ounce of the chili peppers ingested were completely out of his system but I couldn't. There was no way. All I could think of was that he needed to spew up everything he ate today or yesterday. "Yes, good job! Now keep on doing that. I need you to expel your stomach contents." I was telling him but it didn't look like he was listening. He was this close from collapsing to the ground and into the bucket. I caught Izuna and pulled him upwards. _No. No no no no don't lose it._

"Stay awake Izuna!" I snapped my fingers in front of him, trying to get him to focus. This was not good. Not at all. I turned him back on his stomach and tugged at his hair. Oh God, this was disgusting. But I had to do it before he lost complete consciousness. I positioned myself over him and leaned over. I did it. I actually did it. I inserted my fingers down Izuna's throat. This was perhaps the worst thing I've ever done to date. I had to pry his now swollen lips so I could push two of my fingers inside. I felt chills run up my spine, the small hairs on my arms stood erect. I pulled out and pushed them back in further. I managed to get him to vomit more. I repeated this around five more times before he started to retch on his own, his stomach contents now flowing freely like a leaky faucet. He regained full control of his consciousness as I saw him trying to pull himself up, struggling as my weight kept him pinned down. Still, I couldn't be sure if he vomited everything out. I was about to jab my fingers back inside his mouth one more time before I saw the door open.

I found Madara standing there, mute. Dumbstruck. The maid that was just there beside me was now standing behind him while the medic that treated me when I was sick, was also present next to him. When did she go call them?

I was still holding Izuna down, his hair in my hand and the other hand ready to jab him. Izuna appeared to have taken in his brother's presence as well.

_This doesn't look so good._

_You think?_

* * *

 

I was kicked out. Kicked out. After I saved him. _Those ungrateful twats! After I saved him!_

_Well, you nearly killed him, so..._

_Whatever,_ it was getting easier to ignore the voice now. Honestly, I probably didn't even save him. Whatever that medic did should have kept him alive. I wasn't going to perform a tracheostomy right there, not that I would know how to either way.

I was cracking my knuckles. Angry at what just happened. Mostly angry at my foolish actions that almost sentenced me to a gruesome death by Madara's hands. Maybe I've went too far with it this time. But it wasn't like I knew he was allergic. _How could I have known that?_

After that incident, I excused myself and let the medic do her job instead. I went straight for the washrooms and washed my hands with soap violently. I had to get Izuna's puke and his smell off of me. I rubbed my hands clean until they were glowing red. I still wasn't satisfied with my washing. I would have bleached them if I could. That was how disgusted I was with myself.

Sitting in the garden helped me relax a bit. It made me forget everything around me, if only for a fraction of a second. It was still better than not forgetting at all. I sat here fo the rest of the day.

* * *

 

** _Madara's POV_ **

_Ouufff._

He was rubbing his temples rather vigorously. A habit he adapted over the years since becoming head of his clan. And partly thanks to Izuna as well. He was exasperated. Everything around him was chaotic. In shambles. All this because he let Izuna take charge of the compound for a couple of days. _I didn't let him, he invited himself._ He had to keep reminding himself. But then he would also be reminded of how Izuna stranded him there like a fool. His anger towards his younger brother was renewed every time he thought about it. Madara knew he couldn't blame Izuna for this. The day after he returned from the new settlement, people started to show up sick. With the same symptoms as the woman had a week before. It started off with the maids and then traveled to some of the elders and then onto his shinobi. Including Izuna. But not Madara. No, he was healthy. He hadn't contracted whatever they had. Which made him think that it must have occurred during those four days he was out. Kagami wasn't sick and neither was the woman. _Perhaps she was immune to it now..._

If he had to think about it in depth, he could even say she recovered much faster than some of his people. He would wonder if it had anything to do with her 'healing abilities'.

Then there was that night. Where he found her barely-dressed and standing in the middle of his bedroom. It was a good thing he kept an ear out for anything. It wasn't like anyone made a habit of sneaking into his room at night. But she thought it appropriate to just barge in. It really was a good thing he heard her and that she didn't bother keeping her footsteps light. Madara didn't want her to catch him while he was-

He shook his head. He wouldn't allow himself to _even entertain the possibility_ of her seeing him like that. _Embarrassment._ That was what he would have died of. Embarrassment. But that word was an overly simplified understatement. She said that Izuna had sent her there right that moment. And if that was the case, as it appeared to be based on her reaction to the snake, then Izuna had heard him and wanted Madara to suffer humiliation at the hands of this... _this woman_. The thought of his brother in his room at night listening in on him-

It enraged Madara, but not as much as the fact that Izuna planted a serpent in his room just to pin it on the woman. To serve as an excuse for her being there. An attempt at his life. It wasn't a bad idea. Not bad. But he never thought Izuna would take it this far just to put the blame on her. Madara couldn't understand why his younger brother would have gone through all of this trouble to simultaneously piss him off and mess with her head.

He simply couldn't comprehend what goes through Izuna's mind. And he could imagine the same thing would be said for the younger Uchiha. Whatever. He had to confront that woman about another yet disturbing matter. It has been two full days since he found her laying on top of Izuna, pinning him down and sliding her fingers in and out of his mouth. Madara had difficulty in following whatever kind of game they were playing. _What were they doing? Trying to kill each other?_

Apparently they were. According to the maid, Mina had added chili peppers to Izuna's soup and spoon-fed him herself. With her own hands. He wasn't sure if she knew of Izuna's allergies to these peppers but she couldn't be that stupid. There was always the possibility that she did place the snake in his room and her reaction could have been re-enacted, while it seemed highly improbable it was a possibility nonetheless. And if she did indeed plan that, she surely couldn't be dumb enough to try and take out Izuna soon after. _What was she thinking?_ That since she failed to take Madara down, she would try out her luck with Izuna?

No.

That didn't make any sense. Surely, she was foolish enough to follow Izuna wherever he tells her but not to the point of attempting to kill both brothers.

_I guess I'd just have to find out._

He found her sitting in the garden. Reading. Again. It was like she never had a book _not_ in her hands. He came from behind and decided to just come forward with it.

"I've heard you just tried to kill my brother." He stated. His tone having the usual dark edge. He was careful not to add the word _too._ He couldn't be sure yet of what actually happened that night. She looked up from her book and turned around. She closed the book and set it aside.

"You forgot the part where I saved him." She retorted. _Gutsy, huh._

 _"You wouldn't have needed to if you hadn't attempted to kill him in the first place."_ He answered back. "Besides, I wouldn't have called that saving. You've actually made it worse from what I heard."  _Two can play this game._ But that comment seemed to have shut her up. Madara was about to continue but then she spoke.

"All the better." She said proudly.

He couldn't believe this woman. _She didn't have a single regret, did she?_

"Well, in my defense.." He waited for more.

"In my defense, I didn't know he was allergic. I swear." She raised her arms in surrender. He glared at her. If this was one of her games, he had no patience to go along with it. He crossed his arms and was about to say something but she stood up and interrupted him once more.

"Look at it this way, if I truly did want to kill you back that night and couldn't. Why would I try and murder your brother less than a week since?" She asked and then added "purposely of course... it would take someone immensely stupid to attempt something like that."

She was raising a good point. _So she caught on. Maybe she wasn't as moronic as it could have appeared._

"So what were you doing there that night?" He found an opening in her rambling.

"I.." she was figuring out what to say. "Like I said, Izu- your brother dragged me there under the excuse that you had wanted to see me." He continued to glare at her, wondering if what she was saying was true or not.

"Look, if you don't believe me, ask Izuna. He will lie right through his teeth but that only goes to prove my point."

_She was good. Very good._

She also lost that nervous air that surrounded her whenever she talked with someone. Whatever she was up to, it was no good.

"A piece of advice, don't ever barge into my room unannounced. Even if Izuna claims that there was a basket of cookies in there. Is that clear?" Madara had always been told he had a dry sense of humor. And now he could see why.

"I wouldn't want to." She replied and started to leave. But then stopped in her tracks, turned around and bowed down to him.

_What?_

This woman was confusing. And was surely confused herself.

"And here's a piece of advice from me." She said. "And I quote 'Moral justification is a powerful disengagement mechanism. Destructive conduct is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends. This is why most appeals against violent means usually fall on deaf ears.' Albert Bandura." She stopped for a moment before she spoke once more. "You should really think about the treaties you sign off to." She raised an eyebrow before definitely walking away this time.

_What?_

Madara was left there completely befuddled and perplexed at what her words meant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you've probably noticed by now you can see certain shared 'qualities' betwen characters, like similar thoughts or similar phrases or whatnot. I did that purposely to try and make the characters seem more connected in some aspects. Like Madara and Izuna. They're brothers and each is vastly different from one another, but they still share similar characteristics, ya know?  
> I'm not sure if that made sense lol  
> Anyways, enjoy XD
> 
> Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome :)


	19. Truce? Truce.

**_ Tobirama's POV _ **

"Brother, I need you to do something for me." Hashirama was pleading his younger brother.

"No." Tobirama refused without hearing Hashirama's proposal. He wouldn't. He was walking away from his elder brother, trying to shake him off his back. He had more important things to take care of than entertain Hashirama's whacked ideas. He already spent two hours everyday listening to his ramblings, he didn't need to waste anymore of his time. He was heading towards his office, ignoring the air-headed clan leader along the way.

" _Please brother._ This is important to me." He was begging now. Hashirama had brought out the puppy eyes. Perhaps the most persuasive weapon in his arsenal to date. It worked almost everytime. Almost. On anyone but Tobirama. It would never affect him. Tobirama had gotten used to the Senju leader's childish tactics. He has grown immune to it. How couldn't he? He grew up with that man. If he needed to make sure Hashirama always kept in check, his resolve would have to be stronger than his brother's. Which meant he would have to be blind to Hashirama's so-called puppy eyes and decline any and every idea he throws at him. Well, not every idea. Just the very stupid ones. But he didn't need to hear this suggestion his anija was about to make to know it was overly absurd. He just knew. He grew familiar to Hashirama's pleas and with that, he was able to differentiate between Hashirama's puppy eyes. Contrary to common belief, Hashirama did indeed have many expressions and not just one. The trick was in the eyes. If you managed to see what was really behind them, then it was guaranteed you knew what Hashirama really wanted. Like right now. His eyes might have been wide open and teary but there was a gleam in those brown orbs that only appeared every time he tried to convince Tobirama that the Uchiha were _'good'._

_So, this is definitely something about the Uchiha, huh?_

And if that was the case, he most certainly did not want to hear this idea. He had successfully ignored him up to this point. Hashirama now blocked his way and was standing between him and the door to his study.

"Move it Hashirama." Tobirama finally spoke more than two words and acknowledged his brother's presence. His growing agitation was obvious.

"Come on Tobirama. You know how much I'd appreciate this." The Senju was becoming a tad more serious now.

"I don't care." Tobirama replied.

"You do. Even if you don't know what I'm about to ask you yet."

"Actually. I really don't." He hated how Hashirama could just casually change his demeanor in a matter of seconds. It was unnerving because he would never know when he was being serious or not.

"You do." He repeated. "Because you're my brother and you'd do anything for me." The smug Hashirama had already returned. It seemed like he couldn't keep himself away for more than two seconds. He did have a point though. As much as Tobirama hated to admit it, he could never say no to his brother when it really mattered.

"Oh don't tell me you're still mad about that?!" Hashirama continued. "I already apologized. I know I should have told you first about my engagement before blurting it out."

Tobirama had managed to forget about that. His brother was still oblivious.

"I know it must have bothered you but I had originally thought you didn't care for such things. Now I see I was wrong in my assumptions." Hashirama began his long heartfelt apology. The same one he had been reciting for the past two weeks.

"But it wasn't like you would have told me about your lady friends either."

_Oh this is new._

Tobirama began to walk away from his study after deciding the paperwork in there could wait until tomorrow. He was in charge of it of course. Hashirama didn't have the brain capacity to stay seated for more than five minutes and read. He was following him now.

"You are not answering Tobi. Does that mean I'm right?" He gave him a few elbow jabs to initiate a response from him. But he wasn't getting one. Not the one he wanted, anyways. Hashirama knew very well how Tobirama hated that nickname.

"No, _Hashi_. You're not right." He finally replied as calmly as he could. He'd never call Hashirama that unless it was to annoy him but it only seemed to delight him even further. He never thought about such things. Never had the time for relationships. Or so he said. Tobirama could never really admit to himself that there was a part of him, deep down, that was just scared of getting to know the notion of intimacy. Maybe because he dreaded the possibility of rejection, he wasn't sure. That was the one area he could never understand. He wasn't like Hashirama. He wasn't good at 'socializing' with people. Never was and never would be. To socialize with people would mean he would have to open up. Even slightly. And well...he'd rather not. Keeping to himself has always worked out for him. Which could partly explain why he never went and 'actively sought out' a relationship. _Even if it was just a physical one_. Not even that. He never did-

So, he settled for communicating with people instead. As best as he could. He liked to think that he was at least good in that department. Relatively. _People were just plain dense sometimes._ He thought _. Like Hashirama. Actually, no. Not like Hashirama._

There was no one like Hashirama. In terms of both stupidity or power.

"Are you sure?" Hashirama asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" It didn't take much for Tobirama to lose his cool with his elder brother. With any other person he could compose himself but with Hashirama... _it was like he knew which buttons to push._

"Well then maybe you could meet a nice gal on the way when you deliver this invitation to Madara, hmm?!" He then raised a formal letter, sealed with red wax and the clan's emblem imprinted in.

_I see..._

Tobirama grabbed the letter, gave it one last look before crumbling it and threw it at his brother. It was a wedding invitation. And Hashirama wanted him to personally hand it to the Uchiha.

"What did you do that for?!" Hashirama squealed. "I wrote it myself!" Hashirama never wrote anything. Unless it was inviting the Uchiha to agree to a ceasefire. So this must have been a 'special occasion'.

"I've never received a fancy invitation letter." Tobirama replied curtly.

"Because you didn't need to. I invited you _personally_." Hashirama countered.

"I wouldn't call _'Hey wanna come to my wedding you never knew was happening up until now'_ a proper invitation." The younger Senju wanted to know how it would feel like to be as stubborn as his brother. Perhaps, even give _Hashi_ a taste of his own medicine.

"For the love of...Why do you have to be so difficult! ?" He was exasperated which could be clearly seen by the frantic handsigns he was waving. His brother was a good actor.

"I said no." Tobirama was heading for his room. A place where everything that was anti-Hashirama existed. The only area where he could be truly at peace without anyone bothering him. Even Hashirama knew his limits. He couldn't bypass the sliding doors that lead to the white-haired Senju's chambers. The only occasion in which he unexpectedly did that, he ended up nearly drowning in the hallways of his own home. But not before being called very 'inappropriate nicknames' and given a good beating. Hashirama did learn his lesson that time and Tobirama made sure of that. So, there was no way he would decide to forget the consequences and follow him in. _Or would he?_ You could never tell with Hashirama. It was sometimes difficult to get anything through that thick skull of his. Just like how he repeatedly sent peace treaties to the Uchiha over the years, only being answered with refusals and the occasional insults. Tobirama tried his best to get his brother to give up on that 'project' after a couple of times of blatant rejections. However, his older brother was persistent and stubborn. It was just in his nature and Tobi couldn't change that. No matter how much he would like to.

"But..but..if you don't, then who will!?"

"Anyone else. This is why we have messengers, Hashirama." Tobirama said, his deep voice...raw and fierce. Guttural and gruff. And yet, it was as demanding in everything he said. Similar to Madara's but it never held that menacing tone, that venomous nuance the Uchiha leader exuded. No, Tobirama's voice was dispassionate and uninterested. But on the few occurrences in which he didn't sound completely dull, his voice resonated like a rising storm. Full of emotions. Whether it was anger or contentment, it would catch everyone's attention. Including some women, according to Hashirama, but Tobirama hadn't noticed.

"Yes, but I want you, in person, to do it. No one else is up for this." His aniki was this close from blowing his fuse.

"With good reason! And you're willing to waste my time and my abilities on something as ridiculous as this?" He turned to face his brother.

"My wedding is not ridiculous." Hashirama spoke silently. "I had thought this would be a show of good faith and that you would at least like to know how Izuna was doing." Tobirama was about to interject but the elder Senju raised a finger, signaling him to keep quiet.

"Yes I know, it has been a while since that fight but they still harbor a grudge against you for killing Izuna. Or attempting to. Also, probably for your open antagonism towards them but that's not my issue right now. If you're _that_ against going there then I'm sure I could find someone else." Hashirama began to walk away, in the opposite direction of the younger brother's room.

...

_And this was how I found myself carrying yet another invitation to the Uchiha._

Guilt-tripping. That was new. Hashirama had only begun doing that recently, so Tobirama couldn't develop an immunity to it just yet. But he chose to take this situation to be a very-well taught lesson to learn from.

_Never, never let him get the upper hand._

Touka, his cousin, and him were nearing in on the compound. When he informed Hashirama that he decided to go, _reluctantly_ , the clan leader beamed of joy. He even knocked down the chair he was sitting on when he shot up and went to hug Tobirama. He dodged it thankfully. He wasn't in the mood to be strangled by the 6"5 man. Apparently, Hashirama had already assigned Touka for that task before he told him of his decision but he certainly didn't object to having one more to go. He must have been rejoiced that his new persuasive method worked this time. On Tobirama nonetheless. Everyone in the house must have heard the news because Touka couldn't hold herself back from pointing it out.

"He managed to convince _you_ out of all people? I can't believe it." Her laugh really got to him this time. He himself couldn't understand how he could fall to Hashirama's trick. It was inconceivable in his mind. Tobirama had long since began regretting this decision. They were leaping from tree to tree in matters of seconds, bouncing off their branches one instant only to land on others the moment after. They were going at full speed, meaning they could reach there in approximately five hours if they didn't stop for a break. And they didn't. He liked Touka. She was smart. And like him. She understood him better than anyone else, aside from his brother of course. People often compared her to a hyena due to her angular chin and her overall appearance. But Tobirama couldn't find a fault in her. She certainly would have had no trouble landing a man, however it was her choice not to. Not at the moment anyways, or so she said. She preferred to be on the battlefield, next to her cousins and comrades. Tobirama was grateful such a woman existed because in times of war, they needed all the help they could get.

"Boy, if you fell for that, then what chances do we others have?!" She was still laughing at Tobirama's expense. He didn't like it but he wouldn't want to pick a fight with her. She was still a woman and had her ways of taking her revenge. He had seen it in action before and well, he would rather _not_ see it firsthand.

"I got it. I messed up. I will get back at him don't worry about that." He finally replied after having stayed silent most of the journey. "Come on, we're almost there." They lunged down and landed on the soft ground. It was wet. It had been raining a lot recently. But there was sun today. Tobirama looked up and stared at the sky. He saw a flock of birds flying together in an ordered pattern, towards the southbound direction. It would be winter soon enough, it was time for them to find a warm climate.

They started walking down the pathway, taking their time after having ran most of the way here. It would take around thirty minutes to arrive there with the pace they were going at. _We should arrive on time. Unannounced that is_. The Uchiha had no idea that they were coming, so he didn't know what to expect. Hopefully, not the worst.

"So, how do you envision this would end?" She asked him, her voice a bit raspy.

"It's hard to say."

"You think he'll try to set you on fire again?" She was referring to the time Izuna did precisely that.

"Maybe." He couldn't predict what Izuna could do this time. "Maybe he'll burn his clan to the ground this time." He added.

She chuckled. They continued walking into the forest in silence. As they were getting closer, Tobirama could hear a voice in the distance. He sensed a good amount of chakra coming from that direction. Touka must have sensed it too since she also stopped in her tracks. He brought a finger up to his lips and made the signal to scatter. They retreated up to the trees and each of them followed the trail of chakra from opposite directions. Tobirama saw that he was being led to a clearing in the center of the forest.

_A river?_

As he got nearer he heard a beautiful voice. It was appealing and vibrant. Fruity? Delicate just like the echoes of silver bells. She was singing. He was mesmerized at how melodious it sounded. Tobirama could finally see who the owner of that voice was as he stood above them.

_That woman._

And it looked like she was carrying a small child over her shoulders. They were walking towards that river.

_"...Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you baby._

_If you need me, call me. No matter where you are. No matter how far. Don't worry baby. Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry..."_

Whatever she was singing, it was catchy. He was surprised at how easily she could change the tone of her voice from being rough to a smooth falsetto, as if trying to accommodate to the song's rhythm. But Tobirama had never heard such song. Yet, it was captivating his attention. He then heard giggles from both the woman and the boy she was holding onto so he wouldn't fall over.

"Come on! Now you sing with me. You got that part down, right?" She was speaking now. The boy laughed and nodded. "Good, and now..." Both of them began singing.

 _"'CAUSE BABY THERE AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH, AIN'T NO VALLEY LOW ENOUGH, AIN'T NO RIVER WIDE ENOUGH, TO KEEP ME FROM GETTING TO YOU BABE-AAY!"_ The boy was laughing loudly. Just as booming as when they were singing. But the woman continued the song.

 _"Remember the day. I set you free. I told you could always count on me darlin'. And from that day on, I made a vow. I'll be there when you want me. Someway, Somehow. 'Cause Babe-ayy there ain't no mountain.."_ She was getting better. He wanted to keep listening.

 _"Oooh no darlin' "_ She stopped suddenly and started humming instead. Tobirama waited patiently for her to continue her words. The boy was listening just as intently. He could see a smile on her lips, _it was like she enjoyed singing. Well, if she didn't, she wouldn't be singing, now would she?_ Right.

 _"No wind, no rain... Oh winter's cold, can't stop me baby. No no baby. 'Cause you were my looove."_ He was really intrigued by her lyrics. _Who could she be talking about?_

 _"My love is alive. Way down in my heart. Although we are miles apart."_ Her voice was high-pitched before returning back to a soft and low vocal. He vocal range was amazing, he couldn't help but think. _"If you ever need a helping hand, I'll be there on the double as fast as I can. Don't you know that there are no mountains.."_ She was purposely fluctuating her voice, almost like a tremble which somehow made the song seem all the more alluring. Tobirama couldn't understand how she was able to do that and make it sound well-versed. He waited for her to repeat the chorus but she halted mid-sentence. He looked down and saw that Touka had appeared in front of them. This was his cue.

He now stood facing them. The smiles they both had were now gone and replaced by astonishment at the sudden appearance of two ninjas before them. This was the woman he saw before, the one with no chakra. That means the chakra he sensed earlier must have been from _the boy? That amount?_ Sure, it wasn't a great deal but it was still too much for someone his age. _He couldn't be more than what...five, six?_

"Hi there." The woman began and smiled politely. They were now near the clearing. That seemed to be their destination after all. She was still holding onto the boy more tightly now as he had wrapped his legs around her shoulders. She held him the same way his father once had him and his siblings over his shoulders, playing. The only good memory he had before he started sending them off to war, one by one. She had that maternal instinct to try and protect the child from strangers. _Was he hers?_

They looked nothing alike. She had beautiful brown curly locks framing her face while his was short and tousled, the color of midnight. Her hair had grown longer since the last time he saw her. Her wide and caramel eyes were round and decorated with heavy eyelashes. While the boy's was almond shaped and equally as dark as his hair. He was definitely Uchiha. Just by the looks of it and not the crest on the back of his high collared dark shirt. _Was he really hers though?_

That could explain why she was in the Uchiha's main household. She didn't appear to be a maid back then. The only logical thing to assume was that she was married to one. But that wouldn't explain why she was so confused and didn't know her way around nor why the guard had treated her rather coldly. _Perhaps she married since._ But this couldn't be her child then. He was too old. He decided against assuming anything for now.

"Who are you?" He demanded. She seemed surprised by how deep his voice was.

"I'm Mina." She replied.

"What are you doing here?" He didn't mind interrogating her right then.

"I was just out for a walk." She was careful not to bring the child into this.

"Are you Uchiha?" It was Touka's turn to ask. The woman, Mina, took a while to answer that question.

"I am." The boy replied in her stead. This was unusual. Most Uchiha didn't venture off into the area. They kept to themselves inside the comfort of their own encampment. Much like the Senju or any other clan. But the Uchiha were notoriously well-reserved, like the Hyuga. Something about the need to protect their kekkei genkais. Or so Tobirama assumed.

"Well, can you lead us back to your compound?" Touka asked gently to the boy. "I'm afraid we got lost."

"Uhm, it's right down this path if you just continue. Then you turn right once you exit the forest, you should be on the main path that leads to the front gates." He mentioned the way there, attentive as to not agree to escort the Senju pair there themselves. _Which could only mean he and Mina hadn't passed through the front gates but a side entrance. One probably not known to the Uchiha guards._ That was the reasoning Tobirama had arrived at. That they snuck out. _Now why would they do that?_

The woman remained impassive.

"Would it be a problem if you joined us?" Touka pushed, seemingly caught on to what was going on.

"Uhm.." The boy wasn't sure what to say.

"Our leader, Hashirama Senju, has a very important message for yours. We mustn't be late." This time Tobirama pressed, urged a reaction out of them. He wanted to see how they would react now that there was an alliance between the two clans. He got the expected reaction he was looking for in the boy; a dark aura surrounded him at the mention of the Senju name. It seems he hadn't paid attention to their clan's insignia they had been wearing all this time. Yet, the woman still stood expressionless, like nothing ever affected her.

 _Hmm..._ He made sure to take a mental note of her reactions and demeanor only to analyze them later. If they thought they had a chance of this child and his... and Mina to show them around, they didn't have one now. They've never been lost. They knew their way there, they were just wondering what these people were doing out in the middle of the forest.

"You know what, it's fine. I'm sure we could find our way to the compound." Touka had said kindly, not wanting to bother them anymore. "Goodbye." And as instantly as they appeared, they retreated back to where they came from. Heading straight for the compound, leaving a stunned woman and a brooding child behind them.

* * *

 

"And so he extends his invitations to you and any close relatives, to attend the wedding of both he and Uzumaki Mito." Tobirama had said. " _Cordially._ " He added, after reading the letter he carried. He handed it over to the Uchiha leader sitting opposite of him. This was the third time in less than a month that he found himself sitting in front of Madara Uchiha in his home. Tobirama didn't like this. Not one bit.

Madara was unresponsive. He didn't show a single emotion. No laughter, no angry bursts, nothing. He carefully read the contents of the letter many times. Then Izuna grabbed the paper out of his hands roughly and scanned the contents himself. His grin getting wider in the process. He only needed to read it once before he cracked. Ruptured. Burst. _In laughter._ Tears started flowing down his cheeks.

"Oh dear that idiot's getting married?! _Already?!_ " He was cackling loudly. The Senju messengers were having a hard time trying to remain civilized with this nutcase insulting their leader. Particularly Tobirama. He shut his eyes tightly and cracked his knuckles. He was _this close..this close_ to bashing Izuna's head into the wooden table and through the wooden floor. He was wrong. Hashirama wasn't the only one to make him blow a fuse easily. Izuna topped his elder brother.

But he didn't need to because Madara beat him to it. He grabbed Izuna by the nape and smashed his head into the table beneath them. "What did I tell you about _respect?_ " He spoke to Izuna through clenched teeth.

"Oi oi stop this nii-san. I was only joking." Izuna was still laughing. _Unbelievable_. Madara turned to them and said curtly, "Sorry."

He let go of Izuna's neck and the younger Uchiha brother sat upright and rubbed the back of his head, which was undoubtedly red.

"Yeah, sorry about that." He apologized halfheartedly. He bit his lower lip to avoid bursting into another fit of laughter.

 _Breathe in. Breathe out. And again. Calm down Tobirama. Calm the fuck down. Do not slit his throat in front of Madara. Or else you will not hear the end of it from Hashirama. Calm down._ He took in a deep breath and exhaled forcefully. Being lectured by Hashirama was a worse fate for him than being here and having to hear this utter bullshit. He would have to suck it so he doesn't do anything stupid and reckless, _so he doesn't become Hashirama._

He awaited Madara's response. Which was taking an awfully long time to come.

"I accept."

Finally.

_Wait, what?_

Did he just agree? Did Uchiha Madara just agree to attend a wedding? Senju Hashirama's wedding? Tobirama was shocked. So was Touka and it was clearly seen by the expression on her face. Tobirama hid his shock rather well. _UNLIKE UZUNA WHO DIDN'T EVEN BOTHER TO._

"UHM what?" Izuna said, looking at his elder brother. The only other person in the room that seemed sane was an old man, an Uchiha elder. His beard was incredibly long,so long that it reached the ground. He seemed to be asleep as his eyes were closed. But Tobirama couldn't be sure since his eyes have been shut the whole time they've been here.

"Very well then." Tobirama said as he stood up. He couldn't bear to stay here a second longer. Not with what was about to go down. "I will inform him of your answer. He will surely be...pleased by your attendance." He gave a curt nod as he bid his farewell. Touka bowed slightly out of respect. As she did so, Tobirama noticed Izuna's eyes linger _a bit too long_ on her figure. _Boy, if he tries anything..._

He was already growing weary of Izuna.

...

They were on their way out of this place and he was glad that he got this over with. Touka was still dumbstruck at what just happened.

"So, did I _just_ hear right or did he _just_ agree to attend Lord Hashirama's wedding?"

"I'm starting to doubt my hearing as well." Tobirama confessed.

They had reached the compound walls. The fortress that barricaded the inner occupied lands from the outside areas. He leaned over one wall with his hand and inconspicuously placed a technique formula on it. The small seal appeared and then became invisible in its surroundings. He purposely chose a dark area to plant it so it wouldn't be too obvious. This was the second wall he marked. There was another one in the northern direction from when they had first arrived. He needed to mark these locations where he visited often enough. That was part of his trick when it came to his Flying Raijin Technique. He decided he would mark the Uchiha compound walls as one of these places, seeing that he has been coming here more and more. So, the next time he does, because he was sure Hashirama would come up with a stupid reason to send him and per usual he would agree, he wouldn't have to travel five to eight hours to get here. He could just instantaneously teleport himself instead. This jutsu proved more than convenient on areas other than the battlefield. In truth, Tobirama still couldn't quite comprehend how he came to invent such a technique. Of course he knew how to use it and began to gather a bit on how it works, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was just scrapping the surface. There was still much more to learn, like _how could he manipulate a certain point of space and warp the intended target only to end up summoning it to a deliberate location, without ripping that specific target into pieces? What sort of dimension does that target pass through? Was there any consequences to bypassing these barriers?_

 _Apparently not._ Up until now, there wasn't any noticeable consequences after using. Not since he created it.

"What are you doing?" Touka asked him.

"Nothing. Come here." He ushered her over. There were already markings placed at his home's compound. She raised an eyebrow, "What?"

Tobirama didn't like to repeat himself. He waited for her to come over and then placed a hand on her shoulders.

"What's going on? Where are we going?" She appeared confused. He never really introduced her to his jutsu as of yet.

"We're going home." He said.

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

Kagami was still sulking since Tobirama and his lady friend interrupted our nice walk out of the blue. _Talk about a buzzkill, seriously._ We sat down by the river and looked straight into the clear water. There were colored leaves dancing on its surface. Autumn was just starting here.

Kagami wasn't the type to show his anger or disappointment, as I've come to realize in the last few days. He appeared to be completely fine now but I knew he wasn't. He was agitated at the arrival of the Senju. Why wouldn't he be? They killed his father before he even got the chance to memorize anything of him.

"What's wrong Kagami?" I asked as gently as I could. He wasn't paying attention nor focusing on anything in particular.

"Why are they here?" He replied with his own question.

"I think they said something about having a message for your leader." I recalled what Tobirama had said. _Or was it the lady?_ I had a really bad memory.

"I know but still... Why are they acting friendly all of a sudden?" This boy was curious, he had a question for everything. He wasn't blind, he knew what was going on with the clan. He just couldn't understand the depth of what it meant. Kagami was still too young.

"Well, right now, your clan and theirs have agreed to stop fighting." I tried to put it as simply as I could. "Which also means they are going to communicate more often with each other. Instead of being enemies, perhaps they could be friends."

"Why would we want to be friends with them?" He turned to look at me finally, his eyes wide with wonder. "Aren't the Senju evil? That's what they've been telling me since I was born."

 _Good point, kid._ What and how was I supposed to tell him? I was about to come up with anything but he continued.

"I mean, they killed my father. Aren't we supposed to hate them? Surely, they must have killed other fathers too, right? " He finally said it. That's why he was so down. _Poor child. He must be so confused._ Seeing those that took his father away from him and his friends'.

"Okay, think about it this way then. For every father they killed on your side, your clan also killed one on theirs. And just like you, there are other children who have lost their fathers from their end. Exactly like you said. So, for every father, every brother, every grandfather, every uncle and even for every mother who died here, the same died there." I couldn't tell if he understood what I meant or not.

"But why do we have to lose family?" He inquired.

_Because there are some warmongering fools out there who thrive on the pain of others to satiate their own hunger for power. And ego, too._

The same logic can be applied back in my world. There were still wars raging on in some countries because reasons X, Y and Z. It didn't matter the welfare of the people who lived in these war torn countries, money was what made the world go round. And war wasn't the exception. Profit could be made from anything, even that. Whether it was monetary or for personal gain and satisfaction. It didn't matter, people always found the smallest reasons to start a fight. Big fights. The sorts that would potentially start wars. I wasn't going to tell him that, the boy may have had the smarts but he was only seven. He deserved to find that out by himself. I did feel bad though that I was holding back what I truly thought, he had the right to know everything. The truth. But...

The difference between my world and this, wasn't only the reasons we fought but was also the way we fought. Guns, tanks and missiles were our choices of weapons while jutsu, swords and eyes were the only options here. I sighed and scootched closer to him. I wrapped my arms around his tiny frame and brought him near.

"That's a good question Kagami, I'm not sure I can answer it. Maybe if you asked me about why we fight then maybe I could tell you it was because each of us battles for what we believe in. And the same can be said about our opponents. We each fight for our own causes and justices. But then who's to say which is right? Us or them?" These words were very familiar to me and I knew why.

"Then why did Madara-sama decide to become friends with the Senju now?" I understood his question. He desperately wanted to know why Madara hadn't chosen the peace treaty seven years ago so maybe his father could have survived instead. I wasn't sure if Madara was even clan head back then but Kagami was surely insinuating so.

"You ask very important questions, you know. I like the way you think. It's a shame I have no answers for you." I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "I didn't know Madara-sama seven years ago, so I can't say." That was the best I could give him. He will grow up and make his own decisions. That was something up to him solely. He will certainly see how this world works and his choices would reflect on what he saw was best. He didn't say anything more for a while.

"Where are you from?"

I looked down at him and smiled.

"Ahh well, it's a long story...

* * *

 

It was nighttime but I could clearly see the hand stretched out to me.

"Truce?" It was Izuna. Uchiha Izuna wanted a ceasefire between him and I. If I didn't know better, I would have said this was also one of his tricks. I eyed him suspiciously. Perhaps he was hiding a snake up his sleeves that would slither out and bite me once I shook his hand.

"Relax, I don't have a snake hiding up my sleeves."

This guy was a mind reader, maybe that was also one of his ruses. I couldn't be sure so I kept my distance. I was honestly tired of playing games with him and I wanted nothing more than to be left alone however, it was never safe to let my guard down around Izuna. Or Madara for that matter. Heck, not around anybody. Was he being genuine or was he joking around? There was nothing in his expression that indicated either. He held his trademark smirk and that was about it. I kept analyzing him a while longer while I contemplated on the decision I would make. I finally decided on whatever ceasefire this was until he was the one to break it first and then I would retaliate in full force. I knew I may very well end up regretting this decision... _but to hell with it._ I extended my arm slowly and shook his hand.

"Truce." I repeated.

"Good, now it's out of the way. Haven't you heard?" He was asking while practically giggling. My suspicions only sky-rocketed from there.

"Heard what?" I said sternly.

"Hashirama Senju's getting married!" He was full-blown cackling now. I, too, wanted to join him at how ridiculous that sounded. Hashirama getting married was the equivalent of a clown getting married to his own stuffed animal balloons. Actually that wasn't funny at all. It was pretty scary as a matter of fact. But Hashirama...

_No, hold yourself together. Don't join in on his madness. He was only gossiping. Don't gossip._

Thank goodness I saved face. I didn't laugh, just stood there and glared at him.

"And?" I shrugged.

 _"And? And? Are you joking?_ Don't you know who he is? I mean it sounded like you knew Tobirama from before, how could you not know his foolish older brother?!" He was on the verge of shouting. Something in what he said made me jump back to all those nights ago where I warned him of Tobirama or else he would get killed. So, naturally, he went out and got himself killed. He wouldn't have been Izuna Uchiha if he didn't.

"Well, it's none of my business who gets married and who doesn't." I exclaimed. I was about to turn on my heels and go back to my room. We were out in the hallway that opened onto the garden and the air was getting chilly.

" _Well,_ it should be as of right now. Madara agreed to go and plans on selling you off." He said casually.

"WHAT?!"

"I just said-"

"I know what you said! And it isn't funny!" I shouted at him.

"How is it not? Madara Uchiha is about to attend a wedding! Have you ever _seen_ Madara at a wedding?!" He was back laughing again.

"That wasn't what I meant you dumbfuck!" I wanted to slap him. _Screw this truce! I will snap his neck instead._

"Hey woman, watch your language." Despite what he said, his overall attitude gave no real conviction to that statement.

"No one is selling me off, do you hear that!?" I knew he was probably just joking and messing with me, I shouldn't have gotten this angry but it was second nature to me now.

In a split of a second, I saw a strong hand about to land on my side.

"Think fast!" I had already bent over backwards in a wheel pose before Izuna had managed to caution me. A loud snap could be heard. His hand hit the wall instead. _That would have left a nasty bruise if I was that wall right now._ Thank God my reflexes weren't completely gone. All those extracurricular acrobatic classes finally came in handy. A few yoga sessions here and there also helped. I was pretty flexible even if I didn't look like it. Which was why I joined gymnastics classes. And I was good at it, too. I won a few competitions when I competed for regionals. But then I got lazy towards the end. I never could understand why I stopped it. It was a nice sport.

 _Oh right, the outfits got way too tight for me._ That was a petty and sad excuse to stop a sport you liked, my parents told me. But I was in that phase where I was overly self-conscious of my body and I couldn't help it. And how the coach used to ogle me and some of my friends. _Pervy old bastard._ That was what relatively sealed the deal for me.

"Oopsies. It was just a fly." I was still bent over, afraid to move. Everything was so sudden, it was hard for me to catch up. My brain was processing things slower. He was staring down at me, wide eyed and a brow raised.

"So uhh, I'm going to get up now. You might want to stand back if you don't want me to headbutt you on the way up." I said a bit awkwardly. I could feel a few sweat beads falling from my head right to the ground.

"Alright then, good night." He started to walk away.

"Hey wait!" _We were just going to talk about how Madara was going to sell me off to the Senju._ He was gone now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, I don't know why but I felt like I wanted to write in Tobirama's POV a bit more. We didn't get to see much of him.
> 
> You guys should also check out that song 'Ain't no mountain high enough' by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell if you haven't already. It's very famous. It would also help you sort of imagine how Mina would be singing it, considering how tough it is to describe someone singing. It was really hard to write. LOL.
> 
> On that note, it's also a really good song.  
> Anyways, hoped you enjoyed this. PM me if you have any questions. Reviews are welcome as well. And a thank you for everyone who followed or favored or commented or view or anything really. It means a lot :)


	20. Just Married!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was wondering, are the chapters too long or do you guys prefer the chapters longer?

_**Tobirama's POV** _

Three days until the wedding.

_Three awful days._

He should be happy for his brother and his newfound happiness. _But it was just that._ That was the problem. How happy was Hashirama? Was he even happy at all? Was he just doing this so he could spit out a few heirs that the elders have been hassling him about for years? Was he willing to sacrifice whatever chance he could have had at happiness with whoever he wanted? Did he truly love Mito?

Tobirama was skeptical. No one married for love in this era, if ever. If he ever married, it probably wouldn't be for love. That was just how the world worked. How it always worked. But Hashirama had always been outspoken and vocal about 'love' and how it was 'what would bring this world together' and whatnot. Mostly cheesy stuff. Sentimental things Tobirama preferred not to think about. Yet, his brother was about to marry Uzumaki Mito. He could only question what was going on in his brother's mind, because on the surface, this looked nothing more than a political marriage to solidify the ties between the two clans.

_Nothing more, nothing less._

So, it wasn't hard to imagine why Tobirama was dubious of this union. But it was happening and he couldn't change that. He sighed heavily. He looked up into the starry night. It was a cold night. The weather was getting harsher. They were at that time of year again where they would spend the upcoming months gathering all the food sources they can for the winter. The lands became barren in these bleak times. They would also prepare for battles that came right after. They would refine their weapons, built new ones, invent new jutsu...anything that would give them the competitive edge over their enemies. Well maybe they wouldn't have to be so hard on themselves this time. They did have one less enemy now. Supposedly.

_No, that's no excuse to start slacking._

The Uchiha may not be their opponents for now, they still couldn't risk it. Other clans could attack. And they should be ready in the case anything happens. Tobirama would see to that personally. He would continue training his shinobi like he always did up till now.

They certainly chose the worst possible time to start the construction of this settlement.

Tobirama was also in charge of that as well. Along with an Uchiha shinobi named Hikaku. He couldn't understand the reasoning his brother used. Hashirama insisted they start the building of the main infrastructures now. Tobirama thought it was unwise. They may start the construction now, but winter was just around the corner and then they would have to halt any progress they made for a few months. He couldn't guarantee what could happen in these months. The weather becomes unpredictable. The storms could damage whatever establishments they had managed to set up by then. Meaning, they could very well start over in the spring. Tobirama didn't have a problem with waiting a few more months.

 _"We've been waiting all our lives, what would it matter a few more weeks?"_ He had told Hashirama earlier today.

His brother remained adamant on trying to finish the constructions as soon as possible.

Great. This meant Tobirama would have to travel there a few weeks to supervise the work that was going on. He would leave right after his elder brother's wedding. A part of him was relieved he wouldn't have to see Hashirama for a while. It was always good to take a few days off away from the clan leader. He had been stuck with him since birth and rejoiced every time he was out on missions that lasted a while. He loved his brother, there was no doubt about that. But for the sake of his sanity, he would take a week or two as a break from Hashirama. Otherwise, he would have lost his mind a long time ago.

He actually couldn't believe the Mito Uzumaki had agreed to this 'would-be disaster of' marital rites. Unless she was forced to accept it but she didn't come off to Tobirama as someone who was easily pushed over. She was strong headed just like his brother, almost a perfect match. Maybe then he could pass on the torch to her, she would be responsible for keeping him in check. _Who else would be better suited for it anyways?_ Tobirama sure as hell wasn't planning on being his brother's 'care-taker' for the rest of his life. _No, absolutely not._

_What was that woman singing again? Ain't no mountain high enough to...to keep me away from you?_

Right, that was exactly what he needed between him and Hashirama. A mountain. A valley. A river wide enough to keep his distance for a while as Tobirama composed himself once more.

He took in another deep breath and exhaled. He liked meditating at night. Unlike the morning, there was no one usually awake at this hour to make a raucous.

"TOBIRAAAAMAA!" He heard a loud voice calling him. He winced at the disturbing noise.

 _Maybe I was wrong._ Only Hashirama would be awake right now for the sole intent and purpose to perturb him.

* * *

 

"ARE YOU NUTS?!" Tobirama was about to have a heart attack.

"I beg to differ. I am not. The name's Hashirama." He said as matter-of-factly. This was Hashirama being annoying. At his best. Tobirama took a swing at his elder brother who managed to dodge just in time. Just. Or else he would be weeping on the floor with a broken jaw right now and wouldn't' be able to speak for a week. And his wedding was after tomorrow. Something Tobirama chose to ignore while attempting to batter in his brother's head with his fists. _This was unbelievable!_

Hashirama began, "I honestly don't see how hard it is, I mean, yes, it will take a while but there's no one more qualified for this than you dear brother." Was he trying to add fuel to the already burning flames within Tobirama? Because it was working. The elder was trying to escape from his younger brother's deadly clutches by putting his desk between them. That didn't stop Tobi though. He was carefully circling the desk, seeking to find an opportune moment to strike. Like a panther gyrating around its helpless prey. Hashirama, as always, tried to move heaven and earth to get away from this growing tension.

"I'm sorry, really. I didn't even mean to suggest it. Forget I even said anything." He was chuckling nervously, aiming to put this whole debacle behind them. Tobirama was giving him the deadliest glare he could manage. The kind of glare he saved exclusively for the Uchiha. Particularly, Izuna.

 _''No one more qualified than me? NO ONE?!"_ He repeated what the other man had just said. "Who do you take me for? A fool?!" He lunged at the man he supposedly shared flesh and blood with. Which was hard to believe at this very moment. The poor man in question jumped backwards, now completely cornered as he was backed up against the wall. No way out except through the sliding doors. But then he'd have to dart past Tobirama to get there. That wasn't really possible. Tobirama was the fastest among them. No one was quicker than him, in both speed and reflexes. No one with sensory skills as finely tuned as his. So, if Hashirama did miraculously, also highly unlikely, to make it past him, Tobirama would find him within seconds. A punch was already coming his way and he bent down to try and avoid it. _Boy, was he angry alright,_ Hashirama thought.

"Was it not enough you kept me awake all night to play along with your stupid game?! What else do you want from me? Play house with your new wife?! _No one more qualified than me_ my ass!" He was already taking another swing but this time, it hit its intended target. All the air was knocked out of Hashirama's body. He didn't even attempt to block it, he must have figured it would be easier to just get this over with.

A not so wise decision on his part.

He knelt down and tried to take in as much air as he could, to replace what was lost thanks to Tobirama's punch. He grabbed his side as he quickly stood up.

"Ouuf. That was one heck of a punch Tobi!" He was back to laughing.

_This man..._

"I get it, I deserved that. It's fine. It was only a suggestion, no need to get so angry about it." Hashirama tried to remain civil.

He was right, Tobirama shouldn't have gotten this angry. But he hadn't caught a glimpse of sleep the night before on account of Hashirama and his bright idea of trying on his wedding kimono. He was taking measurements for the montsuki and hakama. Tobirama had pressured him to do this specifically two weeks prior so this exact situation could be averted. And now, he had been dragged into something as petty as this which was _so trivial, so insignificant..._ to him anyways. He missed out on rest because of this. Tobirama wasn't in the best state when he lacked sleep. Hence, already outraged at something he deemed of little importance. It wasn't his job to take his brother's measurements, it was the maid's or the seamstress'. But Hashirama wanted him there for some reason. For some idiotic reason that had passed right over Tobirama's head. _The best part_ was that hadn't even been the worst part of the night.

_Oh the irony..._

Hashirama had suddenly disappeared in the middle of the ordeal. Poof. He really did just leave. And never came back. Not until the morning anyways. But Tobirama had already punched his way out through one of the walls by then. Seeing that his elder brother had somewhat locked the doors from outside, leaving him and the maid alone for hours. He had had enough and went back to his chambers only to come back out an hour later and find Hashirama in his face. By that time, he only managed to shower and change into new clothes. Still couldn't find time for sleep. Seeing Hashirama that early in the morning only added to his grumpiness.

_And now...now..._

Now he wanted Tobirama to drop anything he was doing and play guide to the coming Uzumaki delegation. Particularly, to Mito Uzumaki and her personal maids. As if he even had time to ponder that. He was neck deep into paperwork concerning the new establishment that was underway. He had no time time for silly things. _This wasn't my job._ But Hashirama appeared to think so and that was what drove him nuts the most.

He cracked his knuckles for the fifth time that morning. A bad habit he had. If he wanted to get on with the work that awaited him, he better leave Hashirama's office right now. But first, he needed to gather himself before walking out and greeting people. They didn't deserve to see him this way. He reserved his anger and wrath for Hashirama later on in the day. He turned and went for he door.

"Wait, won't you at least greet Mito and her group when they arrive at the gates?" He already shut the door with a bang as he heard his elder brother shout from the other side, "They should be arriving soon!"

* * *

 

_Done. Done. Done._

Tobirama was mentally crossing out the tasks he had successfully done for the day. He was relieved that he actually managed to get anything done despite all the commotion with the arrival of the Uzumaki. He distanced himself from all that noise and focused only on his tasks as second-in-command. That was what he truly excelled at. Burying himself in work. And more work and more and more...

He had no trouble with it. He somewhat liked the idea of being dedicated to something he could control. It never bothered him which explained why Tobirama could easily drown himself in duties that weren't even originally assigned to him. He enjoyed being busy and detested laziness. Systems and orders were what he believed in. Structure, organization and discipline were principals that would preserve this so called peace. Not 'love' as his brother argued. No. These were standards that would make this settlement prosper. Along with mutual understanding. Something he never thought possible with the Uchiha for the longest time. A part of him still didn't. But that was another matter.

He needed to take care of the situation at hand.

The Sarutobi clan had sent an envoy. The Senju weren't at war with them, but it wasn't like they were allies. The trading ties that bound them were growing strained within the past few years. _Perhaps that was what they came to discuss. Finally._ Tobirama's clan had no issues on their end, it was the Sarutobi that seemed to have a problem. Maybe a few even. That was what he heard but they have never confronted the Senju. _Not until now, they haven't._ He decided that he would take care of the issue himself. There was no need to bother Hashirama over something like this. Unless it became serious, he was not the one in position to take definitive decisions. He could at least go and check what the unexpected guests brought with them.

* * *

 

** _Madara's POV_ **

_"...socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends. This is why most appeals against violent means usually fall on deaf ears."_

That quote kept ringing in his ears non-stop in the last few days. _What on earth did she mean? Did she think this peace treaty wouldn't work? And what was an 'Albert Bandura'?_

This was confusing. He couldn't wrap his mind around it. And it bothered him deeply. To the point that he would get angry every time her voice spoke those two phrases in his mind. He had so many questions and no answers to them. He hated it. He detested things he couldn't understand, things he couldn't explain. Cryptic. Why was she always so cryptic? Or was he genuinely that dumb he couldn't put two and two together? Dumb enough not to apprehend what she was saying?

_No._

He became convinced that she was trying to tell him something but wouldn't say it straight-forwardly. _Why?_

_"...Destructive conduct is made personally and socially acceptable by portraying it in the service of moral ends. This is why most appeals against violent means usually fall on deaf ears.' Albert Bandura."_

_"You should really think about the treaties you sign off to."_

_Think about the treaties I sign off to?_ What did she know about treaties anyways? Was she doubting his capabilities to sticking to it? Or the Senju's? She didn't believe in peace? Or was she referring to the countless times he ignored Hashirama's pleas? Was that what the appeal referred to here? The entreaty for peace? _What was it dammit!?_

He was getting a headache just by thinking about it. So, he chose to go look for Kagami instead. Madara finally had time to himself and he wanted to spend it training the young boy. But first, there was something he needed to tell him. Something that would surely break his heart if he hadn't heard about it already. Madara himself had only heard the news yesterday right after the Senju left. His mother had died.

Azami was her name. Memories of her started to resurface. He could vividly remember telling her that her husband had died in battle protecting Izuna. Roughly seven years ago. She was barely an adult herself, no more than sixteen and she had already bore a child. Madara felt horrible for leaving that child fatherless, he couldn't help but blame himself like it was his fault somehow. He couldn't protect his own clan. That haunted him for months on end as he had just become clan head during that time. Madara did everything in his power to make-up for something that was impossible to replace. He offered her everything to make her comfortable, but she declined every time. She was still grieving back then.

He could now see her pale face, her emaciated form and tear-stained eyes as she respectfully refused what he presented her. Perhaps it was her mourning or the sudden realization that she was now left alone with young infant to raise herself, as she had no parents, but it brought some sense into her. All she asked was that she continued to work in his household and that she would raise Kagami, the child, here.

Madara was grateful that she would even suggest something. He had been afraid that she would just take the child and leave. He didn't want that nor would allow it. All that he wished for back then was to lessen the burden she carried. So, he volunteered to take the child under his care. To train him personally. To teach him what he needed to learn so he could grow to become a fine shinobi just like his father. Granted, he didn't know him very well, but for someone to be able to sacrifice himself the way he did and for someone he had no close relation to...

Thanks to him, Izuna was still alive today. That was something he would forever be indebted with. So, if it meant he could shoulder some of her responsibility. He didn't mind.

She was dead now.

_Gone._

Leaving a child behind. Alone.

He desperately needed to find him, as soon as possible.

...

He went looking for Kagami yesterday morning but he couldn't find him anywhere. It was their usual training time and it was the boy who would always go looking for him. Yet, he hadn't shown up to their training grounds.

In truth, perhaps he had been neglecting that part of his promise lately. He wasn't training him as much as he should. So much has happened recently it was hard to keep track of things back home.

_But no more of that._

Madara would drill the boy regularly now. He was growing up fast and would undoubtedly become an extraordinary shinobi in no time. He already had a great reserve of chakra for a kid his age. Madara only wanted to give a helping hand. To make sure that the boy grows up to become someone great. Someone that would bring pride to the Uchiha name.

...

He was searching all morning for him yesterday, _he could have been with friends,_ he had reasoned to himself. But then, he never saw the boy leave the household often. Maybe because he himself wasn't here often. Still, he never saw Kagami with other children, always staying near his mother's side instead.

The only person he was hanging around recently was Mina. That intrigued Madara as much as it infuriated him seeing the woman so at ease with his people. She would always act 'normally' around the maid, Kagami or even sometimes with the elder Takayama. It was understandable seeing that she had spent most of her days at the library. _And yet..._

Once he heard Tobirama had arrived along with his cousin, Touka, at his gates, he instantly lost train of thoughts and went straight to meet the messengers. He wasn't expecting them. And hoped that whatever they had to say, they would say it quick so he send them out.

Indeed they said it quick. He called upon whatever self-control he possessed right then so he couldn't burst out laughing. It took a lot of self-control. An amount he never knew he had. He was the clan leader, he wouldn't behave that way. But that didn't excuse Izuna from his reaction. Madara understood well what his brother was thinking and he empathized with him. He would have joined him in his fit if Tobirama hadn't been right there. All he needed was to keep appearances and 'scold' Izuna. And then he could laugh as much as he wanted.

So he did.

And he laughed. Laughed hard. _Hashirama married?_ He had thought. That wasn't right. A crime against nature was about to be committed and he wanted to be present and see it unfold with his own two eyes. He never thought Uzumaki Mito was that foolish. He had never met her personally but he knew the Uzumaki. They weren't the best of friends naturally.

This marriage was meant to happen. Eventually.

_Political at its finest. Or was it?_

He didn't know and didn't care what Hashirama did with his love life. He was only sure he wanted to attend this disastrous union. Hence, why he accepted the invitation. Much to everyone's surprise. It was three days from that moment.

After that personal hand in by Tobirama, he left with the intention of returning back to his search. Which turned out futile. Why was he even looking for the kid? He would turn up eventually, it wasn't like him to skip training sessions but he was still a child after all. That was when they broke to him the news that his mother, Azami, had died.

"Where's Kagami?" He had demanded. Sora, Azami's friend was the one that reported the matter to him.

"I'm not sure." She replied curtly, clearly distraught by her friend's untimely passing. Yet, she still maintained a respectful tone.

"When was the last time you saw him?" He questioned her. Madara tried to sympathize with her but his worry for the boy's whereabouts grew. It was nearly evening and he hadn't seen him all day.

"Yesterday night."

"With whom?" He prompted.

"Mina-sama." That was all he needed to know. He nodded and left. Of course he would be with her.

_So where were they?_

He couldn't think of a place where she could have taken him. She didn't know her way around the streets very well. Unless Kagami was the one to guide her. But then..

_So where were they?_

Th same question was wearing him down as he found no answer.

"Hey nii-san!" Not this again.

"The elders called a meeting. Are you coming?" Izuna shouted from across the garden. It really wasn't a question though.

It wasn't like Madara had a choice. _But there wasn't a meeting scheduled for today, so what could these geezers possibly want now?_

* * *

 

 _That damn shithole of a meeting._ He should have expected something like that so soon. They may have been old but they were relentless.

It was morning and he went straight for Kagami, trying to erase the memories of yesterday's evening away from his mind. He would have liked to deny that yesterday's events had even occurred at all but that would have taken it too far. After the meeting, someone had mentioned to him that the boy had arrived along with the woman. Madara was slightly relieved. He thought it best to leave the boy alone at that time, let others break the news to him. He didn't feel like it was his place to tell him that his mother had passed away. _But did he know? Did they actually tell him?_ Madara couldn't be sure so he decided that he might have to tell Kagami if he didn't already know. _And if I ever find him._

He practically patrolled the entirety of this household twice since yesterday, in search of him. But there was still no sign of the boy. How tedious could it be to find a child?! Madara felt like he just lost a child in the center of a busy marketplace and it agitated him. He wasn't used to hunting down children yet this was what he was doing. He was now pacing around heavily, back and forth down the hallway to the garden. What was he going to do now? _Fucking great._

"So, are you looking for them?" He heard Izuna's voice in the back. He was leaning against a pillar, a brow raised inquisitively. Madara followed to where his brother was pointing and saw two people sitting near the koi pond, on the ground. How many times had he passed by this corridor and looked onto the garden? Several for sure, but he had never noticed them until now.

They couldn't have been there before. He would have caught sight of them for sure.

"Are you losing your eye sight? Because they've been there for a while now, you know." Izuna said nonchalantly.

_No they haven't._

_"Shut up."_ He hissed. Madara wasn't in the mood for one of his little brother's mockery. He turned around to take a second look at the figures sitting there. He had hoped he was imaging things. Either they've been there for a while like Izuna so kindly suggested which would indeed mean Madara's vision was worsening, a possibility he really didn't want to think about right now. The other logical scenario that he preferred, was that they've just arrived themselves and he hadn't heard them above his loud footsteps.

_Yes, that must be it._

_It couldn't hurt in believing one of your own lies every now and then, would it?_

Isn't that what they call denial? Something Madara has been doing for quite some time now. He ran a hand through his long obsidian locks before he began walking into their direction.

As he got closer, he saw that Mina had wrapped a warm arm around the boy and pulled him closer, in a tight embrace.

_So he does know..._

They never heard him coming. He coughed and cleared his throat so he could get their attention. The woman was the first to turn around and see him. He had crossed his arms and was looking down at her. Kagami never bothered to turn around, he was in a dream-like a state, completely hazed. None of them said anything for quite some time, Madara expected them to know what he was here for. He had intended to take Kagami for training at first but he was beginning to think that through. Maybe he should have left the boy a while longer, let him properly mourn his mother. Unlike Madara who never had the chance. He too lost his mother when he was seven, which would be around twenty years ago. Twenty years since he last saw her. He had begun to forget what she looked like and that saddened him. His father never let him grieve her, instead he would always take him out to train. A part of him was grateful because it made him momentarily forget the pain he felt knowing he would never see her again, but he was mostly angry. At his father. Who didn't seem to give two shits that his wife just passed away after giving birth to their last child. Not too long after, he was shipping Madara and his brothers off to war. Soon, Izuna would follow them. And Madara's fury only grew from then on. Tajima Uchiha was the prodigy of his time, an exceptional shinobi but a lousy parent. Sure, he may have loved his children in his own way, but that only justified his own view of them as mere objectives. Objectives he would willingly sacrifice if it lead to the prosperity of the Uchiha clan. Madara came to learn that quickly enough. His father wasn't the only one who had these views, other elders in his time did too. Madara hated it. He couldn't fathom how they were so at ease and comfortable at giving up children, forcing them to fight, all for the 'greater good'.

He didn't want to be like his father. _No, never._

The woman stood up to face him. Kagami did the same.

"Is there something I could help you with?" She asked, her voice monotone.

All that anger he had managed to suppress in the last few days came bubbling up to the surface once more. Madara wanted to shake her badly. Violently. Hoping that whatever answers he sought would just come out of her lips. Why was she always this confusing? Never saying what she meant? Couldn't come out with it frankly? What had she meant with that quote? Why did she say it? What else did she know and was purposely hiding? Why was everyone so easily befriending her? First, the maid and now Kagami. Heck, even Izuna, in his own strange and creepy way. Why wouldn't she leave him alone? Couldn't she stop haunting his dreams?! It was driving him mad.

He was about to answer back but Kagami turned and Madara saw something different about the young boy. Red orbs were in place of his usual dark ones. Three tomoes were swirling frantically in a circle. Just like a wheel. They stopped spinning once he took in Madara's presence. The child looked up at the grown man in front of him. Madara couldn't contain the small smile that played on his lips. _He had awakened his sharingan. A three tomoe nonetheless and he was only seven._ Madara only activated it for the first time when he was fourteen and he had discovered Hashirama's identity.

The woman grew concerned for some reason and drew the child closer to her, holding on him tightly as she put herself between Madara and Kagami.

"Leave him alone. He just lost his mother." She whispered. Madara couldn't tell what expression she had on right then. It was like a horrible realization had just dawned on her. _Did she think I would harm him? Or did she simply not want to let him go?_

Now that he looked closely at the boy in question, he seemed rather calm for a child who just found out his mother had died. No wet cheeks, no tears, no sobbing, absolutely nothing of what Madara had expected. He was just lifeless.

"And?" Madara replied coldly, unintentional. He only wanted to be with Kagami at the moment. That was his priority for now, this woman served no purpose to him then. He could deal with her later.

"Are you now assigning yourself that role?" He continued. He could have swore he saw her stiffen at that little comment of his. What was once apprehension turned into a frown. Anger.

"No, I could never take her place." She replied in an equally cold tone, but her grip on the child only got tighter as he retreated behind her. He raised an eyebrow. He was curious at how she could be so protective of a child she didn't even know. And how said child could return her affections. That was what it looked like anyways.

 _Their looks...no, just hers. The way she looked at him...like he was a monster. Like_ a thief coming to steal her child away from her. _Like_ he could even hurt Kagami. He hated being looked at that way. So, he closed his eyes and mentally counted down from three. It was something he occasionally did to calm himself. Normally, he would let himself lose his temper but that would only feed into this woman's suspicions, proving her right. That was the last thing he wanted to do. He felt a light tug to his sleeves, he opened his eyes and saw Kagami looking up at him. It seemed like he wanted to go.

_Huh?_

Just as he was giving up and about to leave them to whatever they were doing, the boy came to him. He wasn't expecting that. He glanced up at her and saw that she had crossed her arms, and turned sideways. But he could see that she was pouting, as if she just lost a round to him. "Whatever." He heard her mutter.

_Maybe they weren't as close as I thought._

This time, he didn't even bother holding back a chuckle. And she shot him a glare. _Challenge, eh? Fine._ Her look softened when her eyes wandered over to the boy.

"Come on." He said to Kagami as he grabbed his tiny hands in his large ones and walked out of there. He could have simply ran out of here but he wanted to make her blood boil as she saw them leave together. He could sense her growing frustration from behind him. And it pleased Madara. He couldn't understand what she was so worried about. He decided against training with the kid, even if he wanted to more than ever right now. He just wakened his sharingan and Madara wanted to test out his abilities as soon as possible, but he couldn't. _Not now._ Instead, he thought of something else that could amuse the boy, even if it was in the slightest.

* * *

 

**_Izuna's POV_ **

"Get ready, we're going to be leaving at dawn." He informed Mina.

"Pardon me?" She replied. So far, so good. They've been at peace for a few days now. _That was surely a good sign, no?_

"I said we-" No, she heard him, she just didn't understand. "For Hashirama's wedding. You're coming along." He elaborated.

"Says who?" She raised a brow, _already suspicious hmm..,_

He couldn't blame it on Madara this time, she would know. _Honesty is the best policy?_

"Says I." He answered.

"And I say no."

"Well, I don't care." He was mimicking her attitude.

"You should. Karma may not be so forgiving next time." She teased. _Touché._

"An excellent point, but..." He raised a finger, ready to start patronizing her. She needed to come along, for the sake of Izuna. He couldn't possibly stand being there alone with Madara at a Senju wedding. He would lose it within the first five minutes. That was why the elders held a meeting out of the blue. To carefully select a few who would go along with Madara and him. And to discuss... _Madara's inadequate fulfillment of some of his duties as clan leader. In other words, heirs._

 _Heirs. Heirs. heirs_. It all came down to children. Ones Madara wasn't willing to have at the moment. Suffice to say he wasn't too pleased with this...ambush. That wasn't even the best part! One Lady Chiho was brave enough to suggest that perhaps he needed to see a medic in the case he felt _hesitant_ about his competency to produce heirs. Now that...that was pure gold.

It was one thing for Izuna to doubt Madara about his skill in that area in the privacy of his study with only the two of them. It was another thing for an old hag to question Madara's manhood in front of other elders of the same gender. _Ouuf..._ Izuna had the time of his life as he burst into another fit of laughter back in the council room. Next thing he knew, tables were flung around, chairs crushed and a fuming Madara ready to strangle anyone in his path. Everyone in that room, including Izuna, had fled in fear of rubbing Madara the wrong way.

And that was how the meeting room came to need a renovation. _For the sixth time this year._

He was now in Mina's room, the night before the wedding, urging her to come along. Only for his personal gain, so he wouldn't have to socialize with other Senju.

"...but, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. How often can you say that you've seen Hashirama Senju get married and Madara Uchiha was also present as the best man? How often? Tell me." He may have been exaggerating a bit, but he needed a bait. If this wouldn't work, he would have to find another teaser. But he thought he saw a gleam of mischief right in her eye. As soon as it appeared, it was gone. So, she was tempted but managed to hold herself back. _She had self-control. He'd have to make her lose that self-control._

"Ok, if that isn't enough to tempt you. Hear me out..." He began. Izuna needed to improvise fast, he didn't have any ideas at the moment. _Come on idiot. Think of something or she'll get suspicious!_

"...Wait for it..." _Come on Izuna!_

...

"Ok, so I have nothing. But you have to come with." He gave up on trying to lie to get her to follow.

"No." She said curtly and went back to bed.

"I will do anything you want!" He couldn't believe he, Uchiha Izuna, was reduced to this. He had to mentally reprimand himself for uttering those words without thinking. But it seemed to have caught her attention as soon as they came out of his mouth. She turned around and faced him, her head raised above the pillows. She quirked her brows and repeated,

_"Anything?"_

_Oh-oh. Wrong move Izuna._

"Anything." He said, his tone lowered considerably from a moment ago. She caught him in his own trap.

"Castrate yourself."

"No." He didn't even need to take a second to think that one over.

"Why not?" She pursed her lips and feigned a hurt expression. "But you just said anything?"

"I'm not going to slice off my...whatever. That's off the table." he replied, more serious now. She acted surprised.

"Oh don't tell me..." She whispered, cupping her hands, "You're embarrassed to say the word _penis?"_ It was her turn to wear his trademark smirk. _She really was enjoying herself, wasn't she?_ He didn't particularly find any of this funny. Though, he did deserve it.

"Fine, if you won't say anything reasonable then there's no reason for me to continue inviting you." He said and was about to leave.

"Wait!" He faced her, the smirk was still there. "Alright, I'll come. _But.._ " He waited patiently for her condition.

"But let me think of something reasonable. I will only demand it of you when the time is right." He didn't think this could possibly have gotten any worse, but it did. She wouldn't tell him what she wanted right now but rather preferred to let him stay in the dark until she saw it fit to let him know. This was worse, he would have to tread carefully as if there was a double edged sword hanging over his head.

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly and opened the door to let Sora enter. He had called her so she could find suitable clothes for this demonic woman.

_What did I just agree to?_

...

It was lively. Animated. Energetic. Also, inducing headaches.

 _Why on earth did Madara agree to this?_ Though his big brother must have been curious as well. Yes, curious indeed. But this was way too much. Izuna never cared for weddings. Much less a Senju one. Although, he was pleased to finally have met the insane woman who agreed to this union. She didn't look crazy though. She looked very well composed and had that authoritative aura surrounding her. Something he found intriguing as it seemed to surround most of the Uzumaki women. And their hair. That was an issue of its own.

Izuna had been patiently waiting for two hours now for the climax of this train-wreck of a marriage to come. It wasn't.

"Here, drink this." He was handing Mina a bottle of sake. She looked like she needed it more than him. He couldn't understand why she was standing on pins and needles. If there was any train-wreck in this wedding, it was probably her. It wasn't the way she dressed. Not at all. She was actually radiant for once. The kimono Sora had embroidered fit her perfectly and complemented her figure. Izuna pretended not to notice how his brother sometimes took a side way glance every now and then, lingering a bit too long. It amused him. Seeing that he nearly sent her back when they had left the compound this morning. Apparently, Izuna may have forgotten to tip him off that she was tagging along. Naturally, Madara was pissed and nearly sent Izuna flying into a wall as well. He eventually calmed down and pretended not to know of Izuna's existence nor the woman's. A few shinobi accompanied them on their way here.

"No." She replied nervously.

"It looks like you need it." He insisted. She was stiff as a board.

"You said Kagami would be coming." She stated, trying to change the subject. He faintly recalled telling her something like that yesterday night.

"I lied." He smiled down at her. She didn't even react, only said,

"Figured." She was getting attuned to his ruses. _Good for her._ Mina hadn't left his side since leaving the compound. Not for a second, she would attach herself to him, afraid that she would get lost. He couldn't blame her, he was probably the only person she knew and spoke to regularly aside from Madara but he was acting like he disowned them. Both.

 _All the better._ He couldn't help but think as she snaked her arm in his unconsciously. She really was scared of what was happening, hence why she was always looking from side to side. As if expecting someone to jump from the crowd and attack her.

"You need to stop. You look psychotic and it's going to attract-" He tried to warn her but it was too late.

"Izuna!" _Dammit Hashirama!_

She was surprised at the sudden appearance of the Senju leader in front of them. His blushing bride was walking beside him. Surprisingly, Tobirama was nowhere to be seen. _Actually. Nope._ He was around the corner, Izuna realized.

"I'm glad that you could make it! It has been a while."

_No it hasn't. It really hasn't._

"Hello." Mito Uzumaki had finally uttered a word. She bowed down slightly to greet the pair in front of her, who returned her bow as well. Izuna could feel the woman beside him getting skittish.

 _Dear Kami, calm the fuck down._ He looked down at her and saw she was halfway through a breakdown. Already fidgeting with the hem of her sleeves and clenching her jaws. It was honestly hard to believe this was the same woman who could so easily blurt out suggestive comments to him.

"Hello, I don't believe we've met before." Hashirama spoke to the woman, who only smiled in response. Why did I insist she come in the first place?! He was beginning to regret his decisions, something he never did before meeting this Mina.

Hashirama turned to Izuna and said," So, this is the woman you desperately ran home to during our visit to the settlement? I must congratulate you both on your betrothal!" He now grabbed both their hands and joined them together.

"Oh really?" Mito seemed surprised. "That's great news. Have you set a date yet?!"

_Oh fuck. Fuckity fuck fuck._

_I may have forgotten about that._

There was no one more shocked than the woman herself. Any hint of her nervousness was gone and replaced by a threatening stillness. _This wasn't good._ She was trying to take in every bit of information that was just shared.

"Excuse me?" She said, barely above a whisper. Hashirama was becoming confused as well. "Huh?"

"Well then" She coughed, regaining her normal tone as she collected herself. She looked up at Izuna with an unreadable expression and unlatched her arms from his. "I changed my mind. I actually need that." She reached for the sake bottle and cup that he was holding with his free hand." Yes, that. Thank you, _dear."_ All the while she was smiling. A cold, heartless smile. Not even one that Madara could master.

She bowed down to the newly weds in front of her before she took the bottle and strolled away.

"Ouuf, great." He rubbed his head. What was he going to do now?

"Did we say something wrong?" Hashirama asked, perplexed at the woman's reaction. Mito, not so much.

"No. Not really." Izuna replied before leaving to search for her.

* * *

 

It was a while before he caught sight of her.

She was with a certain white haired man. Tobirama. He had that permanent frown on his face and his arms crossed, so Izuna couldn't tell if he was truly bothered or wasn't affected by her presence at all. They were inside the house, in one of the rooms facing the field where the wedding was held.

As he got into hearing range, he listened in on what she was saying.

 _"...So, does your carpet match the drapes, huh?"_ She then giggled like a a little girl. Tobirama was confused, now that was clear.

_Oh no, she was already drunk. How many bottles had she gulped down?_

Izuna needed to stop her from saying anything further that Tobirama might understand. He quickly made his way to her and grabbed her by the arms, trying to steady her as she was stumbling around.

"Hey what did you do that for, _Izu.._ " She hiccuped. " _...na?"_ She was conscious enough to know who he was. _Not too far gone then. That was good._

"I think you've bothered this man enough, _honey,_ don't you think?" He could only hope she could comprehend the subtlety in his statement. But that would be too much to ask for.

"Huh?" She looked up at him with wide eyes that were unnaturally clear. "But I just wanted to know if his.." Another hiccup. "Matched his hair. _Aren't you curious_?"

 _No, he didn't want to know what Tobirama's pubic hair looked like._ Then a grin appeared on her face. _Oh...Why you..._

_Cunning._

_Very._ She led him to have such a thought. He severely underestimated her.

"No, I am not. We better go. Madara's looking for you." That was the quickest way to get her to do anything.

" _Madara?_ " She was struggling to remember his brother. Wow. Tobirama was only analyzing the scene playing out before his eyes. "Oouh Madara! That Madara. I wonder what he'll do to me this time. Lock me up again or bury me alive?" She was full-on laughing.

She was already out the door before he could even answer.

"Come on! What are you waiting for silly? We must go find your dear brother. _You know how he gets when he's impatient._ Bye Tobiiii!" She waved enthusiastically at the Senju before leaving. Izuna didn't like being fed back his own words. He turned back to face Tobirama.

"Sorry about that snowman." He said with as much sincerity as he felt, which wasn't  much actually. He ran after her to try and prevent her from making a fool out of herself in front of anyone else.

She was out in the open field, clueless. He caught her and began leading her to the right direction. Madara was talking with one of his shinobi, _this seemed like an excellent time to interrupt him._

"Oh there he is!" She shouted when they were five feet away from him and caught Madara's attention. She pointed to where he obviously was with the sake bottle still in her hand. Izuna was surely going to get the beating of his life later on. When they were close enough, he pushed Mina right into Madara's arms and said,

"Tag, you're it." He was already walking away before Madara even had time to react. "She's all yours!" He shouted back.

Sometimes, it was nice to just drop his shitty problems on other people unexpectedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >8000 words. 8K.
> 
> Damn lol.


	21. For Shits And Giggles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It does take me a while since I'm not used to it, besides I have a shit tonne of exams coming up and papers to hand in and studies and more studies... Writing this fic is sort of a relief. So, I try to make out an hour everyday dedicated to this fic, but since I'm clearly a master at 'time-management', I end up taking over three hours lmao. Including spell-checking, proof reading, editing and such. (Yes, it takes me that long, don't judge haha)
> 
> On the other hand, I don't want to keep you guys waiting too long for the next chapter every time, so I do my best. If people truly want longer chapters, then I would have no choice but to update less frequently. So, yeah... Sorry xD
> 
> Anyways, without further ado, here's an 8486 word chapter lmao.
> 
> *I purposely wrote some words wrong, to try and give off the vibe that Mina was indeed drunk, like slurred speech and whatnot. Just felt like I needed to clarify that in case it wasn't clear enough.

**_ Madara's POV _ **

"Hey there big guy." _She was drunk. Very drunk._ Her breath stank of sake. Madara knew something was wrong long before she even shouted his name across the yard. He only hoped Izuna had nothing to do with this. But that seemed unlikely, considering he was the one to have shoved her on him. She could barely walk, he had to hold onto her so she wouldn't collapse face first to the ground. She barely reached his neckline. He could hear her giggling uncontrollably while she rubbed her face in his clothes, ruining his haori in the process. And then she started...

_Sniffing?_

Was she sniffing him?

She looked up at him and smiled. "You smell nice." She continued to snuggle her face between the softness of his now wrinkled clothes. It was starting to attract unwanted attention. Madara looked around and saw some people were already staring, including the shinobi he was just talking with before she casually interrupted them. He acted like this was nothing out of the ordinary. The ultimate poker face. Madara needed to get her out of here before Hashirama took notice. _Before_ they could even know the true meaning of embarrassment and shame.

He grabbed her by the waist and walked towards the interiors of the house.

"Let's go." He managed to say through gritted teeth. This was why he objected to her even coming in the first place. Madara had a feeling something...humiliating would occur. On account of Izuna and his thick-skulled little lady friend. His intuition was almost never wrong and this situation only went to prove his point.

"Ouuh, I wonder where you're taking me, Madara-sama..." The way she said his name...lewd wouldn't even begin to describe it. Raunchy. Provoking. Not quite lecherous, but even so it still had that lustful undertone Madara was certain she was doing it unknowingly.

Madara glanced back at her and saw a light blush had appeared all across her cheeks. Well, most of her face anyways. Not because she felt the tiniest bits of shame, but rather because she was intoxicated. She broke into another fit of giggles yet again. He wondered what kind of euphoria had hit her. He dragged her by the arms instead as he couldn't bear standing that close to her anymore. He was randomly pacing around this unfamiliar house until he found a room deep inside so that they couldn't be heard from the backyard.

_You know, just in case things got a little noisy.._

He slid open one of the doors and pushed her inside, she nearly tripped over the rug that was spanning the full length of the floor. She had difficulty finding her balance.

"So you like it rough, eh?" She commented as she finally got herself together. Somewhat together. Mina turned to look at him only to be greeted with an impatient glare.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Madara-sama?!"

_For the love of...she needs to get rid of that tone._

Izuna must have did something quite horrendous if it drove her to drink that much, or even drink at all, as he never imagined her as the type to turn to a bottle if things got a little out of control. She wouldn't let go of the bottle though, she was attached to it like glue. _So, what did that idiot do now?_

He contemplated leaving her here until she regained her composure, which probably wouldn't be until morning. He sighed and chose to leave silently. Madara barely moved an inch towards the door before she came crashing into him, pulling his sleeves and trying to get him away from the exit. He narrowed his eyes at her.

"What do you think you're doing?" He spoke softly but with as much deadly intent to which she was completely oblivious to.

"Me?" She asked.

"Yes you."

"What are you doing?" She shot back.

"I asked you first." _Where was she going with this?_

"No, I did." She replied.

"No, you didn't." Madara was losing his patience and she would be losing an arm soon if she didn't let go of him.

 _"Yesh, I did."_ He noticed her speech was becoming slurry. He yanked her arm away and said,

"Get. Away." She took a few steps back and began snickering.

"What's so funny? " He demanded which only seemed to have evoked more gales of laughter from her.

"Nothing, Madara-sama." Mina said, her voice; teasing and dripping with mischief.

He only continued to glare at her, because, well, what else could he do? He was lost for words and hadn't a slightest clue on how to handle the woman that stood before him when she was like this. She took another sip from the bottle only to find it nearly empty, much to her dismay. Her face contorted in a way that would have made her appear saddened but Madara knew better. She couldn't care less about what she was drinking or doing for that matter. Yet, she still held onto the bottle as if her life depended on it while she found her way to him, tumbling with every footstep she took.

 _"Ohh Madara, Madara, Madara..."_ She began, in a sing song voice. "What. To. Do. With. You?" She paused between each word before she rambled on.

"You know, you're quite a specimen, hmm.." He heard her say. She was out of her mind. Out of this world. It was too late for Madara to even try and talk sense into her. He saw her fling the bottle to the other side of the room as she stretched her arms. "Oopsies. Now my magic water is gone." She pouted at the faintly cracked sake bottle, not a single shattered piece covering the floor.

 _Magic water? Did she even know what she was drinking?_ He doubted that. It wasn't in Izuna's nature to disclose anything to anyone.

"Will you help me pick it up?" She turned her attention back to him, her mischievous alter ego returning. Madara didn't even have a fraction of a second to think of a response before he realized what was happening. She had lunged herself at him and jumped him. His reflexes were much slower than usual. It was the element of surprise that had startled him the most, thus the delay in an adequate response. But what was an adequate response for something like this? She wrapped her arms around his neck, snaking them through his long, beautiful mane. Her legs followed suit and straddled him, his waist locked in between her thighs.

_What?_

What was she doing? Trying to climb a tree? She wouldn't stop squirming, trying to find a 'comfortable' position to support herself, all the while rubbing against him. In areas he preferred her not to. He tried to unclasp her but she was a stubborn as a newborn who would latch onto their mother for days. It reminded him back to the time he had tied her up in that shack. _Maybe I should have tied her again when we first arrived..._

Madara eventually stopped trying to release her grip, once realizing that it only added to the friction between them. He could feel her...heat hovering over his own hardened member. He decided that it would be best if he stopped moving and let her free herself instead, that way she wouldn't notice his growing...inconvenience. But that only seemed to have the opposite effect as she only grabbed onto him with more force, her legs squeezing his waist, keeping him in place.

 _"Schtop moving!"_ She said, her words muffled out by the dark locks of hair in which she buried her face in. Madara went stiff. Quite literally. He couldn't move an inch in either directions or he would only become...harder and that would surely tip her off. He stood still, motionless as a tree bark. He waited patiently for her to release her grip. However, she wasn't and it was starting to unhinge him. He even heard her stifled giggles through his hair. She finally showed her face and looked straight into his eyes, their faces merely inches apart. Madara had a hard time believing how uninhibited she was when she was under the influence. Otherwise, she would have never dared to come this close to him before. Not that he would let her in either situations. Or so he convinced himself for the time being. Her eyes were glazed over with... _happiness?_ That wasn't bothered him though, because he also saw that underneath that facade of temporary feeling of joviality laid something even deeper. He couldn't quite put a finger on it but it reminded him of that look of despair. Distress. _But why?_ He would have never seen it had he not been this close. He would have also never noticed the light hazel flecks scattered across her irises, giving it a beautiful contrast to her chocolate brown orbs.

 _"Awen't you handsome?_ " She started speaking to him in a tone you would use to a baby, barely with any cognitive abilities. She then took Madara's cheeks and pinched them. Again, treating him like a child with a chubby face that were her ultimate targets.

"Oh yesh you are!" She said while still flapping his cheeks up and down, to and fro, in all directions.

_Oh God._

"You know, your sharp features and flawless chizzeleddd body would make any woman weak in the knees, hmm.." She traced her finger along the outline of his strong jawline, moving down to his chin then to his collarbones and-

The woman then tightened her grasp on him even more, hugging him in a deadly grip and nearly cutting off his oxygen supply to his brain. _"You're just a like a teeny weeny teddy bear! Not so teeny weeny actually. A bit rough around the edges too, buuuuuttt..."_

No one had ever treated him like this. No one. And he wasn't about to let anyone catch him like this either. If it ever came to something like that, he would make sure that this was the last thing they see-

A flat and a slightly wet peck had put a stop to any and every thought running through his mind. Her lips abruptly rammed into his for what seemed like the longest time. Madara was about to return her sloppy kiss but she retreated almost instantly...

"Too bad you're not real." She said impassively, all the joy that gleamed from her eyes was gone momentarily, replaced with that sadness he had seen once before. "Actually, on second thought. It's a good thing you awen't. Back in my world, you'd be hanged for those hideously long sad excuses of bangs. They're so magnificent that they're actually quite insulting." She continued as she twined her fingers in his hair, twisting and turning every strand as she scrutinized every single one. And then..

"You lips taste weird, blachh." She blurted out, sticking out her tongue to exaggerate her 'distaste' which was rightfully hers since she was the one who drank the whole sake bottle.

He tried to nudge her off, feeling that things were getting a little out of control. He was afraid he couldn't hide his growing-

"Aiiee, schtoppp." She was laughing as he struggled to let go of her gently.

 _Dammit!_ He couldn't bear the gnawing friction between them anymore and had thought for a second to just grind back but it was already weird enough, he didn't want it to become even more awkward. She was drunk and had no idea what she was doing. Madara thought. He wasn't one to take advantage of a woman in that state. He didn't need to, women usually came to him with their own volition. This was way beneath him and so he added a hint of force to his spur and she finally fell to the floor on her buttocks.

"Ouchies. Whatcha do that for?" She asked, smiling and attempting to rub away the pain from her backside. Mina stared up at him from where was sitting on the ground, her smile slowly turning into a smug grin. _What? Wasn't she just..?_ She got to her knees and knelt, leaning her face a little too close to his groin area. Madara was watching her intently as she lifted a long finger and was about to jab it into his- He stopped her in time, still bewildered at her actions. _What on earth was she trying to do?!_ His eyes somewhat widened as she looked up, facing him with a mischievous and troublesome smile he thought only Izuna was capable of portraying. He was wrong. Until today. Right now.

"So, is that thing at half mast?" She teased. Strange enough, it took a while for Madara to understand what she was hinting at. He only needed to look down to notice his no longer not-so-well hidden boner was clearly visible. His eyes, now fully open, gaped at her with disbelief. How could she?

 _"'Cuz I'd say you're well on your way to pitching a full tent soon eh... You better get rid of it before anyone else sees you."_ She whispered that last part before she began giggling again. Madara could feel heat rising up to his cheeks rather rapidly. Perplexity was nowhere near what could describe what he was feeling at the moment. He was both flustered and angry. All he knew was that he needed to get out of there and disappear for a while. He yanked her hand away, making her stagger back once more. He saw her eyebrows raise. Not in confusion, but rather...in provocation. Goading him. Practically daring him. _To do what though?_ He wasn't sure and couldn't entirely trust himself. He swiftly turned on his heels and went for the door.

"Awee, you're leaving me already? You're no fun." He heard her, that taunting voice was already getting to him.

Calm down, calm down. Count from three and pretend that nothing exists. He was reciting the useless mantra in his mind, not to entirely convince himself to calm down but to shut out her callings. He took another step towards the door, he needed to desperately get rid of that aching pain that was between his-

"Izuna might be a sociopath but at least he doesn't have a stick up his ass all the time. _He knowzzz how to have fun unlike a certain someone."_

That's it.

He had it. He turned back and glared at her. She was now getting the reaction she was hoping for and he would make sure she regretted it. _Every single second of it. And the entirety of her meaningless existence._

"Oh-oh. Did I say something _wwwong?"_ Mina got up to her feet so she could confront him, which was useless since she was barely half of his size. While Madara did intend to teach her a lesson she wouldn't forget, he still needed to keep his distance away from her. If not for him, then for this stupid erection.

 _"What did you say?"_ Was all he managed to answer. He wasn't in the mood to think properly, most of his blood was already circulation somewhere else and not to the head that hanged on his shoulders.

"You heard me." She proceeded to place her hands on her hips, like she was about to give him a scolding. Madara was beyond furious. This night wasn't going the way he liked.

"You-" He barely started but she had interrupted him already.

" _Tsk Tsk, haven't you ever heard of manners? You shouldn't interrupt people, hmm?"_

"Are you mad?!" His voice was getting louder. "You're the one who interjected first-"

"Apples and oranges." There she goes, butting in once more.

"What?" Madara was confused. A lot, especially lately. "What do apples and oranges have anything to with this?"

She shrugged before answering. "Meh, I wouldn't know." It astounded him at how casual she could be. If he had to admit, she never ceased to surprise him. With both her recklessness and random behavior.

"DO YOU EVER THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY?" He couldn't keep it in anymore. He was mind-blown. Madara had never met someone like her before and wasn't totally sure that was a good thing. Or maybe it was.

"That's a very good question, Madara-sama." Another smile. _"I doooo not."_

 _Holy mother of..._ He brought his hands to his temples, closed his eyes in pain and internally cursed himself for having let Izuna bring this woman along. But most of all, for even picking this woman up from the forest once upon a time. He should have just let her remain there, left her for the wolves. Oh yes, they would have taken care of the job. And then he wouldn't be dealing with this mess standing before him.

"Good-bye." He had enough exasperation for a week. No, a month. For a lifetime. This woman would drive him over the edge, something even Izuna hadn't managed to do up till now.

"Oii, it's not like you think about what you say either." She rebuffed.

"Pardon? What does that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what you heard." She replied as she turned around and headed for the bottle. As she bent down, he could couldn't help but notice her ass. One of her best assets if not her best feature. If he was going to be truthful of course. He honestly couldn't say that he had ever met many woman with her physique, it was rare here and not everyone had the gift to fill out that much-

_Focus, Madara, focus!_

He just had to think back to that day he saw her laying in her bed, sick and barely dressed. He remembered thinking she had a round and lovely rear side. It looked unnaturally smooth under the sheer of her clothing and it made him curious to how it felt. It was a good thing Sora had stopped him.

_Don't focus on that you imbecile!_

Right, he should stop. It wasn't making his personal situation better but in fact worse.

"...And that's how you don't think before you speak." She was taking her sweet time walking back to him. Sure enough, he was confused and she caught on.

"See, I bet'chu didn't even listen!" Her laugh was mockery to his ears, even if she was right in everything she said. He could only glare at her.

"Speaking of which, I don't know how you've handled living with him, practically raising him too eh! God, I would have killed myself long ago if I had to spend more than a week cradling that nutcase Izuna!" She arched backwards, stuck out her tongue and tried to drain whatever was left inside the bottle. Only a few drops made it out.

 _Wait, when did this talk turn into one about Izuna?_ Probably when he was too busy ogling her while she chattered away.

"I mean, could you just imagine, _THE Uchiha Madara,_ cradling a small demonic child!?" She laughed and laughed and laughed... And spoke as if he himself wasn't Madara Uchiha. She went on, uninterrupted as much as she was uninhibited.

"You both are worse than each other. Crazy. Foolish. Insane. Fucked up in the head, if you will. But if I'm going to be truthful then I'll have to say I'm being quite unfair to you."

_Say what now?_

_This woman is worse than Hashirama._

Hashirama would have his so-called bouts of depression but this woman was all over the place, moods changing from one second to the next. Like right now, what was once playfulness now turned into someone more serious; composed. However serious one could be when they were drunk. Instead of saying anything, Madara stood silent, ears wide open for whatever she was about to jabber on.

"How, you ask? That's easy." She was pretending that he was indeed going along with her insanity.

"You see, well actually you pwobabwy won't, you don't exist. Neither does your brother. Nor all of this. Y'all just figments of imagination of some middle-aged Japanese man. You see where I'm goin' with this?"She asked. He wasn't sure if that was rhetoric or not.

 _Holy cow, what did Izuna give her?_ He cringed at the thought of Izuna drugging this woman or putting whatever substances he bought from the local witch woman, someone he was utterly obsessed with much to Madara's disapproval, into Mina's drink.

"So, like this is uhm your cue to ask me where, how and why. Go on. _No?_ No. Ok. Well then." She didn't give him time to answer, not that he would have anyways.

"I'm not really from here as you must have guessed by now. How and why? Can't really answer you that. Not that I know the answers to those questions as well. Also your world sucks. Not that mine doesn't. Oh God I hated mine as well. But now I miss it. At least we have washing machines there. And cars. And cellphones. And planes. And chocolate fudge. And oatmeal cream pie cookies and ..."

_Does. This. Woman. Never. Shut. Up?! The. Fuck._

She kept on talking and talking and talking, to no end. Normally, Madara would have bothered to at least try and understand what she was saying but he couldn't bring himself to do so. She made no sense. At all. This went on for quite some time. If he was following her train of thought, he would have placed his bet on the fact that she was now talking about food. Yes, that must be it. Something about chocolate filled eclairs glazed with honey...not that Madara knew what that was nor could imagine what on earth it looked like. It was delicious though, according to her. Apparently, it wasn't just filled with melted chocolate but it was also packed with 'loads of sugar-coated mouth-watering diabetes'. He contemplated for a second on what type of ingredient that could be. He had never heard of such a thing. _Wow, she must really love food. Well, she must if she had an ass like th-_

"Oh Gosh, I feel like I'm gonna vomit!" She brought up her hands to her mouth and sealed her lips. He saw her throat move up and down, as if swallowing what was on its way up.

_Talk about ruining the damn mood._

"Wow, this tastes worse than spitting down your brother's throat."

...

He wasn't sure how to react to that.

"Anyways what were we talking about again?" As each second that passed, she was losing her balance. Madara could tell that she wasn't able to hold onto her presence of mind much longer. She will probably pass out withing the next few minutes. He watched her pace around the room, like a bull in a china shop. Her sense of coordination was already thrown out the window. He couldn't do much for her at this stage except relish in her unsightly downfall. So, instead of giving her a response, he stood to the side counting down the seconds until she fumbles over and cracks her head into one of these pillars.

"My my, why do you look so gloomy all the time? It's kinda sad. You're sad. Your life is sad..."

_56 seconds to go..._

"Maybe this will cheer you up. Hear this.." She began closing in on the distance between them once more and he took a step back, adamant on not falling for the same trick twice.

_52 seconds to go..._

"I have an eye but am blind, a sea, but no water; a bee, but no honey; Tea but no coffee; and a why, but no answer. What am I?" Her abnormally cheery attitude returned again. He could see the gleam in her eye as she spoke.

"Come on, what am I?" She was close enough to annoyingly jab her tiny fingers into his shoulders.

_49 seconds..._

Madara saw her roll her eyes. "Fine fine schtopp nagging me, I'll tell you! I'M THE ALPHABET! Ta-da! Ingenious right? I didn't come up with it though."

 _Wow...that was actually pretty stupid._ Stupid of him to actually fall for it.

"It's funny, right? _Amiright or amiright?_ Eh?" She wriggled her brows as she tried to convince him at how 'hilarious' her 'joke' was. It wasn't. _What kind of jokes were these?_

"Fine! I'll tell you another one! _Sheesh, you're so schtuck up schometimes."_ Mina took in a deep breath before restarting the monologue she was having with herself.

_40 seconds..._

"There was a plane crash where every single person died. Who survived?" _A plane crash? What's a plane? What could have killed that many people?_ Madara faintly recalled her saying something of that sort mere moments ago but he hadn't understood what it was back then, he still didn't understand it now. "Married couples!" Her laugh, or rather snorting, was loud. Very loud. _Was she laughing at her own joke? What kind of person laughs at their own joke?_

"You get it? Right? 'single, married'. You don't, do you?" Madara was wearing a blank expression now, still debating on what he should do with her.

"OK OK, surely you'll get this one. Why's six afraid of seven?"

Whatever Izuna gave her must have been strong if she could imagine numbers being afraid of each other. Which was preposterous to say the least.

_28..._

Seeing that Madara wasn't about to give her an answer, she replied herself, to her own question.

"Because seven-eight-nine! Ah-ha! Eight, the number and ate, like the past tense of eating..." She went on to elaborate but Madara already got the joke. Or the pun. He had to admit, her word-play was strong. _It was stupid, but strong._ The absurdity of her riddle made him want to burst out laughing, yet he remained composed with his sanity still intact. One of them had to. He couldn't allow himself to fuel her state of delirium.

_20..._

"You know what!? I give up! You're impossible, you can't even laugh at my jokes!" She 'huffed and puffed', blowing away strands of brown locks away from her round face, and stomped her feet to the ground, just like a child when throwing a tantrum. "Don't even try, I know they were funny! Just kill me already, urghh."

_15..._

She was walking away from him, swaying from one side to the other, barely put together. _"At least, if I die I could maybe even get out of this hell hole!"_ He raised a brow inquisitively.

_8 seconds..._

"Is that so?" The only three words he uttered in the past teen minutes, it stopped her in her tracks and made her turn around to face him.

 _"Yeshh! I don't care how I di-"_ It was her mistake. She took the wrong step backwards and ended up falling through a rice paper door, ripping the sheets as she unceremoniously hit the floor, flailing her arms in an attempt to find something to hold onto. He knew this was going to happen. _Sure, it wasn't a pillar, but it did shut her up pretty quickly._ He was watching her footsteps the moment she decided to start walking towards him. Unlike her, he was actually paying attention to where she was stepping. But...

_Dammit, I was five seconds too late!_

He went over to the motionless body on the floor and saw that she was already off to cuckoo land. Silence filled the room. _Good, now what do I do with her?_

* * *

 

**_ Mina's POV _ **

I felt drowsy. Very drowsy. And my head hurt. A lot, as if I repeatedly banged it against a concrete wall. I also felt...no, I knew for sure that I was not standing. Nor sitting. I was floating in the air.

_No, that isn't right?_

_Someone was carrying me._

But why? I could barely see who it was but I heard distinct sounds. One of which was that person's heart beats. My head was resting on something rigid yet soft at the same time. _Chest?_ That could account for the strange and irregular _lub-dubs._ I could also make out a few distant voices in the background, but I couldn't put a face to each one. I had never heard them before.

_Where was I?_

"Here, you can keep her." That voice...

Next thing I knew, I was carelessly plonked to the ground, heavily.

* * *

 

I've been awake for a while now. I still didn't know where I was. I woke up in a room that wasn't mine. Neither the one from my world nor the room I've been sleeping in, in this reality, that is. It was completely wooden, as usual which made me think that I was still in the Naruto universe. Particularly, the Uchiha household. Maybe I was assigned a new room?

_But why would Madara do that?_

I thought he wanted me near him, for whatever perverse reason he had in mind. Frankly, I've also grown attached to that room. More so to that remote feeling of always feeling protected whenever Madara was around. Not that I thought I would be in danger. No, it wasn't that at all. All I needed was protection from one person and that was Izuna. Even Izuna couldn't go against his elder brother, so Madara's presence was always welcomed and a sort of relief whenever Izuna was close by. _That man-child would probably be the death of me._ And unfortunately, Madara was the only person in this world that could prevent that.

 _"Urghh, mmmm.."_ I buried my face back into the pillow, memories of the last few days were coming to the surface.

...

It all started that day when Tobirama and what's her name, for the love of me I just couldn't remember her name despite looking very familiar, had caught Kagami and I sneaking out in the woods, although they probably wouldn't have known that we snuck out. That day may have started well, but it certainly didn't end the same way. His mother's death was inevitable and he knew that. Everyone knew it. Still, it didn't make it any less sadder. And still, I never got the chance to see here once more since changing rooms. I only heard of it the morning after. It was strange since I haven't seen much of Sora during those days. I understood why when I accidentally ran into her in one of the halls. She informed me of Azami's death in the most detached tone I had ever heard from her. She was completely withdrawn into her own little bubble and I didn't feel right bursting it. She needed her time alone as much as Kagami needed his. But I just couldn't leave him. I went in search of him and looked everywhere until I saw him in the garden, sitting quietly at our usual hideout. A place we would go to in order to escape the noisiness of the house. I would tell him stories from time to time, since he always asked for them. He managed to even get me to sing which was no easy job. Mary had never even succeeded in doing that. Echoes of Mary's voice rang in my mind right then. Her face. Her laughs. Her way of talking. Everything came back to me right at that moment, I felt so overwhelmed I was on the verge of crying. The feeling of being stuck and trapped in a place there was virtually no way out of...It hit me wave after wave.

But what truly brought tears to my eyes was the fact that I had robbed this little boy of the last moments he could have spent with his dear mother. I had taken him away from her right when she needed him the most. It really ached me that he wouldn't ever have the chance to see her again in this world. And I may have had a hand in that. No. That wasn't right. I may have not made her sick but I did convince him to sneak out of the compound, without anyone noticing. Maybe the other maids have been looking for him when she was nearing her end. And he was nowhere to be found on account of me and my moronic idea.

_But it wasn't like I knew she would die that day._

I went to Kagami, not finding the right words to console him. Was there really any right words to say? I didn't believe so. The kid just lost his mother, he probably felt sorry as well. Sometimes, solace can come in many different forms, not all of them are vocal. It was usually the actions that had deeper effect. _I mean, actions do speak louder than words, right?_

I only brought him closer, took him into a tight embrace. As tight as I could. When I looked down at him, I saw that his sharingan had reactivated. He had only showed it to me once before when he finally found that he was comfortable enough around me to display it. Unlike the sharingans I have seen to date, his were probably the most beautiful. They all appeared the same, that was true, but his wide and round eyes only enhanced the rich deep red color of the kekkei genkai that ran through his blood in every vein, every artery in his tiny body. His bloodline limit was somewhat more intense. But what struck me the most was that, in contrast to other sharingans, particularly Madara's and Izuna's, his didn't hold any signs of resentment, hate or hostility. It didn't hold anything at all really, except for the expected sorrow a child his age could feel in a situation like his.

No one else knew he had awakened it. No one. Which made me feel slightly happy that he entrusted me enough to show me something as important as that and yet, he kept it hidden from any one else. For good reason. I could only think what Madara want to do with the boy if he found out he had already awakened the sharingan. _Train him relentlessly until he dropped dead? Yep, that sounded like something Madara would do._

And I was proven right. Madara appeared out of thin air and managed to ruin a perfectly peaceful moment, like he always did. The word peaceful and Madara cannot go together in the same sentence. It was nature's most sacred law. One that would bring catastrophe if broken. Hence, why this peace treaty he signed off to was going to end miserably, it was something I believed in as strongly as I trusted the sun to rise from the east and set in the west. He must have been mulling over that quote I told him a few days ago. In all honesty, I had absolutely no clue to what it meant. I really didn't and I wasn't entirely sure why I had recited it to him in the first place, asides from trying to mess with his head of course. _I wonder if I succeeded?_ But what shocked me was that Kagami chose to go along with him. _Him. Out of all people?!_ Although I was sure he only did it to ease the growing tension between us. Poor kid didn't want more conflict added to whatever agitation he was dealing with. So, I didn't say anything. I let him go, if that was what he wanted.

Sora was just as disconcerted. I saw less and less of her everyday and it bothered me. She was the only friend I had here. Well, I would also count Kagami and the librarian. A maid, a child and an old blind man were my friends in this world. That was more friends than I ever had back in my own timeline. I was proud of myself because I would have never tried to befriend anyone there. I did come a long way since arriving here, or so I liked to think. I talked to her. Tried to, with all my might but she was really distraught and I couldn't help her. She wouldn't let me. _Wouldn't let me in. Did she really not trust me enough to confide in me what she was keeping bottled up inside her?_ Maybe I should have given her enough space, and so I did.

The next time I saw her was when Izuna had brought her in to tailor me a kimono for the wedding that was supposed to attend. I had a feeling that he had already planned on taking me, whether I agreed to it or not. But I did get something else out of it. That conversation ended on relatively good terms, on my part anyways. I ended with the upper hand and I couldn't have asked for more. Now, I could demand whatever I pleased from him and he would have to oblige. If he was indeed a man of his words. _I guess we'll just have to wait and see._ _When the time is right, I will make him pay for everything he did. Every damn little thing._ Seeing him being on the edge all the time was just the cherry on top. Sora had appeared with a variety of different kimonos, each more beautiful than the last. This wasn't just any wedding, but Hashirama Senju's. One could say it was _the_ social gathering of this era, so it was no surprise that everyone would be looking their best. And as such was expected from me. Meaning I had to try on every kimono Sora had gathered.

It was a pain but we finally settled on one she had designed herself. It wasn't bad. It was beautiful. It's smooth silky texture was a bit much but its deep crimson color was stunning. It was the first that had caught my eye. It had little white details of flowers and birds embroidered on the lower half. Mauve going on black filled in these details with such finesse and skill, it made me wonder how someone could have possibly sown this together manually. _How long had it taken her? And when did she do it? And for who was it intended?_

The only thing that bothered me about it was the Uchiha crests that decorated the sleeves. It was enough to make me reject the idea of wearing it. Sad, but true. I wasn't one of them, I saw no need to dress their symbol. I wanted nothing to do or affiliate myself to some clan. That wasn't the only reason though, it was a little tight and form-fitting, however, she assured me that it wasn't and it was completely fine. I tend to exaggerate a bit when I say I find things tight when they aren't so I knew her point of view was the least subjective. And so, I ended up wearing it. My now long hair was pinned up into a large bun with a couple of gems here and there, a few strands were let loose 'to frame my face'. _Yes, I bet that's why Madara wears his bangs like that. To frame his face 'and not out of the idiotic trend'._ I sighed at that train-wreck thinking. Sora had wanted to add make up to the ensemble but I out-rightly refused. I wasn't into that kind of thing. Never was and probably never will be.

Something kept bothering me throughout all of this. Something Izuna had said about Madara selling me off. I was certain that he was kidding. Even if I wasn't, logic wouldn't have it. _Why would Madara bother dressing me up just to end up selling me as a slave? Or a maid?_ It didn't really make any sense, so I put that thought away from my mind.

I had thought I was ready to go along with this, despite Madara's reaction at my accompanying them, which was a 'completely normal reaction and not over the top at all'. I put two and two together and assumed Izuna had purposely omitted passing on that information to him. I expected nothing less.

Yet, when I arrived there, everything was different. Far from what I grew accustomed to back at the Uchiha place. This only made me feel more out of place. The wedding was beautiful, it was being held in a vast field. Lanterns and light bulbs gave the evening an orange glow, like the sun would have had it risen today at all. Long tables draped with heavy creamy fabric, soft to the touch, were placed all over the piece of land. Flowers hung in colorful waves from every ceiling present like curtains. There was a lot of people. _A lot_. And that was what disturbed me. I wasn't used to attending big parties back in my world, so the nervous feelings I always had never seemed to go away with time. It was no different in an imaginary world. I was still...me. Some things were just hard to change so I glued myself to Izuna, as much as I hated it, he was the only one I knew and Madara was totally out of the question. He wasn't talking to either Izuna or I. But I caught his not so subtle glances at me a few times and only wished to tell him off but decided it was just best to keep my mouth shut. _You know, so he doesn't behead me in front of these people._ A very realistic scenario with Madara as the lead executioner. Anything was possible with him.

And that's when everything went to hell. Flushed down the toilet. Gone. And as usual, it all started with Izuna. It always came back to him for some reason. Everything always came back to him...

...

"Oh nooooo..." The utmost embarrassing moments of the night were finally clear in my mind. Clear as the daylight shining in through that door, causing me a damn headache. That was probably due to that drink I had last night.

_ You mean bottle? _

"God, not you again!?"

_ I'm not God, but take another guess. _

"Fuccckkkk.." I turned around and threw the pillow away from my face.

Everything from asking about Tobirama's pubic hair color to groping Madara...everything came back to me. I wished that they hadn't. I will never be able to look them in the eyes now! This was why I never drank. Ever. I knew I had a low tolerance to anything addictive and if I tried something I liked, I could not hold myself back. Like with food. But I had a control on that situation. Somewhat. But it was different with alcohol. I never tried to even take a sip out of the scotch bottles hidden in my father's personal cupboards, not in fear that I would be caught but rather because I have seen enough of my colleagues drink until they could no longer walk. I have also seen them do stupid things. Disturbing things. Bizarre things. I was no fool, I wasn't going to be an exception and yesterday only proved that. I was still in denial over what I did to Madara.

 _Oh dear God, he must be traumatized._ No amount of counselling could ever heal what he probably endured with me. I only hoped that I was drunk out of my mind that I couldn't speak properly so maybe then Tobirama didn't understand my not-so-fucking-subtle innuendos. I really didn't want to know what his pubic hair looked like. _But now that I think about it..._

_Does he have it? And if so, what color is it?_

Nope. No, no, no. That wasn't a thought I was hoping to entertain. Speaking of Tobirama...

_What was he doing sitting next to me?_

I only just realized his presence. And he was way too close. He may have been a feet away but that was still near enough. _Did he hear me? Oh-oh..._

"Good, you're finally awake." He suddenly said. His voice was so deep, its intensity shocked me to the point that I shot up and sat upright in the bed in one swift movement. It was like a demand. I didn't know how or why it resonated like that, but his tone sounded like he could command a legion into war. And maybe win, too. I faced him with wide eyes.

_Where am I? This wasn't good._

_"Where's Madara?"_ I whispered. Those were not the words I had expected to come out of my mouth, at a time like this. And he too surely hadn't expected it.

"What?" He asked, his tone was just as intense. Either he didn't hear me or he just wanted to assure himself that he had heard right.

"Where's Madara?...-Sama." I repeated, more louder this time.

"Gone." That was all he replied with. One word. Gone. That could have a lot of different meanings, so it was best not to jump to conclusions just yet.

"What do you mean?" I kept asking him. It took him a while before he answered that question. In the meanwhile, he crossed his arms and rocked the chair backwards.

"He went back to the Uchiha compound."

That phrase took quite some time to settle in. _He went back to the compound?_ There was no way that statement could have more than one meaning. If Madara had left, that could only mean that I was still in the Senju compound.

_Did he really leave me here? No, that couldn't be..._

Then out of the blue, Izuna's words echoed in my mind. He was right after all... _What if he did sell me?_ As absurd and illogical as that sounded, it was what my mind could come up with while still half drunk. And I believed every word of it.

 _"How much?"_ I asked Tobirama, curious at how low Madara must have valued me at.

"How much what?" He was perplexed at my question. I didn't understand why, if anything he would know what I was referring to.

"How much did he pay?" I added, getting more intrigued and angry at each second I was stuck here.

"Pay for what?" He was only growing more confused that was for sure...

...

 _Pay for what?_ Did he really not know? That was impossible, he would have been the first to know if he himself hadn't negotiated the price. _Unless there was no price to even negotiate. Dammit!_

Madara must have thought I wasn't worth anything. Not worthy enough of a price. This angered me for some reason when it shouldn't have. Human life couldn't hold a valued price and human beings most definitely weren't made to be sold from the rich to the even richer. This headache was about to make my head explode. I jumped off the bed and dashed to the first door I saw ,as I screamed at the top of my lungs.

"MADAAARRRRA!"

_You twat._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouuf, I must apologize for this chapter. I know some of you were expecting some action heheh, but I decided to hold out on that for a while longer, I'm sorry. It just didn't feel right in these 2 chapters. Mina was drunk, so it would have had no meaning whatsoever. And would be plain weird and sorta wrong for Madara to take advantage like that, anyways so...  
> I know this chapter is probably not on par with the last one, it was actually quite hard to write Madara's POV in this chapter for some reason. Nothing came to mind and I had no inspiration. Besides, I have written most of this chapter on the bus, forgive me xD  
> So, I was just wondering if you guys wanted me to write in other character's POVS (other than the one's I've already written) like side characters (Sora or Mito or whatever) Comment what guys think I should try at next.


	22. Tobirama

** _Tobirama's POV_ **

Tobirama still couldn't wrap his head around the events of last night. He wasn't expecting that she would end up in his care. Nor the fact that Madara would have decided to just leave her at their front porch. Well, not really the front porch. Just his room. He couldn't imagine how Madara could have found it so easily. Perhaps by sensing his chakra, but that didn't matter right now. What mattered was what he would decide to do about the girl. The Uchiha clan leader found it appropriate enough to just drop her to the floor of his room and abandon her. He heard them arguing from a few rooms down the hall. It was evident that she was drunk and Tobirama had seen Madara take her away from the public's view to avoid anymore humiliation.

He had been on his way to his chambers when he heard feminine giggles from behind one of the screen doors followed by a bellow. Madara. Tobirama chose not to interfere and as much as he wanted nothing to do with it, he couldn't help himself from eavesdropping. He leaned against the wall next to the rice paper doors and picked up a few phrases.

 _"Whatcha do that for?"_ Mina had said, while laughing. He couldn't gather what exactly they were talking about as he couldn't make out Madara's answer. A minute had passed before he heard her speak again. There was shuffling inside the room.

 _"So, is that thing at half mast?"_ Another minute went by, with more staggering. _"'Cuz I'd say you're well on your way to pitching a full tent soon eh...You better get rid of it before anyone else sees you."_ He almost didn't hear that since she was whispering.

_What is she talking about?_

For some reason, Tobirama had a hard time understanding what she was saying. Not just right then but when she casually walked up to him, alone, and sparked up a conversation with him, just an hour ago, as if they had been long-time friends. It went something like this...

...

 _"Heyyyyy Tobiramamama! Fancy seeing you here."_ That was how she caught his attention at first. He wasn't blind. He recognized her the moment she stepped a foot inside their compound. She had arrived with the Uchiha grouping but Tobirama couldn't see the child with her this time. Instead, she was by Izuna's side. And puzzle pieces started piecing themselves together in his mind but he couldn't be sure at that time so he would have to wait for a definitive affirmation until then. She looked much different from what he had seen of her in the forest, precisely three days ago. She was attractive. While Tobirama had seen far more beautiful women, her looks were not common here. Singular and unusual. And yet alluring in their own way, which made him firmly believe that she was definitely not Uchiha. Despite seeing her bear that clan's insignia over her kimono, it didn't convince him otherwise. While her attire was elegant and lovely, she herself appeared to be much more uncomfortable. As if she was stressed just by being here.

She stayed attached to Izuna for most of the time. Until Hashirama graced them with his presence. And then something strange happened. Tobirama saw her abruptly leave Izuna for the first time that evening and took the sake bottle with her. Perhaps that was what ended their conversation a bit too early. He couldn't fathom what Hashirama could have said to make her react that way. I mean, Hashirama always did have his way with words. Tobirama spent the rest of his evening greeting guests and whatnot as much as he hated doing so, he had to. Many people had attended, more than what he had expected. Most were allies of the Senju and the Uzumaki. And that included the Uchiha now. Much to everyone's surprise. Madara's presence hit a nerve with some Senju as well as other clan members. The Nara and the Yamanaka were among such clans present. Just like the once great Hagoromo clan. Or whatever that was left of them. And now the Sarutobi. The Sarutobi...

Tobirama had misunderstood the reason of their surprising arrival. Apparently, they had not come to renew their trading contracts or break them for that matter. They wanted in on that alliance they had forged with the Uchiha. Not the peace treaty itself, just the portion that included the building of the settlement. However, the Sarutobi clan was willing to join in on the alliance with the Uchiha, who have been their enemies for the longest time as well, if they could have a hand in the construction. And in doing so, there would be new terms to their trading commitments. It was safe to say that Tobirama was quite shocked with their proposal but of course, he wouldn't let them know that. This was something that went beyond his control and into Hashirama's territory. He couldn't accept their offer or reject it until Hashirama was fully informed.

So, instead of responding with a conclusive answer, he had invited them to attend his brother's wedding and extended their visit. He assured them that the matter would soon be resolved right after the festivities. They accepted and saw this as an opportunity to perhaps improve their relationship and pave a path for something more than a trading correspondence. That was how they came to be at the wedding. Rather unexpectedly.

He had personally greeted Sasuke Sarutobi. A humble and fierce shinobi and certainly one of the most skilled of his clan. Tobirama appreciated a person like that. Not many were found in this era and even he doubted his own capabilities if it ever came down to having found himself as an opponent against the Sarutobi ninja. Tobirama then met with his brother to inform him that he was leaving. He intended to depart for the site of the encampment as soon as tomorrow dawn. Hashirama wasn't pleased with that decision but he couldn't say anything seeing that he was the one that insisted they needed to speed up the construction. Hence, why Tobirama was in charge of it. He had been retreating to his room when she caught him.

He smelled the sake a mile away, before she even called out to him.

 _"...fancy seeing you here."_ He contemplated if he should even answer her. He knew from experience, _experience being Hashirama himself,_ that talking to drunks was useless. They didn't listen nor pay attention to anything or anyone besides themselves. But...

"Yes. Fancy seeing me here in my own home." He retorted but just as he expected, that rhetoric comment went straight over her head.

 _"I know. Congratzzz by the way. So, you're next in line eh?"_ She giggled as she said so. He didn't respond this time. He didn't know how to.

 _"So you are! Who's the lucky gal? Hmm?"_ Mina kept prodding him in search of an answer she wasn't getting. _"Or shall I say guy?"_

 _"Of course not!"_ Tobirama didn't hesitate to correct her. How dare she insinuate something like that?! Even if Tobirama has never taken a woman yet, and that included to bed, no one until now had dared say that he was into members of his own gender. It was outrageous! But was it what everyone truly thought?

If this woman, who barely knew him for more than ten minutes, managed to conclude that, then what would the others who have known him for years would think? Surely, they've come to their own conclusions but who's to say it wasn't similar to the one she just blurted out. It began to distress and worry Tobirama.

 _"Aiiiee relax would you?!"_ She raised her hands as if in surrender and he saw the bottle which was the source of her stupor. _Had she drank it all?_

 _"So, I've always wondered. Are you like really.."_ She looked to her sides as she lowered her tone, as if someone would listen in on the 'big secret' she was about to reveal. She brought her hands to her mouth and said as inconspicuously as she could,

 _"Are you like an albino or did your mama, you know..."_ She winked at him. It took him a moment to catch on to what to she was suggesting and it shocked him as much as it angered him. She had the audacity to even-

_"But Butsuma would have had her head no? I mean he strikes me as a mean guy. Like really mean. A bully.. pfft. What a mean bully. You would know."_

Even if they were just two sentences, she described his father down to the point. As if it wasn't strange enough, the fact that she even knew that put Tobirama on high alert. Sure, it was known to most about what kind of person and father Butsuma was, but this woman shouldn't have known. _She didn't belong here._ He knew that much. It was the only explanation he could arrive at. No wonder her presence had always bothered him even if, believe it or not, he still didn't have a logical reasoning. Even so, Tobirama was shocked that she could so casually suggest his mother could have betrayed her husband so intimately as that. Butsuma surely would have had her head, the woman was not wrong.

She may have been drunk but she wasn't completely gone out yet. He waited for her to continue, curious to know just how much she knows. And maybe then, he could understand who she was and where she came from. He only needed more proof to confirm what he was already suspecting. However, she didn't blabber on as all her sensibility was gone. Instead, she questioned him about his skin color.

 _"Man, I'd place my bet on being albino. You're white as a sheet! I'd have taken you for a ghost if it weren't for the makeup you paint on your face! Swish swish swish!"_ She swung her arms around in an attempt to mock him by pretending to put on makeup herself. "So how long does it take you to.." She sneezed and it sounded like a tiny kitten struggling horribly to take in its first breaths, it was scary. Another sneeze was followed by more loud noises. He had to wonder if she was allergic to something that she had already ingested or was currently smelling.

 _"Right so where were we?"_ Her short term memory was as refined as that of a rock. Another thing he had just learned about her. _"Yeshh, you're white, aren't you?"_

"Yes I am. I didn't think it was that obvious. But kudos to you for figuring that out." Unintentionally, he couldn't hide his snarkiness any longer.

 _"Ooh, contemptuous, are we now?"_ His snide comment didn't pass her by like the previous one. Yes, sometimes Tobirama could be critical, not just of the people around him but to himself just as much. It would make him appear judgmental and scornful. It was true, he always tried to find fault in everything. It was just the way he was and he was doubtful that he would change now or any time soon. He didn't reply back.

_"Hmpff, despite your attitude problem, you've always been my favorite hokage. And the sexiest too..."_

Hokage? His ears may have also caught on to that hint of flattery but he couldn't be sure, he had no idea what she was talking about. A hokage, in literal meaning, meant a fire shadow but before he could even ask what the hokage was, she went on.

 _"I mean what's not sexy about that face. I mean just look at it..."_ She came forward a step, raised her free hand and tried to grab his face. He took a step back to avoid getting anywhere near her.

_"From that white hair, down to that crazy jawline and... Speaking of which..._

_Do the carpets match the drapes, hmm?"_

Tobirama was only growing more puzzled by the second. He couldn't comprehend what she was talking about now. She had been chattering about how his father was a brute then went on to somewhat compliment his looks and finally ended up talking about carpets and drapes. All in the matter of two minutes. What did she care about the carpets and drapes matching? Unless it was some kind of euphemism...But he had never heard anyone use this term to refer to...Well he didn't know what she was honestly referring to.

And then Izuna invited himself into their conversation. The way those two interacted with each other, it was clear to Tobirama that they were more than just friends. Her apparent lack of use of the honorifics, something he had also picked up on the moment she introduced herself, didn't just extend to him but to Izuna as well, and Madara too, later on. How could someone like Izuna end up with someone..? _Just what kind of person was she?_

They were acting too lovey-dovey, it was quite nauseating. But it was also fake, or so he thought. It wasn't normal for Uchiha Izuna to act so civilized with a woman, nor anyone. In fairness, what did Tobirama know about Izuna's life in that area? He didn't care to find out and just as he was about to leave, Mina was already running out the doors with Izuna at her tail, following her closely. He chose to ignore that weak and insensitive comment the Uchiha just made. He had been called a ghost and a snowman in the same hour, _I suppose it could have been worse._

He was now listening in on more of her unusual euphemisms. Something about masts and tents. Now, all he had to do was to correlate them to the carpet and drapes she mentioned earlier, though he failed to see any relation between them. _What could a boat sail post, a tent, a rug and curtains have in common? Maybe nothing._ There was no real reason to think what she was saying to Madara had anything to do with that indirect statement she used on him. Tobirama couldn't hear anything else for a while so he decided to head back to his room as he intended to, an hour or so ago.

Not too long after, Madara came barging in with the woman in his arms. A "Here, you can keep her", was all that was said and that was how he ended up with a problem sleeping comfortably in his bed.

...

She woke up asking about him. The name Madara Uchiha was the first thing to come out of her mouth. That was logical enough if she had remembered what happened the night before. He answered her frankly, there was nothing to hide. Madara and his fellow Uchiha had left right after the closing ceremony, although Madara didn't personally attend that himself. Or so he heard. Tobirama too wasn't present as he was too busy concerning himself with the sack of potatoes Madara so casually threw in his room. She was asleep and not dead per Tobirama's expectations. That was a good thing. He was worried, at first, that the Uchiha leader had killed whoever that poor woman was and he was supposed to get rid of the body. But as he approached the motionless figure, he saw that she was still breathing. For a long while he didn't know what to do. Madara had just dropped her and left as soon as he came in, leaving Tobirama to take care of whatever this was. _Him, out of all people. Just why? What did karma have against me?_ He settled for placing her on the bed and departed. She would regain consciousness soon enough. He left her alone in his room and went to bid farewell to the guests as well as inform his elder brother about the issue he was having. To his surprise, he had heard the Uchiha were already gone. _Did they just forget her here? No that couldn't be. They wouldn't just fail to remember one of their own in the heart of the Senju compound._ But she wasn't one of their own, was she? Unless, they had planned on abandoning her here in the first place...but that would be a completely different scenario he didn't want to think of. She could maybe answer some of these questions he was having, once she woke up that is. He couldn't understand why they would just leave her at the wedding. _Did they not want her? What was it?_ This only confused him more as he desperately tried to pull Hashirama to the side and tell him. It was difficult to find the time to talk to him as the newlyweds were constantly surrounded by a crowd. Once the crowd started to disperse when they began to leave, the Senju leader and his wife had already disappeared.

Tobirama had a good idea on where to find them but it was definitely not the appropriate time to interrupt them. He would have to deal with this predicament by himself. And he did.

By telling her what she wanted to know. Only to have her grow more anxious by the second. Her demands were strange and only got stranger. She had asked him about how much someone paid him. _For what?_ He had no idea. Perhaps she was mentally unstable and that was why they had left her. No. She was probably still hallucinating or still under the influence. It was the next best reason as far as common sense allowed it, he couldn't judge her mental state just yet. Despite already jumping to conclusions in his mind.

She ran for the door, calling for Madara. Too bad he couldn't hear her. He would have been deaf by now. He sighed loudly before he got up from his seat and went for her. She couldn't get any further than this. Not only did she not know her way around, she would make a ruckus down the halls. Shouting Madara Uchiha's name in these hallways was bound to get her some unwanted attention.

Tobirama was right in front of her the next moment, blocking her way and preventing her from going any further. She nearly bumped into him, taken aback by his sudden appearance. There wasn't a wall in this compound that was not covered by his jutsu formula. This had its advantages of course, like right now. She darted in the opposite direction but he was already there, leaning against a wall. She couldn't outrun him. There was nowhere for her to go and he waited for her to realize that. Thankfully, it wasn't long. But just in case...

"Take me back!" She demanded.

"Back where?" Well, that was a stupid question. He already knew where she wanted to go.

"To Madara!" Her voice was getting louder. "Take me back now!"

"Calm down." He advised her but she wouldn't listen. She continued to stomp her legs and shout nonsense. She was either throwing a tantrum like a child or was trying to vent her frustration.

"I. Said. Calm. Down." He warned her before she could start screaming once more. She was looking everywhere, in every direction frantically, in search of an exit. But there wasn't one. One that didn't involve Tobirama blocking her path. He stood still for a few moments, not daring to approach her as it was still...a delicate situation. If he got too close too soon, she could revert back to making a scene. So, instead, he chose to assess the situation and wait for the right moment to edge closer, like a wild cheetah eyeing its prey carefully, careful not to make a sound to disturb it.

 _Okay, not the perfect analogy._ He was not a predator and he wasn't trying to draw her near in that sense. He just needed to get her back into whatever room that could hold her for some time, while he arranged for her to be taken back to wherever she came from. The Uchiha base. It wasn't fair of Madara to just drop her and leave, like unloading a heavy load of responsibility. It was an immature and inconsiderate move. _But then, isn't that who Madara is?_ She seemed to have quietened down now and looked at Tobirama with confused eyes. And fear. Fear of being imprisoned. Confined. Unable to get out. He dared to ultimately take a step forward and that was all it took to tick her off. Her screeching was about to make his ears bleed if he hadn't stopped her in time. Tobirama, already at her side, applied a gentle force onto the lower area of her nape with the sides of his hand. She went down and flopped to the floor, back to sleep and snoozing like baby.

He would have to find a place he could put her in for now. Until she woke up again, he would have to see Hashirama. Urgently.

* * *

 

"We have a problem." He stated as simply as he always did and in a monotone that he was known for, when notifying his elder brother about something _incredibly boring and tedious._ But this was far from boring. Perhaps tedious, but it wasn't boring. It was bizarre.

Tobirama had searched for Hashirama in every part of the house. It was very likely he wouldn't be awake by now but the silvered hair man couldn't wait any longer. This needed to be resolved as quickly as possible. Tobirama had other things scheduled and he hated being late. Despised lagging behind on a task. He asked around for his brother which was useless as no one would know where he was at this hour. It was early morning and dawn had passed by a few hours ago. He should have been at the settlement by now. Yet, he stayed here, waiting for the woman to come to only to end up putting her back under. This shouldn't have been his problem. He didn't need to stay behind and see what happened to her. He could have just departed for his mission and left her where she was, and whoever found her first would end up being responsible. But he unintentionally made this his mess. Not a mess as much as it was a hindrance. If he hadn't been talking to her yesterday night, had Madara not threw her in his room and ran back home, had he...

It didn't matter now, he chose to stay and see what happened, not entirely sure why, but he did. And so, he would have to deal with it accordingly. Starting off by finding Hashirama and enlighten him on what his 'best-friend' has done. He found him at last. The Senju leader was unusually awake and alive at this hour. Standing right in the center of a field. One they used for training with each other when they were young and still sparred in today. It was their personal training grounds. Just a piece of land, covered with a sheet of thin soil and green grass spanning the outer surface for as long as the horizon let it. Hashirama was in deep thought, from what Tobirama could tell but he wasn't always good with distinguishing the subtle expressions. He had genuinely thought the leader would be still in his bed with his new wife. There was no reason for him to be out here at this moment. But so be it. This meant he didn't have to drag him out of bed, knock some sense into him before getting to the point. Like he did most days. But those days were gone now, he wasn't as free to barge into Hashirama's room whenever he wanted.

As he got closer he repeated, "We've got a problem." Hashirama still wasn't hearing him. He was too busy scrutinizing the pairs of wilting tulips underneath him.

Tobirama was getting fed up with his brother and they haven't even exchanged a single word. "Did you hear me? I said-"

"Oh yes, I did hear you."

_"Madara-"_

"What does Madara have to do with any of this?" Hashirama wasn't giving him a chance to explain himself.

"If you'd bother to let me finish one phrase altogether, you would know." That alone caught the elder's attention. He turned around and looked at Tobirama.

"Go on." He ushered. Hashirama was unnaturally quiet this morning but he was still as happy-go-lucky like any other day, if not more. _Maybe it had to with last nigh-_ He stopped his train of thought right then and said,

"They left one of them here." Because that would have made a guy like Hashirama understand anything of what he was saying.

"In your room, is that it?" Hashirama's 'sincere' smile turned a 360 degrees and made its way into a perverse grin.

"What?" Hashirama's suggestive and disparaging undertone didn't go unnoticed by Tobirama, it wasn't that clever.

"You heard me, 'they just so happily left her there in your room', Am I right or am I not?"

"You are not. Have you eve-" Tobirama began.

"Look, I get it, that was your 'first-time' and now you don't know what to do with the woman. If you want her to leave that bad, just tell her to." Hashirama was rattling the wrong cage this morning. Tobirama's blood was boiling.

 _"That isn't the damn issue. Just listen to-"_ Hashirama burst out laughing.

"Oh Tobi, Tobi, Tobi. I've never pegged you as the type who can't handle himself in these kinds of situations. You're always so assertive, this is actually quite hilarious!" He just continued to hoot with laughter, hysterically. "You should have just politely asked her to leave before she went out of her way to wake up the whole wing."

_He just can't stop, can he? Wait..._

"How did you know?" Hashirama resided on the other end of the compound's main halls.

"A little birdie told me. I know everything that goes on in this house." That wasn't a comforting thought, to know that Hashirama was always watching...

"Did the little birdie also tell you that your dear Uchiha buddy threw her away and left?"

"Tobirama...there's no need to lie. There is nothing to feel ashamed about-"

 _"HAAAASHIRAMAA! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"_ Why? Why did Hashirama have to be so dense? It was like the denser they were, the more powerful they were. His brother recoiled back and sighed, in fear that Tobirama might shout at him again.

"Alright, alright. Let's go have a look at the little problem you seemingly can't get rid of yourself."

* * *

 

_"Are you kidding me?!"_

Hashirama had barely peeked his head through the door and glanced briefly at the sleeping figure. He retreated and shot Tobirama a glare.

"Out of all the people Tobirama...Her? Are you goddamn kidding me?"

Was Hashirama actually angry? One didn't see that very often. _They_ didn't see how menacing Hashirama could be. _They_ couldn't imagine how more powerful he was when he reached the end of his temper. But Tobirama wasn't scared. No, he was confused. Why his brother was enraged at the sight of her inside?

"I wasn't lying." He said.

"You clearly weren't. Do you even know who she is?" _What kind of question was that? Was Hashirama testing him? Was he being sarcastic?_ He couldn't tell.

"Yes." He replied curtly and then, "Do you?"

"Uhm, yes. Yes, I do. You on the other hand..." Hashirama facepalmed himself as he finally got to the point he was trying to make ever since arriving. "She's betrothed to Izuna, you.."

Tobirama didn't hear the rest. He let that piece of Information settle in comfortably. Let his mind fully comprehend what Hashirama just said.

...

"What?" Tobirama narrowed his eyes and tried to decipher if his brother was joking or not.

"I said, she's engaged to Izuna." His long brown hair was swinging from side to side as he shook his head disapprovingly.

"That can't be. If she was, then why on earth would they leave her here?" There was sudden movement and shuffling inside the room that caught their attention. They turned their heads towards the source of the noise.

Tobirama saw that the connections were starting to form in Hashirama's mind, he just couldn't believe it took him that long. No wonder he was angry, he must have thought that Tobirama had slept with her while he still held on to the belief she was indeed Izuna's fiancée. Well, that belief was definitively thrown out the window once Tobirama informed him that...

"He nearly burned her alive back when-"

"She's the one with similar healing powers?" Hashirama quirked an eyebrow, he was finally catching on and it only got him more intrigued. A loud shattering sound erupted from inside the room and both of them instantly rushed in. She was awake. _Awake and panicking._ They peeked in first before fully entering. She had bumped into one of his dressers and as a result, one of the vases fell to the ground. This was why he never let anyone in his room. Carelessness was a common trait among everyone he knew. She noticed them as soon as they entered and withdrew to the other side of the room, like a feral cat trying to escape its poachers.

Hashirama tried to calm her down, after sensing her growing anxiety, which was understandable considering how it might have appeared, like they were closing in on her, cornering her..

"Please, we mean you no harm." Hashirama reassured her while maintaining a pacific and tranquil appearance. Tobirama said nothing and let his brother handle it. He was much better at these things than Tobirama himself. The woman didn't believe him, by the looks of it. She just kept falling back until she reached the back wall and held onto it. She looked around and took in her surroundings for the first time. Mina didn't reply back.

"I believe we met yesterday, hmm?" Hashirama was trying to appeal to her memory, see if she remembered him and where she was. "You're Izuna's-" He cut himself short before continuing on with the wrong assumption. Though, he did see her stiffen at his discontinued revelation, her face hardened and a glower replaced the looks of confusion in her eyes.

"I'm not." It was barely above a whisper but Tobirama had heard it. It was clear as the light of day.

"Then why did he say you were?" He finally interjected, eager to know why that knucklehead would say something like that. His elder brother gave him a look that told him to shut up.

 _"This isn't the time to question her about something like that!"_ He said through gritted teeth.

 _"Well, when will there ever be a time?!"_ Tobirama retorted with the same intensity.

 _"I don't know. Stop being so impatient. Can't you see that she's not the most stable right now?"_ They were supposedly whispering but...

"You know I can hear you, right?" She spoke up, her tone still as inaudible as ever. They both looked at her, Hashirama was the one to carry on with this discussion.

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that." He gave a nervous chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I've never caught your name yesterday. Do you mind telling me it?" He was smiling, trying to appear as warm as looked. It worked most of the time on civilians, yet this woman remained skeptical. She contemplated on whether to answer him or not. Just as Tobirama was about reply in her place, she chose to disclose her name.

"Mina." That was all she said. No surname, nothing.

"Mina? That's a very beautiful name." This was a gift Hashirama had that Tobirama didn't. His interaction with people was on a different level than Tobirama's dealings. Unlike Hashirama, he just couldn't go around, acting so care-free and untroubled all the time, complimenting people about the simplest things, exuding warmth and joy...He just didn't have that. And he was okay with it as he was more than happy knowing that he could count on Hashirama to deal with these matters.

Seeing that she wasn't going to say anymore, Hashirama continued. "How about a family name? Clan?"

She shook her head lightly. "Just Mina."

"Well then, Mina. It seems that your companions have already left yesterday night. No need to worry though, I'm sure someone's already on their way back to get you." He did his best to assure her and perhaps she was starting to believe him or perhaps she didn't.

"No one's coming back for her." Tobirama stated and Hashirama shot him another glare. This would have been the perfect time for Tobirama to hold his tongue but he wasn't. He crossed his arms and pretended to ignore his older brother's death stares.

"I want to go back...Please." She was practically pleading them.

"Yes, I know. But like I said, don't worry. We're already sending a messenger just in case they-"

"In case they've forgotten?" Tobirama chimed in. "They don't want you back." It was the truth, judging from Madara's reaction yesterday, however, she was asleep and too drunk to even remember that he was the one to strand her here. He wasn't going to hold back the truth, she deserved to know what happened and get over it. The sooner, the better and everyone could then return back to their normal lives. Tobirama wasn't going to go easier on her just because she was a woman.

 _"I want to go back. Please."_ She only repeated what she had said five seconds ago, as if anything he just said went through one ear and exited from the other, without passing by her brain.

"Did you not just hear me? Why would you want to go back to the people who deserted you in the first place?" He kept on pushing, seeking answers so he could finally make a decision. This was how anything was done around here.

"Tobirama..." Hashirama's voice deepened, he was warning Tobirama to back off.

"You don't remember, do you?" The white haired Senju was relentless. But she wasn't cracking under his gaze nor his questions, she only remained steady and silent. The look of confusion returned to her. As he was about to relay to her what happened last night, she finally spoke. Uttering the same words.

"I said I want to go back." She dropped the niceties in response to Tobirama's rude behavior. Some people may have found it rude, but if it got the job done...he saw no problem with it.

"Yes, I know..." Hashirama intervened before his younger brother drove this woman over the edge and then they wouldn't be able to get anything out of her. Hashirama needed her on well terms, as he himself had some interesting questions for her. But that would have to wait for a more appropriate time.

"Now." She said.

"What?" Hashirama asked.

"I want to go back now." She recapitulated her request with more authority. It was a demand. With the subtle undertone that she would not be staying a second longer in this house, whether they liked it or not. Hashirama had no choice.

"If you could just wait for today.." He tried one last time before suggesting something that would surely bother Tobirama. While Hashirama did not want her to leave just yet, he couldn't risk being on her bad side. _They would meet again, soon._ He was sure of that.

"Alright then." He regained his cheerful attitude before proposing. "If you really are that eager to return to the Uchiha compound, Tobirama here was on his way-"

 _"Tobirama what now?"_ The man in question reiterated, growing wary of what was about to be put up for consideration. Hashirama paid no attention to his brother's looks and continued on.

"As I said, Tobirama was on his way to our new settlement. He can accompany you there and an Uchiha can take you from that point on. If there isn't one, then I'm sure Tobirama would be more than glad to escort you the whole way, right to the compound's gates. Is that alright by you?"

"No, it isn't." Tobirama answered but the question wasn't meant for him. Mina mulled that preposition over for a few minutes before accepting.

"Yes." A short yet decisive answer.

"Good. Tobi was just about to leave. I recommend you wear something else for the journey, it will be a long and arduous one, for you." He then turned to the younger sibling and said, " _Think of this as a mission."_ Hashirama then left to meet with the Sarutobi, leaving behind a stubborn woman and an angry Tobirama.

 _A mission?_ A mission equated to an order. _So, this was an order?_ Tobirama didn't have a say in this. Hashirama always had his way. _This was just great._ He was going to be stuck with this woman for the next four hours, at best. At worst, probably the next eight.

They stood silent, both at each end of the room with his bed separating the distance between them. She said nothing and neither did he. He wasn't sure how much time had passed just by standing there, but that was time wasted and he had already lost enough of it for today. It was morning and if they were to leave now, they should be at the settlement by mid-afternoon and if he was going to the Uchiha compound, which was the most probable case, they should arrive there by evening.

"Get dressed." He ordered her before walking out of his own room.

* * *

 

He came back a full fifteen minutes later only to find her sitting silently on the bed, which was neatly made. It hadn't been so when he left. _Was that how she spent the time?_

"Why are you not dressed?" He really couldn't think of a reason that would prevent her from following through with his order. Unless, she was doing this to stall him. Was she aiming for aggravation? Because it seemed like she was succeeding.

"I couldn't find clothes." He may have overlooked that one particular reason. Tobirama did not have the luxury of calling a maid and then to order her to find her appropriate clothes and then...No, it would take too long. In two long strides, he was in front of his closet. He pulled out a black shirt and a pair of pants and tossed them to her. _She'll have to do with what she's got._

"Here, wear those. You've got five minutes." He was out before she had the time to even object.

...

He waited those five minutes in the corridor. After finishing the countdown, he knocked, signaling her to come out. She didn't, so he entered. She was dressed, thankfully. Although, they looked more like drapes than clothes as they hung over her shoulders and hips loosely. The sleeves were an arm too long. She was just too short for her own good.

"Let's go."

They've left the Senju gates around a half hour ago. They were going to have to walk there since she couldn't run the way he did. Or any ninja. But there was always one other way. No. Tobirama decided against using that jutsu with her as of yet. In fact, when he thought this over with a clear mind, he came to see that this was a perfect opportunity to get to know who she was. Analyze her. And finally obtain the answers he was looking for. Eight hours were plenty enough.

They were walking in silence with him leading the way and her, not too far behind. None of them uttered a single word. He was waiting for her to start and maybe, she was waiting for him to break the ice. Whichever it was, it didn't matter as they both preferred the silence. It wasn't completely silent though. The chirping and chattering of birds and insects filled the forest they were travelling through. The wind rustling the leaves echoed through the thick canopy as distant howls were heard. She squealed at the unexpected sounds, afraid that whatever animal it was, it would jump out of the bushes. She was scared to the point that she would even hide behind him, grabbing his armor as protection. She would then go on to apologize quietly and return to normal. This went on for a while before she finally became familiar with the sounds. The path they were taking cut right through the heart of the woodland. It was the shortest way to get there. It should cut the distance by almost ten miles, or about an hour or an hour and a half in time. Which was what they needed the most if they were about to walk the rest off the way there.

"I'm sorry." She finally spoke. Not for grabbing him, no. They haven't heard a roar in quite some time. "For yesterday night." She added. He didn't say anything and waited for her to continue, if there was anything else to say. Tobirama didn't stop, his pace; unchanging.

"If I offended you or anything, I deeply apologize for my inappropriate behavior. I was..was.." Her own pace had slowed down a bit, forcing him to face her. He was surprised to see a blush had made its way across her cheeks. He didn't know what to expect, he didn't know her. The only meaningful interaction he had with her was when she was drunk and he couldn't tell if that was how she truly was personality-wise when she was sober, or was she a completely different person. He was leaning towards the alter-ego personality type. There were two types of drinkers, one; those who drink and still remain the same persona, _just like Hashirama._ And two; those who drink and become completely uninhibited, and an entirely different person. _Just like her._

"It's fine." He went back to hiking, hoping that she she would speed up her steps.

"Uh..I don't remember everything that happened. Do you think you can fill in the gaps for me?" She asked politely. He wasn't sure how to, he wasn't with her throughout the whole night.

"What exactly do you remember?" Tobirama had to know what was the extent of her memory because he couldn't tell her everything. Somethings were left for _certain others_ to explain. She halted, stopping in her tracks, much to his irritation. He also stopped so he could finish this, once and for all.

"Well, I remember walking up to you and.." Her blush deepened as she recalled the events that occurred less than twelve hours ago. "And I..we talked for a while. Then, Izuna came and he..."

"He came and took you away to see Madara." He continued for her.

"Yes, I faintly remember something like that..." She scratched her head, trying to bring up the images of the past night to view.

"And then Madara walked off with you. To a room inside the house." Tobirama was trying to help her remember as much as she could. "Sorry, can't tell you what happened between the both of you in that room. I wasn't there." That was the last thing he said before going back to walking.

"I know-"

"Look, we need to hurry if we want to reach the settlement before sunset." He interjected and she quieted down afterwards. Her pace quickened and nearly matched his. She didn't speak for another while, silence took over. This time, he was the one to break it.

"If you want to know how you ended up being stranded back there, you should ask Madara when you see him. He was the one who dropped you off in my room and said that we could keep you." She was walking by his side now. He couldn't help but look down and see her expression. She was gazing at him, wonder and confusion were splayed across her face, her blush was long gone.

"What? But why? I-"

"I don't know." He answered frankly. He really didn't. _Why would Madara do something like that?_ This was quite bizarre, even by his standards. The way he just left her there in Tobirama's room and exclaimed that she was theirs to keep, it was wrong to just give people away, like how you do with objects or lands. Trading in human lives were not something the Senju did. And neither the Uchiha, up to his current knowledge. He continued to stare at her, her gaze had dropped to the ground. She was watching her own footsteps marking the wet soil, probably trying to make sense of what he just said.

* * *

 

"Can we please take a break?" Mina was wondering aloud. They've been walking for about two and a half hours, which wasn't much compared to what they still had ahead of them. If it was up to Tobirama, he wouldn't stop. In fact, he wouldn't be walking in the first place. But she looked tired. Already worn out. She didn't have much stamina.

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly. If she over exerted herself, she just might drop out of exhaustion and then he would have to carry her there. On the other hand, if they took a break, it would delay their arrival time and they might end up spending the night in the forest. They weren't even half way through these woods. There was another one waiting for them when they exited this area. He decided to take the risk on the second choice.

They had already reached a clearing and decided to rest there. Each one of them took to a tree, opposite of each other. He leaned against the tree while she sat down, cross-legged and got out a flask full of water to drink. He had prepared two sacs, each containing suitable food and water for the journey. And weapons, in his case. He wasn't going to hand her kunai or shurikens for the sake of it. He already carried his katana, a few kunai in his pouch and a clear, cork glass bottle with a distinct poison he prepared himself. He only packed extra weapons in his sac just in case.

She was about to doze off it seems. Her head laid back on the tree bark while she hummed a melody. It didn't belong to any folk songs he knew.

"What did you mean by 'do the carpet match the drapes' ?" He asked out of the blue, finally getting it out of the way. That phrase was getting the best of him, he could only admit to himself. Her eyes suddenly shot open.

She replied with the customary "What?" She was getting nervous. Her nostrils flared, a light shade of red was returning and her voice was breaking. _All signs that she knew exactly what he was talking about._

"What does it mean?" He repeated. " _'Do the carpet match the drapes?'_  You asked me that yesterday."

"Oh..." She tried to laugh it off. _Oh, she most definitely knew what it meant._ "You know, it's just the same old, same old. It's exactly what it says. Hmm.." She went back to humming, avoiding the subject altogether. _So, it wasn't exactly what it sounded like,_ he concluded. She was hiding something, it's true meaning. It must be embarrassing if she was turning this red. This only got Tobirama more curious. But, before he could inquire any further...

 _"Duck!"_ He warned her to crouch down. Instead of ducking at his command, she raised her hands and crossed them in front of her head in an attempt to block whatever that was coming her way. Which were a pair of kunai. They had been thrown from the south direction and were cutting through the thick branches of the trees as they made their way. He was already at her side, ready to carry her away but something strange had emerged. A tall mud wall erected from the ground causing the earth to tremble beneath it. Large rocks were falling off the surface of the great boulder and onto the unsheathed soil they stood on. Or rather used to stand on. They were no longer in sight.


	23. Irrational, Irrational

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woohoo, a 10,783 word chapter!

_"Duck!"_

_Dammit!_ How couldn't he have sensed them? Whoever it was, they were overstepping their boundaries. This was still Senju territory. However, this region wasn't as well guarded as certain others, consequently, a few bandits were caught here and there. But this was a first. He managed to carry her away just in time. He set her down on one of the countless branches, the farthest above the ground.

"Stay put." Tobirama was about to spring to the ground but she pulled him back. _Like she's afraid of heights. So, she is?_ He couldn't take her with him and he sure couldn't stay still for much longer. He needed to find whoever was lurking around these parts, so he shook her off and jumped down. Around sixty feet. Of course he didn't want to leave her alone, she could be targeted again but this was all the more reason to hurry up and find those ninjas. He crouched down and placed a finger to the ground.

_There you are._

There were two of them. _Roughly...466 meters to the east. No, south-east direction._

He looked up one last time before rushing towards his foes.

 _She'll be alright._ He hoped.

* * *

 

**_Mina's POV_ **

_Oh no no no no no no. I'm not alright._

_Why would he do this!?_ I was petrified of heights and he just left me high and dry up here while he ran off to God knows where. I hugged this stupendously large tree, straddled it like my life depended on it. I should have been on the front cover of those magazines. You know, the ones advertised by those creepily obsessive environmental campaigners. _I mean who could possibly be a better, more loving and committed tree-hugger than me at the moment?_

He better be back quick, I didn't know how much longer I could take it. I tried not to think about the kunai that were about to bore holes into my forehead or when that gigantic earth wall sprung out of the ground all of a sudden. Maybe it was Tobirama's jutsu, but I didn't see him perform hand signs. Then again, he was always extraordinarily fast at what he does and maybe I just didn't notice him flexing his hands. He must have executed it as a sort of safety measure, in case he hadn't arrived in time. _But he was by my side before the wall was completely erected?_

_No, just stop thinking about it!_

I should have really been concentrating on keeping both my breathing and heart rates constant instead of racking my brain around in loops. I took in multiple deep breaths, drawing in as much oxygen as I could while simultaneously focusing on how not to look down. It was unnaturally difficult. I wasn't worried that whoever threw those kunai could still be lingering around here. I had complete faith in Tobirama. _That was probably where he ran off to, right? To capture those evil imps?_

_You really shouldn't trust in people that easily._

_She was right. Wait, no I was right. What? That didn't make sense._

"Urghhh.." My patience was wearing thin and I couldn't do anything about it. What if Tobirama didn't find them? _Oh no_. What if he was hurt and no one was nearby to help him? Was I stuck up here forever? Maybe I shouldn't have asked to go back. If I had just listened to Hashirama...I wouldn't have been in this mess. But I couldn't stay a second longer there. Everything was so unfamiliar, the same feelings I had when I first landed here came rushing back. It was suffocating and I just couldn't handle it. I wanted any kind of familiarity I had forged in this strange, strange world. All sorts of possibilities and thoughts flooded my mind, each more distressing than the last. I began panicking once more, my heart beats quickened and my breathing; irregular. _Again. Fuck!_ I couldn't manage to stay calm for more than three minutes. A loud crack nearly made me bounce off the branch. I was this close to falling to my death. Again. The rumbling came from the sky. And for a second there, as I looked up at the darkened heavens, I thought they would split open. Then another thunderclap followed. Rolls of thunder appeared one after the other, only seconds after lightening bolts illuminated the sky, which had made a 180 degree turn and grew dim in those few moments. That wasn't true though. It had been grey-ish all morning, the sun had appeared for an hour before it was clouded over by thick and hazy billows of condensed water vapors. And it was now bearing fruition of all that melancholia. _What was that saying? That the skies weep every time they rain? Was it sad? If it was, why?_

Small droplets of water started falling. Slowly at first but then came crashing down. A downpour. Soon enough, I was soaked and drenched in water and no longer dry. Just high. The clothes I was wearing seemed ten times more heavier now. I was still looking upwards. The rain was strangely pleasant and calming. Unlike me.

"Why?" I said, to no one in particular. "WHY DAMMIT?!" My shouts had bothered a few birds who were nesting up top in the trees. They flew away at the disturbing noise. I rested my head against the bulky trunk. _I knew I always had bad luck, but this was just plain shitty and unfair._ That was it, I had no more energy left in me to even think anymore.

* * *

 

_**Madara's POV** _

_"You what?"_ Izuna exclaimed. His younger brother had heard him, he was just shocked. There was no point in repeating what he just said. Madara was dead tired but he couldn't get the images he had just witnessed out of his head. He wasn't about to get any sleep anytime soon.

"How could you do that?" Izuna kept on speaking. _"What is wrong with you?"_

Madara halted, stopped untethering his armor and gazed at Izuna. All he wanted at the moment was to take these heavy metal plates off him, bleach them and then throw them in a damn furnace. The odour of charred skin was going to be tough to take out. He might as well just throw his clothes in the fire, too.

"Oh really? You don't seem too angry about it." He took a good look at Izuna, and despite the words coming out of his mouth, his demeanor portrayed something absolutely different. He sure wasn't angry or saddened by the fact that Madara left her to the Senju. Quite the opposite actually. He was beaming with joy, a large smile and a very small yet visible victory dance was what gave him away.

_"Of course I'm angry! You can't just give people away!"_

...

"Did you at least sell her?" He joked.

"Get out Izuna." That was all it took for Izuna to listen. This time, Madara wasn't in the mood to play along. He needed to sit down and go over what just happened. He cracked his knuckles and moved his neck to the sides in an effort to relieve some of the tension that had built up there and as a result, brought on a massive headache. It was dawn and he had only just returned back home. He was at Hashirama's wedding at one point and then he was called away by one of his shinobi. Not back to the complex, no, but to a horrendous scene.

It was just like any other marriage ceremony, not a disaster like he imagined. Or rather hoped. The fancy drapes did not catch fire, a fight between clans did not erupt, Uzumaki Mito did not ditch him. Nothing. Everything went by smoothly and it got boring real quick. He had went, with high hopes, to see a tragedy occur, a tragedy that didn't happen. While he was profoundly disappointed, he couldn't wish harm upon the people there. Some of them were...innocent and had nothing to do with the grudges they had against each other. Like any other clan head, Madara went and congratulated the newly wedded couple. As usual, Hashirama was overjoyed.

"Madara! My friend! It's great to see you again." He exclaimed.

"Yes, congratulations." Madara said. He wasn't overly delighted. In fact, he was rather subfuscous and dull. He didn't bother with putting up a front and act all cheery. Not even a hint of a smile. He extended his hands to shake Hashirama's. He looked over to the bride and took in her appearance in for the first time. She was much closer now so he saw details he couldn't distinguish from further away and not because his vision was dimming. _Not at all._ From near proximity, he could see that she looked just like any other bride on her wedding day. She did indeed have the looks, he just couldn't see anything special. Maybe because he wasn't seeing her through Hashirama's eyes, which was unsurprising. He inadvertently looked her over, taking his time and that may have made her feel uncomfortable. _Hmm, that chakra..._ She had a good amount of it. _A very good amount._ He had never met a woman with that much...magnitude. But she wasn't just a woman, she was an Uzumaki and this was nothing short of their capabilities. A common trait among Uzumaki men and woman. _And yet..._

"I thought you had better taste." He faced and told Hashirama. "I had expected you to find someone more...worthy." He added. The Senju's eyes widened at Madara's harsh comment. The women though, she did not retreat or back away from his blatant insult. Maybe she wasn't so uncomfortable.

 _"I beg your pardon? Did you say something?"_ Her emerald green eyes narrowed, intensifying her glare as her face slowly tinted to the same shade of red as her hair. And her hair was quite reddish. _So, she has a mouth?_ It intrigued him that a woman could speak back to him so straightforwardly, it wasn't habitual with women of this era. Good.

"Hmpff. You heard me..." He turned and walked away before she could even answer, a small smile already taking shape.

What happened in the next hour was unbearable. Being surrounded by clans who were his enemies up until recently...it wasn't a nice feeling, to be fenced in with people he was just at war with, having killed many family members on their side just as they have defeated those on his end. It wasn't a far fetched idea to have brought with him more than half a dozen shinobi. They weren't going to battle of course, it just didn't hurt being extra careful. And on one's guard. Being heedful wouldn't cost them anything. And so, the night went on. On until she decided to pop up into the picture. _Well, she had always been there,_ he only ignored her until he couldn't anymore. While what ensued next was ghastly, he managed to convince himself that he had actually been enjoying his time before Izuna brought her over. In fact, he was having the time of his life. Again, or so he thought. Anything he would have to endure was infinitely better than having to have spent those fifteen minutes alone with her. It didn't end well. Though, his erection did resolve itself, it only left him with an incredibly frustrated state of mind. Frustration at never having the chance to... Well, it wasn't like he could have found a way to satiate his needs right there. He could only wait until he returned, but it had already calmed down by then. Which was a relief.

Madara truly intended to come back for her. He had no idea that he headed into Tobirama's chambers. It was an accident but a happy one as he dumped her there and made his way back. He only said they could keep her out of vexation. It got the better of him. _She got the better of him._ He was going out for a breath of fresh air to gather himself and return to collect her later on. Later on never came.

Once he found himself outside, he was immediately approached by one of his own shinobi. A shinobi he distinctly remembered ordering him to stay guard at the compound entrance gates. To close them and not let anyone enter until he had returned. _Jiro._ The same youngster who had ran to him all those weeks ago, informing him of a Senju envoy arrival. He was breathless, just like back then. _Did he never stop running? More importantly, what the fuck is he doing here?_ He needn't ask those questions as they were already being answered.

"Madara-sama." The young man was in such haste, he let go of all formalities but the honorifics. He seemed urgent, it was a good thing he skipped all the bowing, Madara was becoming alarmed.

"There was an incident near the Honshū alpine forests." Jiro began. _Near the Honshū?_ That wasn't too far from where the Uchiha housings stood. Where generations long Uchihas have lived for centuries upon centuries, right at the base of the Okuchichibu Mountains.

"What incident?" Something was horribly wrong, he could clearly see that through the shinobi's eyes. If Jiro had indeed rushed over all the way from back there, then this was definitely something not to be taken lightly.

"You must return." He wasn't going to say anything else, not until they were out of the Senju territory.

"Fine." Madara replied. He needed to assemble his group and head back right that instant.

...

They were around fifteen miles away from home. He split his men into two smaller groups and ordered Izuna to return back to the base with one of them. Four of the older and battle-hardened shinobi tagged along with Madara, with Jiro as their guide. They've been sprinting at full speed since leaving the wedding and the inexperienced ninja was already tired. With every right to be. He just made the same journey back and forth within the span of a couple of hours, when normally, it would take anyone nearly a day. A day and a half at most. Yet, he was determined not to falter in front of the older men. They were his superiors. Powerful superiors. He could only dream of having half the strength they did. Though, Madara did note his tenacity.

"Are you sure they're ours?" Madara asked him, all seriousness and vigilance having returned. It was long past midnight and it could have been a possible ambush.

"Yes. Positive. There are two Uchiha guards waiting there for your arrival, Uchiha-sama." He answered, breathless and ready to tumble down any moment. He better not. Or he just might die. A fall at this height could prove to be deadly and none of them were willing to try and prove that theory correct.

"Faster." He commanded them. His order echoed into the deep, deep forest, amplifying his already grave voice tenfold.

...

The sight of stacked bodies, one over the other, limbs poking out of unwonted places. He had momentarily stopped at the gates of his home to gather his gear, preparing for a battle. But he wasn't met with clashing metal, or explosive tags or any combat. Instead, he and his veteran ninjas arrived at a scene that couldn't have been picked out of the most horrifying nightmares a person could dream of. He had fully expected Jiro to vomit to his heart's content, but he didn't. He must have already went through that before retrieving him. The wind was strong, it carried the smell of burned flesh across the forest. Madara had picked up on the scent when they were four miles away, surely as the others have. But being right there, right next to the bodies...He thought it possible that he was able to taste the stench. It was repugnant. All the color had drained from each individual face present, including his.

This was essentially a mass grave, except whoever the sick perpetrator was, didn't even bother to dig a hole. The heap of badly incinerated bodies placed right before him was starting attract to wild animals. Insects had not yet arrived, so decomposition could not have begun. As for the discoloration of supposed bodies...he could not tell. They were all patches of dark red and black layers of derma. This couldn't have occurred long ago, he thought. But there was no definitive proof. Not when it came to this pile of flesh.

He returned his gaze to a pair of corpses left unburnt and untouched, except for their missing orbs. The only thing missing from their bodies, their most treasured weapons, their clan's gift to them. Their eyes were hacked out. Taken away. But that wasn't what gave away their bloodline. Madara's eyes couldn't stop hovering over that crest woven onto their clothed backs. The same one everyone who was alive and standing in this spot wore. The individual responsible for this purposely meant to arrange them like that so if and when they find them, they would know. _A warning. This brought the total of corpses up to fourteen or so._ He couldn't accurately count those packed on top of each other.

"How..?" He muttered but it still sounded deafening against the fatally silent atmosphere.

 _"HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?"_ There it was. That powerful and potent voice came crashing atop their heads. The outrage and fury haven't settled in fully yet and he was only beginning. But no one could give an answer. Because they didn't know one. Not a single one that could explain this calamitous and devastating circumstance.

"Someone better come up with an answer as to how more than a dozen of our shinobi ended up hacked and burned in the dead of night. NOW!" He couldn't hold it in anymore. The youngest of them stepped up but nearly tripped over a decapitated arm on his way. He gulped and kicked the limb away.

"The-They aren't...fr-from back home. No one has been reported missing." Jiro stuttered.

 _No one's missing? Then who could they be?..._ A thought crossed his mind. There was virtually no other Uchiha living outside the fort walls. Except those that had defected to the Senju during the past years. But what were they doing here? Were they planning on returning to the compound? He didn't see that going over very well with the elders or some of the shinobi. By their books, these people had willingly turned their backs on their clan. Treason, they called it. However, they still shared the same blood nonetheless and Madara had a hard time accepting anyone could have done this and get away with it. _Speaking of..._

"When did this even happen?" He was thinking aloud. How could anyone do this? Were they even burned here? Were hey murdered in this place? How did they not attract attention? Sure, they may have been in a forest but no one could do this much damage and not raise a few red flags, especially when there was a small town to the north that wasn't too far away. Not the Uchiha stronghold. Which only brought him to his next question, who was powerful enough to take down a dozen of capable Uchiha shinobi in such a fashion? And why?

"Why goddammit!?"

Madara may not be the best sensory nin out there, in spite of that, he was still skillful. Skillful enough to know whoever had done this was no longer sticking around to watch his own work get discovered. He didn't sense any other presence beside their own chakra signatures. Not in the distant areas. Meaning, the culprit was already bygone. As if he had never been here in the first place. _No. Not one._ It couldn't have been one culprit. He became convinced that it was more of a group, his mind couldn't embrace the fact that one person could have been responsible for all of this.

"What are we going to do with the remains?" Asked one of the well-adept ninjas. Madara turned to look at the man in question. Eiji, Takayama's son. He had fought along side this older man for a great deal of his life. The scar running along the right side of his face, from the temple down to his chin, has been there for as long as Madara could remember.

"Bury them." It was a silent order. No one dared question him. These cadavers still had families, ones that still lived within the rest of the clan members, their bodies, or whatever that was left of them, should be returned for a proper burial. Though, it would have been near if not impossible, to identify the scorched ones. The two that weren't, they would be taken back. "You there." He nodded in Jiro's direction. "Bring that with you." He was indicating the severed arm that he scattered a few feet away. The kid looked like he would piss himself any second, but they needed at least a portion of a burned part for analysis. _For whatever that was worth._ In total, they were seven and were still in their youth. Even so, they wouldn't have been able to carry that much bodies and dismembered limbs back home. And if they left them overnight, it would only just lure in more creatures causing more damage to the exposed corpses. It was only logical to bury them right then, as properly as they could. And so they did. As much as they could. Madara would come scavenger this area later on in the day, he wasn't going to let this go. He would turn over every rock that laid over this wide earth, even if the trail led him all the way over to the other side of the world. He would find these sons of bitches and...

...

The events replayed over and over in his mind, not wanting to stop. Every moment that passed was torturous. It was one more moment away from finding the ones responsible. Any physical traces of them could be wiped out. The wind could erase whatever smell they held, the rain would mask any footprints they left behind... The weather was unpredictable nowadays, anything could happen. Changes in environmental factors could very well efface any evidences they may have missed. An emergency meeting was held and Madara, for the first time, was the earliest to emerge. Everyone else flocked in, one after the other. Izuna must have been informed of the situation by now. After they've all been seated, Madara gathered his thoughts. But before he could even formulate one word, they started bickering. _Already._

"This was bound to happen." Said one of the old men.

"What does that mean? That they deserved it?" Countered one woman.

"That wasn't what he said." A relatively young adviser came to the defense of the first man.

"It's what he insinuated." She replied.

"They were traitors, what did you expect? Surely nothing merciful?" He said dismissively.

 _"Is that so?"_ Madara's tone changed. Vicious and cold. He glared intently at the old man who suddenly became quiet, all the confidence he had was soon lost. "You think they warranted a fate such as that because, simply put, they chose what they felt benefited them instead of adhering to your archaic and obsolete, moronic views? Hmm?" No, it wasn't vicious, it was a bit playful, mocking even. The room temperature had dropped a few degrees. Madara quirked an eyebrow as he awaited a response.

"Well? Is that it?" He pushed.

A courageous fellow spoke up. "Urghm," he coughed, "In light of what was discovered yesterday, how are we sure that we positively identified the remains brought over? They may not even be our clansmen." ...

Something snapped in Madara's mind. They had this coming for a long while now and he regretted nothing.

_"FOOLS! ALL OF YOU. I'VE HAD IT WITH YOUR BULLSHIT AND YOUR UTTER DISGUSTING AND MEANINGLESS EXISTENCES. EACH SINGLE ONE OF YOU OLD USELESS GEEZERS LIVED PAST THEIR DUE DATE. AND IF IT WASN'T FOR THIS RIDICULOUS PRACTICE, I WOULD HAVE HAD EACH OF YOUR HEADS IMPALED THROUGH A POLE AND HANGED OVER THE FRONT GATES."_

There was not a single person in this room who wasn't holding in their breaths. When he finished shouting, he seated himself back down. This should shut them up for a bit. He had never lost his cool to this extent. Sure, he would break tables and smash chairs but never had he lost his words. This was inexcusable. That old man. He had the audacity to even suggest something like that. Perhaps, Madara was a bit more lenient in these particular situations than the older generations. They were traitors by their definitions. But not his. He knew these people. They had come to him before previous battles urging him to put an end to the bloodshed. They were tired of the fighting and each of them had lost someone dear _or something like that._ Madara wasn't paying attention back then. He didn't care and only sent them back to where the came from, their asses over their heads. _But now.._ He may still not agree with some of their ideologies, but they had been part of the clan, they carried he Uchiha blood just like he did. _And any of these fucking retards sitting in the room._ That meant they deserved justice not ridicule, much less by these old timers.

"YOU." He stared daggers at the old man. "OUT." It was a short yet clear order. However, the man didn't comprehend it, as it seems, since he wasn't making a move to leave his chair. "I SAID OUT. NOW"

He finally got it and headed for the door. The adviser that had supported him earlier, came to his defense once more. "This isn't right! You cannot do this, Madara-"

"Oh really now?" Madara's face suddenly lifted into a grin. _Boy, where did this guy get that much backbone?_ Madara would snap it in two. _He was brave alright._ "Try me." He teased the ill-fated man. Sweat beads were now running down the sides of his face profusely, as he saw his leader take quiet steps towards him. No one talked. Or breathed. Even Izuna sat astounded at his brother's sudden outburst. Madara grabbed the collar of said man's shirt and dragged him upwards to his height.

 _"You. Get out as well."_ If the adviser was thinking about talking back this time, he would have to think that over. Being that close to Madara Uchiha while angry could really put a toll on someone. It didn't matter what the poor man was thinking, his clan head wasn't about to give him a choice. With minimum force, Madara tossed him to the front, right next to the door. He fell to his knees but quickly stood up to avert anymore humiliation.

"I don't ever want to see any of your sad faces around here again. IS THAT CLEAR?" He told them as a final caution. They both bowed down and agreed.

"Yes, Madara-sama." Both of them exited together and he shut the doors with a loud bang.

"Good riddance." He said, sighing. _This was a first. Banishing an elder and a councilor..._ well he didn't do that too often. Was he even allowed that power? Returning to his seat and gathering his composure, _"Does anyone else here today feel like they've served their clan to their fullest extent and is no longer able to provide anything useful to its ascent?"_ He inquired as politely as he could, unable to get rid of the threatening tone. "Please, the door's that way."

No one raised a hand or said anything and he was deeply disappointed. He wanted to see every single one of them walk out that door, one after the other, just as how they came in. But they didn't.

"Good. Now that _that_ is out of the way.." He began, with more seriousness than menace. "Did you find the families of the bodies we returned yesterday?" He asked.

Izuna was the one to respond, seeing that the others were still trying to get themselves together. "Yes, we did. They identified the corpses and they belonged to one Uchiha Haruo and a..." He flipped through a stack of papers, "...an Uchiha Kaito. They did indeed abscond to the Senju around five months ago." He answered what was probably going to be Madara's next question. _Around five months..._

"I think it's safe to assume that the other corpses you saw were the rest of their teammates. And that this was most likely a planned attack." Takayama, perhaps the only sensible elder in the room, spoke.

"There's no doubt about that." Affirmed Lady Chiho.

"What does this mean then? Someone is out against us?" Someone pitched in.

_Can't they just shut up?_

He coughed, clearing his throat while subtly telling them to quiet down.

"Anything about the burnt...appendage?" Images of the amputated arm destroyed by the fire ran rampant in his mind.

"Yes, about that..." Lady Chiho, head of the supposed medics, had answers to this issue. She wasn't bad in her field, but their medical nins were somewhat barely proficient in the medical arts. That was the one thing the Uchiha couldn't excel at unlike the Senju, who were practically masters at healing. Mostly, Hashirama but his clan wasn't that far behind him. The Uchiha needed some of that knowledge. It would have been crucial in saving many lives. Lives that were lost due to baseless comprehension of human physiology. So many of their lost shinobi could have been alive today as a result of that. Perhaps, they could finally acquire it through the treaty.

"They weren't thrown into a pit of fire."

"Meaning?" Someone had asked.

"Meaning.." She continued, "It wasn't a natural fire. Not the type you get from rubbing a spindle on a fire-board, if you were ever stuck in the wild, that is. It was a jutsu. There were traces of chakra all over the limb. But that isn't really the strange part. Normally, fire doesn't produce particular marks on its sufferer, but there were clear patterns of transition on the charred skin. Which makes me wonder Madara-sama, were the rest of the cadavers the same way?"

That was a good question.

"My son also says there were peculiar markings on certain areas, like a torso or a thigh. Something about vivid red blotches that seemed like puncture wounds, according to him." The old bearded man added. That was true, Madara did notice random red spots that pierced the skin surfaces, like shallow holes. He didn't give much thought to details like that. Not until now.

"Yes, that's true." His mind was going through lists of jutsu that required fire-style users and that simultaneously burned unusual paradigms on its victims. He came up with nothing.

"What were they even doing in that area? One would think they would still be at the Senju's. Unless they sent a notice that they wanted to meet with you?" Izuna suggested to Madara. He thought this over, he never received a letter from them.

"Maybe you should just ask them." Takayama proposed.

"I will." He said. This was something he intended to do. Soon. They have never had a meeting as awkward or as solemn as this.

"I am just going to say it, since none of you will." _Wasn't the old man on a roll..._ "Do any of you know a someone who has enough power to single-handedly slaughter fifteen Uchiha men?" He questioned. It took a while for anyone to respond, Madara was the first to break the silence.

"What makes you think it was _a someone?_ "

* * *

 

** _Tobirama's POV_ **

He was closing in on them. They were no longer just two, but four. Although half of them appeared to have very little amounts of chakra. Similar to a newborn, except they couldn't be just that. Tobirama was around three hundred feet away and getting nearer until-

He managed to dodge the... _urine?_ The spurt of yellow liquid came out of nowhere. No. Not out of nowhere. He noticed the canine responsible for that gush of fluid. It was large. Alarmingly large. _A hound as large as that could only belong to the-_ He hadn't the time to finish his thought as he tried side-stepping the dog who only grew more violent. Bearing its razor-sharp teeth, ready to tear at Tobirama's body, it lunged at him from above. He moved out of its path at whirlwind speed only to land on a lower branch. Looks like they found me. Its keeper couldn't be far away.

He was alert. Aware of all possible directions through which they could attack him. The dog was above him. He looked to his left then to his right and finally downwards, towards the ground. Alright then. He began to withdraw a kunai laced with a paper bomb when another dagger shot up from underneath. He was gone by the time it hit the branches.

"WHAT THE HECK?!"

A woman's voice. She came out of the bushes on the other side of his current position.

"WHERE DID HE GO?" The second canine that he had sensed earlier followed her out of the shrubs. It was just as large as the first one, except its fur was the opposite color. Black going on navy blue while its paws were white just like its underside. Though there was a deep scar running through its left eye and down to its muzzle. It spun its head right in his direction. Oh boy. Before the dog even alerted its master, he had already aimed the second kunai at their location. Precisely five centimeters above her head. Now, he just needed to get the other pair in conjunction. He leaped into the second position and got out two kunai strung together by metallic threads only to have to change place once more, moving to the right. The black mutt was already tailing him. The Senju's objective was to get to the white one but now he had both surrounding him on either side as he jumped from branch to branch.

_Darn it!_

He didn't want to get too far from his marking points, so he swiveled over the thick tree branch and turned into the opposite direction to where he was heading. Just as expected it, the dogs were back pursuing him. All he needed was to guide them to-

_"Jūjin Taijutsu Ōgi: Gatsūga!"_

He barely had any time to toss the kunai into place before he could narrowly evade the fang over fang. The canine and its loud master had missed and ended up boring a small crater into the ground. A second woman had appeared and called out to her own dog. "Kuromaru!" She whistled and the dark ninken came to her beck and call, completely forgetting Tobirama's presence, who hovered above them, a few boughs too high. He had mistaken whose master was whose. The appearance of the second woman was a sort of relief, it managed to distract the oncoming attackers. He honestly didn't think he would have bypassed such a short-range attack in such little time without having been seriously injured. It didn't matter, they were in position of his trap and he needed to take advantage of it. He jumped down a few steps and confronted them.

"Don't move."

The explosive tags were ready to ignite, at his command. With just one hand sign he could...

"We're terribly sorry, we did not realize it was you Tobirama-sama." Said the second woman, who also appeared to be the older of the pair. She was the black ninken's keeper huh? The younger woman, who was finally out from the hole she had dug for herself. Her white dog; by her side, barking incessantly.

"Dammit." She screamed. She was the loudmouth while _her mother?_ appeared to be more pragmatic. He decided to stick to the level-headed one while still performing the one-handed ram hand sign. The trap he had thought of on the spot wasn't too genial but it would have to do. He had thrown four explosives attached to different kunai in each cardinal direction in an effort to ensnare them inwards and then tried to lure in the dogs and well...things played out by themselves. Tobirama wasn't doing his best, he needed to regain his focus. Which was hard when his mind was consistently wandering back to the lone woman dangling from the tallest tree in the forest. It had begun to rain a few minutes ago, he just wished she hadn't fallen to her death. _Hopefully, she wasn't too scared of lightening,_ being up there and all. Concentrate.

His attention returned to the two women, standing at the center of his set-up. They looked nearly identical, save for the age difference. They had the common red fang markings painted over their cheeks, distinguishing them as part of the Inuzuka clan. They were well known to have produced remarkable and untamed women warriors, although he has yet to see that.

"Speak. What are you doing on Senju territory?" He demanded, the tags already sparking. The women were more than aware of the explosives, if kindled, the extensive evergreens surrounding them could come crashing down, burying them right underneath the rubble and debris.

"We were just out hunting. Something wrong with that?" The young one shouted. She was wild and impatient.

"You idiot! Shut. Up." The other Inuzuka scolded her. "Look-"

"I repeat, what are you doing on Senju land?" Tobirama left no room for excuses or lies. He would know the instant they tried to deceive him and then he would not even think twice about triggering the paper bombs. In any case, they were the ones who had trespassed onto his clan's territory. They had no common ground with the Inuzuka.

"We were following up on a lead." The sensible one confessed. He waited for her to continue on. "There were reports of someone we've been interested in for a while." She wouldn't divulge anymore. That still didn't explain why they would try and harm a civilian in the forest.

"Try again." He told them.

"We did not realize you were there-"

"You still attempted to take the life of a non-shinobi." They weren't allowed to do that, no ninja clan was.

"We didn't-"

"Didn't realize?" He suggested in her stead. _"Despite having a keen sense of smell, you don't seem to realize a lot of things, do you?"_ He saw her tense at his comment, as if trying to dowse the rage that was near the surface, ready to erupt at any time. Just like the explosive tags. If the clenching of her teeth wasn't a sign, then he didn't know what was. On the other hand, the impulsive girl...Well, there was a reason she was the impulsive one.

"Who do you think you are? Huh?" Strangely, she looked more feral than what the Inuzuka were known for. Her mother, and for some reason Tobirama insisted that they were related, held her back. "Stand back." She then turned to Tobirama and smiled. A predatory smile. He could clearly see the sharp fangs she bore, not quite as long as that of her canine partner. But just as pointed. Her spiky and untamed hair gave her the animalistic appearance that went for most women in that clan. Her eyes gleamed with... _ferocity? Ruthlessness?_ Whichever it was, it wasn't humane.

 _"How about we just forget this, hmm? For old time's sake? The Inuzuka and the Senju have nothing against the other, let's keep it that way, what do you say?"_ He narrowed his eyes, he didn't believe a single word she said. As he was about to press further about the matter, Tobirama heard an ear-shattering wail coming from Mina's direction.

_No!_

It took him a split of a second to decide on whether to run back to her or take care of those right in front of him. He didn't even run. He had only managed to put the formula marking on the tree he left her hanging from. Tobirama wasn't sure it would have worked had he placed the formula on her instead. It didn't matter if he arrived the moment she fell or five seconds later, he would have been too late. Just as he disappeared from the women's fields of vision, he had successfully set off two of the paper bombs, causing parts of the trees to break off and topple over. They either survived or they didn't, but that didn't concern him at the moment.

He was too anxious. He had hoped for too much. What on earth made him think it was a good idea to leave her there, alone? Tobirama had already made contact with the tree but as he expected she wasn't where he had settled her. A part of him was convinced that once he looked down, he was ready to handle the sight of her broken body, spread over the solid ground, blood oozing from every open wound, fractured ribs jutting out of her chest cavity...he wasn't prepared. But he didn't have to be. She didn't hit the floor. Barely. _She was floating?_ Levitating...an inch above the footpath. She looked like a splayed starfish from where he was standing. He didn't want to waste any more time as he vaulted from the tree to tree, until landing right next to her. He heard her loud squeals much better now.

"Get up." He ordered her. She wasn't visibly injured, so he assumed she was alright. "I said-" She suddenly flumped to the ground with a loud thud, face first.

"Ouuf." He heard her mutter under her breath. Tobirama crouched down and tried to communicate with her.

"How did you do it?" His curiosity was overcoming his sense of duty to help this woman off the wet floor.

"Urghhh." She cried out in pain. He couldn't ignore her anymore and so, tried to lift her up. She was heavier than she looked. It was either that or the drenched clothes that seemed to weigh her down. Mina was hardly able to stand by herself. The wet mud was smeared all over her pale skin, dark streaks smudged over her cheeks and forehead. It even tarnished the dampened clothes she had borrowed that morning. The soil was waterlogged thanks to the heavy torrents of rain.

"Here." He brought her closer to a nearby dry area, under one large canopy where the rain had not reached and sat her down. She let out a heavy sigh as she found her balance. He remained standing, towering over her slumped figure. He himself was also wet, he didn't escape the downpour. Short strands of white hair clung to his happuri and others were glued to his neck. Similar to her own locks. Tobirama waited a few minutes so she could catch her breath before he could hammer her with more questions. Too much rest and she could doze off.

"Are you alright?" That wasn't a bad start. Her breathing was labored but was slightly improving.

"What do..." She took in a deep breath. "..you think?" He didn't know what to think. This woman was odd. And inexplicable. How she brought a mud wall to life or how she was able to suspend herself in the air for that long like gravity didn't apply to her...he couldn't begin to hypothesize.

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do." He said bluntly as he shook his head lightly to try and get rid of all the water drops.

"Maybe, if you..." A pause. "could explain why you..you left me up there and ran off?" She countered but not really looking at him. Her mind was wandering off to somewhere else.

"I went and tracked down those who aimed the kunai at you."

"And?" She wanted to know what happened. So did he. _They must have survived._ Tobirama was expecting that Hashirama would soon receive a letter from the Inuzuka detailing this encounter. Probably blame him for this 'misunderstanding' and try to strike a deal. It was how it always worked in this world. But Tobirama firmly believed he didn't do anything wrong. They were the ones who infringed on lands that weren't theirs to begin with, violating the terms of agreement between the two clans. They even went as far as to endanger a civilian's life, another breach. But who could corroborate his version? Certainly not the woman, she never saw them. And if they didn't survive...He would still receive a missive.

"Taken care of." It was the best way he could get it across without revealing too much. " _You, on the one hand,_ haven't said a single thing about who and what you are." He crossed his arms and hoped she would finally started talking.

"What I am?" She repeated. "I am nothing." Her answer was nothing short of confusing and perplexing.

"That is not possible. You exist. You cannot be nothing. You think, therefore you are." He noticed her eyes, they had found his and she seemed...alight. Something bright shone through her puzzling expression. A smile.

"I see even Descartes made it through here." She mumbled.

"What do you mean?" Tobirama desperately wanted to understand. Whenever she spoke, it was like she spoke a different language, yet used the same words. He waited a while for her response.

"Nothing."

"Stop trying to change the subject. Who are you? " He was going to get to the bottom of this...of this thing. Even if it took him all day. "You know who I am. Technically, I think your question should have inquired to where I'm from."

 _Was...was she trying to outsmart me?_ Her attempt was ridiculous. He squatted and lowered himself until he was on equal level with her. He couldn't narrow his eyes anymore than they already were. _This was unbelievable._ "Go on then. _Where are you from?"_ He said tersely, his mouth thinning into a straight line and his gaze focused on her.

She leaned forward, scooching closer to him until her face was a mere inch away from his, her forehead in contact with his metal plate. He was shocked at her unanticipated gesture.

_"Somewhere you could only dream of."_

_Somewhere I could only dream of?_

His eyes widened as she neared even closer, her lips about to brush over his.

"You see, back in my world, we don't have ninjas. We don't have chakra. We don't have hokages. We aren't you. I _don't_ exist in this reality." His vermilion tinted orbs delved deeply into her brown eyes. He didn't know what he was searching for, but he was certain that there was something there he was close to grasping. Was she saying the truth? Or was she playing him for a fool? What if it was the truth? What did it mean? Did everything he knew of this world meant nothing? She pulled back, putting space between them once more.

 _"Where is...your world?"_ Should he really be playing along with her tricks? It wasn't a good idea, but..

"That's a very fine question. I wouldn't know." Her beaming smile turned into a sad one. "How could you not know? Where is your home?" More questions were popping up in his mind and he wanted to ask them all, he intended to.

"I really don't know. I don't know how I got here and I don't know how to get out." Tobirama caught onto the desperation, the hopelessness that she was embodying. It seems that she really did believe she wasn't from this world. He was skeptical, how couldn't he be? She did not give him a single proof that she was... _other-worldly._

"You don't believe me, do you?" She whispered. "No, I don't." He answered with all honesty.

"Oh...okay." Her features changed from that of a sulking expression to one questioning, skeptical just like he was. "How is it that you can instantaneously travel through dimensional planes and still believe there aren't other worlds?" A bell began ringing in his mind. A loud bell. Before he could demand further explanation on how and what she knew about his jutsu, she spoke again. "Out of all the planets that orbit in this solar system, isn't one bound to be inhabited by other creatures than yourselves? How about the millions of galaxies? The boundless universes? The endless possibilities of worlds? Realities? Why is it that you think you are the only beings that dwell in this infinitely and immeasurable existence you know as life?" She was almost apathetic in her speech, whatever point she was trying to get across, she did not seem interested in pursuing it. And yet, she made every bit of sense. No one gave much thought to these questions, no one bothered to prove them right or prove them wrong. How could they attain proof of such things?

But maybe she was just the validation of her own theories, her own existence. Such things were too subjective, Tobirama wasn't interested in impressionistic or biased arguments.

"But you know what? You're not wrong either." She told him.

_What?_

"If our roles were reversed, I wouldn't have believed you too." Her smile returned. He noticed that she was fidgeting with her fingers, playing with her nails. "In fact, you wouldn't even last five full minutes in my world. You'd probably get hit by a bus trying to cross the wrong intersection at the wrong time." She began laughing. He didn't see what was so funny.

"What's a bus?" He asked. _No, no don't go losing focus._

"Hmm, it's sort of hard to explain. You see, it's like a car. But bigger and rectangular. It has larger wheels and a motor that makes it move." A car? She brought her finger to her lips and pondered. "I'm trying to find a simpler way to put it-"

"How do you know about my jutsu?" He interrupted her thoughts. Tobirama needed a clear and direct answer to this particular question, he wanted no part of her craziness or philosophical ideas. She shifted back closer to him, not like before but still too close for his own comfort.

"Well, there's actually a lot of things I know about you." _Say what now?_

"And your brother, and the Uchiha too. And your great grand-niece. And your pupils..."

"Stop." For the first time in his life, Tobirama Senju was struggling to understand what another was saying. He had always heard and knew that women were complicated. He just never thought that they were this...complex. _Was every woman like this?_

"Everything in due time." She uttered. This woman, who went by the name Mina- _Was that even her real name?_ , had some real damage done to her. Or did she really? Maybe that was why Madara had abandoned her. _Did she pull this crap with him?_ No wonder he must have pulled a fuse. Unlike Tobirama, Madara was quite an impatient man.

"Get up." He stood and twiddled his thumbs together, waiting for her to mimic his action. She wasn't. So, he pulled her up forcefully and carried her bridal style. They could continue this interesting conversation on their way there.

"Wait, what are you doing?" She appeared to be panicking, but this was the only way they could even attempt to make up for the time lost here. "Just hold on." He advised her before he made for the nearest tree branch.

* * *

 

They've been running for a while. Well, actually he has. None of them said anything for as long as he allowed it.

"So, why do you really want to go back to the Uchiha?" He wondered. He had never met anyone that enthusiastic to run back into Madara Uchiha's arms. Mina, who now made herself comfortable in his embrace, snaked her arms around his neck and looked up at him. She gave him the impression that she had finally calmed down, but he didn't trust impressions. At least she wasn't screaming anymore. He had temporarily lost some of his hearing in his left ear just because of her and her damn voice. She was much better at singing, at least his ears didn't bleed then.

"I...When I woke up here one day, Madara was the first to find me. He took me back to his home and I have lived there ever since." She informed him. Her hair was bothering him. It was indeed flying with the wind, every strand. Every damn single one of them were poking at his eyes, it was difficult to see in certain areas. This was why he disliked long hair. Asides from the fact that they could be a hindrance during battle. Though, Madara and Hashirama did not seem to have a problem with that.

"Like a stray cat?" He mentally chuckled at the thought of the Uchiha leader squatting to pick up a lost kitten from the streets only to end up taking it home and tending to it, personally. The same thought must have crossed her mind as she laughed too. "Yes, like a stray cat." More silence ensued, he was taking his time. Tobirama still had a list of questions, but he found her to be more responsive when he wasn't interrogating her, hassling her with one question after another. It was understandable. They were nearing the end of this forest, he knew so from the shrine built-in near a clearing that used to be an encampment for a small number of townspeople long ago.

"How did you do it?" He silently crossed that one off the list.

"Do what?"

"Erect that mud wall." _And float in the air like a balloon._ But that was his next question.

"That wasn't you?" She said.

"No." He peeked at her from a side glance. She was just as stupefied as he was, if not more.

"Well, it wasn't me." She was persistent on not admitting her doings. If it wasn't him, it _had_ to be her. There was no one else present at that time. Not to his knowledge at least, Tobirama hadn't sensed anyone there besides the Inuzuka women.

"Why are you lying?" He asked her.

"I'm not!"

"Right. Just like how you didn't fall to your death back there. You should be dead." Maybe by stating the obvious, she would regain some of her recollections. Though, he did recall thinking yesterday how her short term memory was as good as nothing.

"I should have been dead a long time ago. Your point being?" Her sarcasm wasn't funny. Not to Tobirama in any case. _My point? I'll show her._

He came to a stop all of a sudden and her grip on him tightened. "Wait-"

_She will regret ever having lied to me._

Fifteen feet. A quarter of the distance she previously fell from. This should be a piece of cake for her.

And he did it. He dropped her. And just as he expected, she shrieked. _Like a banshee, dammit._ He didn't understand how someone with a beautiful voice could sound like that. But the surprising part was yet to happen. _Ten feet till moment of impact._ And she still hadn't done a single thing but flail her arms and scream for her mother. _Who was she anyways? Eight feet till-_

He almost didn't see it. Almost.

Agust of wind blew into her direction, enveloped her and halted her momentum; the velocity at which she was plummeting practically came to a stop. And then turned her upright as her feet made contact with the ground gently. Her fall was like that of a cat. Except cats couldn't even land on their feet from this height. That was one of the two things he noticed that was wrong with this fall. The other being the fact that the wind had blown into the reverse direction. From his calculations, normal wind trajectory today originated from the south, yet this rush of wind she somewhat 'created' had issued from the north. So, it couldn't have been mother nature's doing as much as he liked to convince himself. He peered down at the woman.

"My point being..." he returned her words, arms crossed and leaning on the tree. He could see her glaring up at him, she wasn't the type to sit back and let others shove her words back down her throat.

"ARE YOU INSANE?! What did you do that for?" She shouted at him.

"To prove my point." _How was that not clear?_

"This proves nothing!" She then went on to lash out, stomped her feet and swung her arms around. In exasperation he believed. But that didn't go without any consequences. The way she moved her arms...More gales followed wherever she thrashed them. Though it was much different. This wind generated large and concussive forces, strong enough to overwhelm and nearly unbalance Tobirama, hurl him off his feet. It was similar to the whirlwind fist technique although not as powerful. Maybe she had not intended for it to be. Cuts and slashes lacerated his skin, even areas of his armor had dented. He managed to remain in place, or otherwise he too, would have fallen to his death. Her stomping was loud. Not even an elephant could give rise to such force. The ground trembled beneath them causing branches of some trees to fall as wide boulders protruded from the ground. At long last, she stopped her tantrum and looked all around her.

 _"This proves everything."_ He hissed as he wiped a thin trace of blood off his cheek. "How long are you going to keep lying about your abilities?"

"What abilities?!" _Was she stupid?_ He had to know.

 _"How are you stupider than Hashirama? No one should be stupider than Hashirama!"_ He snapped at her. This situation was infernal. She hadn't even used hand signs to perform...whatever that was. On top of that, she didn't even have an ounce of chakra in her. _Maybe this was how they fought back in her world?_ He gave it a second thought only to end up dismissing it. She herself looked confused at what had happened, like she didn't know what she was doing. It was possible that she didn't. She took a good look at her hands as if just seeing them for the first time. She tried to imitate what she had done mere moments ago by bringing out her right hand, clenched it into a fist and gave an empty punch to the air. Actually it wasn't empty. And just like before, a gush of air had appeared. But as a contradistinction, the ripples of wind were thin and serrated, just like a blade. Sharp enough to slice the tree in half. He instinctively jumped to another tree branch.

"Okay, I think this is enough for today." Tobirama could do nothing else but get her out of here before she chopped off the rest of the trees in this place. It was already nearing dark and they weren't out of this never-ending forest just yet. _Maybe she's a wind release user?_ That was the only explanation he could come up with, notwithstanding the fact that it did not explain the mud wall. He was sure that it was her doing back there. It had to be. She could be an earth style user as well, while it was uncommon for amateur shinobi to master two elements, it was still possible. But she wasn't a shinobi and that meant everything he thought that applied to basic nature transformations, or even chakra flows, would have to be tossed out the windows. This woman wasn't normal so it was only logical that his train of thought did not just extend to the inner corners of the box. No, he would think out of it. What did he expect as answers? He wasn't sure. But he doubted that they were anything but rational.

_Irrational._

Everything about her was irrational, and from now on, he would expect nothing less.

"Come on." He ushered her over so he could carry her on his back this time. They still had a long way there and he wanted to get it over with already. Perhaps today had taught her a lesson and gave her something to think about. There was so much to know about her. If Tobirama couldn't come to apprehend what she was, surely she would understand her own capabilities more than anyone? _Right?_

* * *

 

"So, this is it?" The first four words she uttered since arriving at the settlement. It was late evening and there was no chance of her returning to the Uchiha tonight. Not that he would have let her after what he had just seen.

"Yes." He answered, she was looking out over large green areas, with few buildings already erect here and there. They were just beginning. The foundations of the settlement have not been fully built yet. The whole forest area where the proposed site was decided on, was lit with lanterns and bulbs, giving it the appearance of the afterglow of the sun. But the stars and the moon above them were much brighter, their white light eclipsed the contrasted orange luminescence emitting from beneath them. The view of both vastly different worlds was unveiled right before their eyes as they stood on the edge of the cliff that overshadowed the region underneath.

"I never thought I would see Konoha this early in time. It's beautiful." He couldn't quite make out what she had said.

"Konoha?" _What was she talking about now?_

"The village." She looked at him with amusement, as if he should have known what she was so cryptically referring to. The village? _The settlement?_ It wasn't even complete yet and she had already considered it a village. There was still a long way to come.

"I see you've already taken the comfort of naming it." He retorted but she only chuckled.

"Not me, silly!"

"Oh really, then who?" Tobirama raised a brow, curious at who had taken the freedom to already name this land. And why wasn't he informed of it?

"Madara." _That made much more sense, but when did he.._ "Not yet, though..." She added. _Wait, what?_

"How do you-" He began asking but Mina interrupted him. "Can I stay with you for a while longer?" She looked up at him, turning her gaze away from the bundle of tiny lights. She seemed really sincere as if she wanted to be here. It could have been that she changed her mind about returning to Madara. At the same time, she seemed afraid. Of going back or for getting out and discovering new things? It wasn't evident.

_"Please?"_


	24. Pendant

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *AUTHOR'S NOTE!
> 
> I accidentally deleted this chapter when I was meaning to update it as I was rewriting some parts of it. Adding certain things, just plain old editing. I've even added Sora's POV as a change. Except I really didn't like this chapter in the first place. Anyways, my laptop froze and well, it sort of went haywire and all kinds of batshit crazy before settling down.

 

**_Mina's POV_ **

It wasn't big but it would have to suffice. It wasn't furnished either, except for a small futon but that small futon was the most comfortable thing I had seen for the past forty-eight hours. This room was simple but it was still a room.  _Beats having to sleep out in middle of nowhere at night._  I was glad we had managed to reach this...settlement by tonight. I didn't think I could handle sleeping in the forest, I was already on pins and needles and going mad just by being there. So, it was a relief to have found myself in this room. Alone. With no one other than me, myself and I. And my thoughts which were running out of control. Events of the past two days wouldn't stop flooding my mind as if the replay button had frozen or was already broken in the first place. It all began with me accepting Izuna's offer. I already knew back then that nothing good would have come out of it, I mean, he was Izuna Uchiha after all, _nothing good ever comes from him._ Serves me right for ever believing that dipshit. What was it that they said?  _Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. But fool me the 140,035th time, you are a weather man..._

Nope.

I think I was beginning to see the reason why that quote ended with the second line. It was just that everything came back to him, it was hard for me not to curse that son of a bitch. And yet, I was the bigger idiot. I had momentarily trusted in that punk only to find myself being stranded at their former rivals base-camp.  _What kind of people do this?_

But at least Izuna was honest. Partly. He did warn me Madara would sell me and I may have taken that too lightly. I didn't trust him and I had every right. I had never expected it to happen. Much less have him  _give me away_ so freely. I wasn't his to just hand out, I was not a piece of land or a property or whatever these people traded in nowadays. Like merchants exchanging goods. It was just not right. And the more I thought about it, the more furious I became and the more determined I was to never return to them. If I thought about it clearly enough, there really was nothing for me back there.  _It wasn't like there was some secret portal that could magically teleport me back to my world in an instant and have me out of this forsaken world filled with crazy people with crazy dogmas?_ I guess the same could be said about my world, that each was similar down to their core but were so superficially different, one could not imagine the existence of the other. I tried to tell him that today, but as  _genius_  as I was at communicating with people, unfortunately changing worlds does not change who you are. Safe to say, I could not get my point across to Tobirama. He may not believe me now, but he eventually will. He seemed like the only logical person in this insane world.  _He has to believe me. Someone does._ No one had bothered to ask just where I came from. Asides from Madara, who probably could not give two shits about a random woman staying at his house like a moocher. I was a freeloader and I had no problem with it. He was the one who brought me there in the first place, he should have just dealt with my shit. The same way my parents had for the past eighteen years.

_Almost nineteen soon._

_My parents..._

Thoughts of my father and mother came rushing to me. I missed my father's lame dad jokes, his awkward dad hugs, his out of the blue random fits of laughter. And most of all, his perplexing riddles. He would always tell us one every day and would let us lose sleep over it throughout the night if we hadn't figured it out. He wouldn't tell us until we figured it out by ourselves. Which sort of defeated the purpose, but okay. What he probably didn't know, was that Ivan and I would google most of them when he wasn't around. Just the difficult ones. Actually, he may have already known, nothing escapes my father. If he did know, he certainly didn't mind as he never told us anything or showed any signs that he knew. But that was my father. He was an expert at hiding his reactions. Always seemed distant. It was the alter-ego he took on when he was with patients. I got my brown wavy hair from him. Unfortunately, not the genes coding for tall heights.  _No. Everything but that. Everything. Because, God forbid if I was just a few centimeters taller, the world might end! The apocalypse might come to pass that instant!_ I sighed. Being 5"4 did have its moments. Though, seldom did it ever get me where I wanted. I was the random ugly dwarf in a family full of giants. I am the personification of  _the_  ugly duckling. Except I don't grow up to be successful or beautiful, heck, not even pretty. Instead, I grow up only to get stuck into a fictional la la land.

For some reason, my thoughts turned to my mother. She was short as me, if not shorter. Her black hair and dark eyes were a stark contrast to mine and my younger brother's. Sometimes, I would think that she had never wanted to become a mother. It had always been a thought until one day, she confirmed it. In all brutal honesty.  _She. Had. Never. Wanted. To. Become. A. Mother._  It was hard to apprehend at first but then I didn't think she knew how hurtful that was to us. My brother and I. Like we were no use to her until we did something noteworthy. That was how she had always made me feel, anyways. Whether she did it unintentionally or purposely, I didn't know. And I was certain she didn't care. We had been growing apart over the past few years. I knew our relationship was strained. I did my part, I tried my best. However, my mother was a difficult person. It was hard to communicate with her. Very hard. Even my father had given up. I didn't know if she had always been like this or she simply hated the way the world treated her by taking away her firstborn.  _I just didn't know._  Maybe she was dealt a bad hand in life and that was just how she coped, I wasn't _even_  sure of  _that._  That was how well I knew her. She never spoke of anything personal. It was always work, work, work. Despite that, millions of people were dealt horrible fates. Fates that were cruel. And yet...

Staring up at the dark ceiling of the windowless room, I vaguely wondered about how Madara was doing. Did he even remember who I was? Or where I was? Did he even care that he just left me there?  _Probably not._ I couldn't blame him though, he probably had a lot of work on his plate since he was supposed clan about Izuna?  _What was that little fucker up to know? Torturing another hopeless woman probably. Whatever, he will not take one more second of my damn time._ So, instead, I shifted my thoughts to the little boy, Kagami. I missed him dearly. For some reason, I had grown attached to him. My emotions were real, that much I knew. But how? He was just a fictional boy. _Fictional. Imaginary._  No matter how much I tried to convince myself of this, it only ended up with me feeling more overprotective of the kid. I couldn't help myself and it hurt me deeply, knowing deep down that he wasn't as real as I thought. It didn't matter though because I always managed to forget how restricted I felt here when I was with him. Kagami made me forget how helpless I was. He also happens to be the only other person to know of my origins. He had asked me about it once, sensing that I wasn't from around here. He may have been a child, but his mind was much sharper than anyone thought. Although, I guess it must have been obvious enough if even a little boy was able to catch drift of who I was. I saw no point in lying to him and so I told him my story. Precisely that.  _A story._  I could not tell if he had believed what I said or if he had thought I was just reciting him a tale. I didn't put too much thought into it back then...

_I guess maybe I do have things waiting for me back there..._

And then there was Sora, who I had barely spoken to for the few days before the wedding. It was strange but I assumed that it was still part of her grieving period. Kagami didn't sulk too long, he still didn't comprehend the harsh consequences of losing a mother at that age and he would only come to understand it later on when he was a bit older. But Sora wasn't normal. She was not talkative nor responding. Like something had been plaguing her mind, tormenting her with worry. Though, I couldn't say what, not that I could even take a guess.

Then came old man Takayama. The one I knew the least but the one who may have known the most. The only real source of information I could get my hands on. If I truly did intend to return, it would be with the sole purpose of seeking him out and finding a way to get out of here. I was overstaying my visit in this world and God knows how long had passed back in mine.

As I sat laying on my back, mind wandering off to nowhere really, I came to feel conflicted with myself.  _Should I really return to the Uchiha where Madara probably doesn't want me back or should I just stay here...and do nothing?_ Both options were worse than each other. I had no home here. Nowhere to go back to. No one to want me back. Nothing. And this feeling inside of me, _this feeling of being unwanted,_  a feeling that I have known for far too long even before meeting these people- it made the room seem all the more distant and unrealistic. It was already pitch black and lonely, and yet everything was amplified all of a sudden. If I did stay here, there was also nothing for me. What would I do? Follow Tobirama around? Until when? What if he too throws me to the curb? Or better yet, gives me away to another clan?

_Oh God. No. Never._

That was enough. I would never let him do that,  _not that he strikes me as a guy actively engaging in human trafficking._  Madara didn't seem like they type to either, but I kind of knew how that ended. First-hand experience of course. I came to learn not to judge people, appearances and demeanors could be deceiving.  _Very deceiving._

But today...today was way too bizarre. More bizarre than being burned to a crisp and instantly healing. I did not have an explanation for that incident, how on earth could I even begin to put into words what today's events had brought? How? Confusion made me feel dizzy a couple of times. Everything was spinning out of control and I could not even come to terms of my own being here. How was I supposed to accept the fact that I did not face plant the ground and crack my head open just to avoid meeting death? All because of some 'spectral' wind had come to my rescue. Not once, but twice.  _Twice dammit._ And that wall. The one that appeared out of nowhere and would have saved me from the targeting kunai had Tobirama not arrived in time. Was I also responsible for that? I was apparently. But forget accepting things. How was I supposed to justify that? How to come up with a clear, tangible and well interpreted explanation? Anything logical would suffice really. But I just couldn't find one. Nothing. At all. I was too stunned and the more I tried to make sense of it, the more inconceivable it was in my mind.

Yet, I was perfectly alive and breathing in a world that I didn't think existed beyond the pages of a book. I was wrong about that,  _maybe_  I was wrong about this too.  _Maybe_  anything was possible. Anything?

_If that's what you think._

"Oh God, not you again." I had no idea where that voice came from. It sounded just like me but it was...different. I couldn't explain it either.

_Yes, it's me again. And I'm here to tell you to go to sleep you twat._

"LA LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOUUUU!" I did my best to ignore it. I really did. To the point that I found myself drowsy, sleep overtaking me. A shadow in the corner was the last thing that I could remember before losing consciousness.

* * *

_**Hashirama's POV** _

"You think he will be alright?" Mito asked him. He could understand her concern but he firmly believed that there was nothing to worry about.

"Of course he will, he's Tobirama after all." He tried to reassure her but he still saw that tinge of worry in her eyes. It was surprising, considering she didn't know Tobirama that well. But that's what he loved about her, her compassion above all else. How she was able to care for those she barely knew, as long as they didn't give her any reason to feel anything but.

"So he is. But that doesn't exclude him from the rest of humanity. He is still a person, you know? Give him a break once in a while." There she was. Her assertiveness. Coupled in with that thoughtful consideration.

"But this is a break, don't you see?" He gave a laugh.  _She really did not know Tobirama._ "If I know Tobirama as well as I would like to think I do, he would actually enjoy taking a few days off. Away from me that is." He tried to elaborate on how his relationship with his younger brother was. Tobi might think Hashirama was too thick to pick up on these little hints, but he was more observant than one would think. He knew how overbearing he could be sometimes and that was what probably drove him away. Hashirama just couldn't help himself. He really couldn't.

"Ohh." She mulled that over for quite some time. It was late afternoon now,  _Tobirama must have surely arrived at the site._ Hashirama didn't know what would happen from there on, whether his brother might actually take her to the Uchiha gates himself or drop her off on someone else's shoulders. He knew just how bad he hated to visit the Uchiha complex. So, it wasn't far fetched to think he might drop this load he was somewhat compelled to carry.  _If he hadn't permanently damaged the woman already._ His brother didn't tolerate much. Especially stupidity. Although, Hashirama was the exception. Tobirama really did have low sufferance for those who casually ran their mouths like there was no tomorrow. To top it off, if they did not manage to say anything of use to him, well...he wasn't a particularly nice person to be around with. But Mina didn't seem like the type to talk much, so perhaps his patience wouldn't run out.

"I thought he hated going to the Uchiha?" Mito was still trying to figure things out. Her understanding of how things worked around here...was minimal. But with time, she would come to see how inconsistent his brother could be. Her clan's hallmark, the spectacularly red hair the Uzumaki women seemed to have inherited, it was perhaps the most beautiful on her. Those long and thick strands of carmine silky threads were worn into two round buns, sitting atop her head like a crown. She was indeed courteous and elegant, befitting of a future monarch of two great clans. Her perky nose. Her creamy skin. Her emerald eyes were more valuable than the gem itself. Eyes that can instantaneously burn holes into the back of your skull if you weren't Madara Uchiha and managed to get away with offending her with no hint of remorse. The way he had blatantly insulted her right in the middle of her wedding, she didn't need Hashirama to defend her. As much as he was surprised by the unexpected remark, he knew it wasn't particularly  _nice_  and he was prepared to make a  _clear statement_  out of it. But she was more than capable of defending herself. Hashirama, while shocked at his friend's not so kind comment like belittling his wife like that, he was almost certain Madara had been joking. The Uchiha had only wanted to goad her, see her reaction. That was his strange method of getting to know people. Hashirama himself preferred the  _"ol' howdy do"_  to get conversations started.  _Though, to each their own, I suppose._

_"THE BALLS ON THAT GUY!" She had said, more or less shouted, when they were in the sanctity of their own room last night. He chuckled nervously, not knowing how to approach the subject. She was like a roaring beast. Fierce. It scared him quite a bit. However, he needn't to worry, she was approaching the subject just fine without him._

_"Who does he think he is?!" She was fuming. "He is Madara Uchi-"_

_"I know who he is HASHIRAMA!" He had never been more nervous in his life than during those moments. And for what came after those moments._

_"It's just that he's...he's.." She was struggling to find the right word to describe the Uchiha. Everyone who came into contact with him went through a similar stage._

_"A jerk? A twat? A dickhead? Stuck up?" Hashirama offered. "Like I said, that is Madara Uchiha." He had no idea if he was making it better or worse. But by that smile she had flashed, he guessed that he was doing alright._

_"He is." She whispered. The next thing he knew, she had closed in the distance between them and kissed him. The only kiss he would remember for the rest of his life as the singular, most perfect moment of his time on earth. And what had started the night off as quarrel about Madara, had ended into something more blissful._

"He does." He finally replied after reminiscing over the events of yesterday. He then took her soft and supple hands into his larger ones. They were out in the garden, he decided that perhaps it was a good idea to have lunch outside today, let her familiarize with her new surroundings. For some strange reason, he felt like he had known Mito since the beginning of time although they have just been wed not even a full day. She was beautiful in his eyes. Brilliant. Strong. Glowing. Everything he thought was impossible to find in this time and age. He counted himself lucky as each day passed since he had gotten to know her.

"Then why?" She was growing more curious. He would have to explain to her the types of antics he and his brother would play on each other. However, Hashirama was just content sitting there beside her. He was  _just content_  without the need to say anything. For once, the hope he held on for oh-so long could actually come to life.

"Hmm.." He couldn't quite make out what she had said as he was too busy memorizing every single detail he possibly can about her hands. From the smooth skin to her slender fingers. The softness of her skin was unnatural. And the tiniest of creases between the smallest joints...even the few wrinkles she had. Everything was stored in his mind right then, right there.

"Hashirama-sama."  _That wasn't Mito's voice._ He looked up and saw one of the maids had interrupted their little outing. She bowed down and apologized.

"I am deeply sorry for interrupting your time but I would like to inform you that the Sarutobi have been patiently waiting for your appearance. They requested an audience with you."  _Oh that's right._  He nearly forgot. Tobirama  _may_  have mentioned something of that nature to him. Now that he was away, Hashirama needed to start acting his age. There was indeed a difference between the way Hashirama acted when Tobirama was present and the Hashirama that  _was_  when the other brother was absent. A great difference. When his younger sibling was around, the Hashirama everyone knew was at his peak. He could act more of who he truly was under the guidance of Tobi who would always surveil everything. Make sure his idiocies don't get out of hand. That was what he counted on. But when the poor man was alone, with no one to watch over him or keep him company, he was the only one available to keep himself in check. The elders were already fed up with his frolics. They were so fed up, they gave up on the notion that their leader might actually learn proper social etiquette. Actually, they had been willing to let that one slide. All they wanted of him, or rather  _had_  wanted, was that he stopped being a child. And this was one of those times that he needed to act mature, much to his dismay.

_Oh well, it had to be done._

"Very well, tell them I am on my way." He told the young maid and then turned to face his beautiful wife. A sad look had appeared as his dark features contorted into something of a dejected look. Tobirama called it the 'sad puppy eyes' although he never understood the connection.

"You should probably go. Don't keep your guests waiting too long, it's not polite." His wife was encouraging him to get back to his duties, but he was quite reluctant to leave her side just yet.  _If I could only stay a little longer..._

He sighed as he stood up.  _Great._  He didn't feel like doing much today as he was still tired from yesterday's events. But he was clan leader, laziness was not permitted.

...

He was almost at the meting room. The one where the Sarutobi were waiting for him for quite some time now. As he was about to turn hallways, a shinobi messenger got in his way.

"Hashirama-dono." He bowed and then spoke again. "We have just received a missive." He then handed his leader a scroll lined with black parchments and a seal marking it. They couldn't have opened it without Hashirama's own chakra signature.

"The Uchiha?" He was genuinely surprised. He never expected to receive a message from them right so soon. He had noticed that they left earlier than most, yesterday night. It wasn't their habit to even send written messages to them. It was fair to say that Hashirama was quite intrigued, he had always been the one to write to Madara. Not the other way around. With a single hand sign, he undid the seal and removed it, unrolling the scroll as he let the contents spill right before his eyes.

_It was Madara's handwriting no doubt._  Always a bit messy like his own. But it appeared that his long time rival had written this in a hurry. He couldn't gather much asides from the fact that Madara wanted to meet him at the settlement in a day's time. It said nothing more. This may have been written in normal kanji characters, yet Hashirama felt like he needed someone to decode it as he himself did not understand what the true message behind it was. From the way it looked, it seemed like an urgent matter. That was all he could manage to decipher. Surely enough, his expression must have unveiled his perplexity and confusion.

"Is something wrong, Hashirama-sama?" The messenger was still standing before him, Hashirama had honestly forgotten about his presence. He looked kind of strange, one of his eyes was scarred horribly, like something had tried to pluck it out. Tobirama's voice rang in his mind like a bell. Something about a hawk messenger...And the Uchiha. And something else he just couldn't remember.

"No." He assured his ninja. "Gather Touka and her team. Get them ready for tomorrow's travel." That was all he said. His order was both clear and obscure. As if that made sense. He would have to deal with. Hashirama kept the scroll as he finally went to greet the delegation awaiting him.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

"Found anything?" He asked Eiji. The older man and another shinobi had come along with him to the supposed scene of the crime.  _Supposed._ They found nothing. No signs of dug holes. No pits. No excavations. Not even the crosses they put up out of respect before they had left. Those, too, were gone.

"Are you sure we're at the right place?" The third ninja sounded skeptical. And so was Madara at first but he was positively sure that this had been the place of burials. Even if it had been night when this occurred, there was no way any of them could forget where they had buried more than a dozen burned bodies.

"Of course I'm sure." Eiji responded, irritation oozing out of him. Just like Madara. This area looked clean. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Absolutely nothing. It was as if someone had arrived after their departure and picked out every single leaf that was out of place. Along with the bodies. The earth was smooth and even.  _Too smooth._  And leveled. Even under normal circumstances, the lumpy terrain could have never been this flat. His suspicions were growing.

"Are you saying that a dozen of decapitated bodies just miraculously got up from their graves in the middle of the night... _and walked away?"_ Eiji shot Izuna a glare, one that could perhaps rival Madara's but his intention wasn't to intimidate the younger Uchiha. No, all he wanted was for him to shut up. This was no time for his snarky remarks. And Madara had to agree. He had momentarily forgotten that Izuna had tagged along. The tension between the four of them was heavy. This situation was getting more disturbing by the second. If any of their suspicions were true, this only meant that someone, or rather some people, really did excavate the bodies and took them. How they managed to flatten the earth back and organize everything...it was unnatural. And impossibly done. Not in the span of a few short hours.

"This couldn't have been simple grave robbers." Eiji concluded.

_He was right._  What would grave robbers want with dissevered bodies? Their eyes? Then they would have had to know that they were Uchiha. In that case, they weren't just simple grave robbers after all. It didn't matter if they got hold of the eyes. They were of no use as some of the corpses didn't have them. Those that did were burned beyond recognition. Which would only mean that whoever stole the cadavers were the same people who were responsible for putting them there in the first place. It unsettled Madara, troubled him. Because this only lead him to the following conclusion. That these people who took down fifteen Uchiha came back for their victims after he and his group had retreated. They must have been hiding out in the dark, between the thick trees of the vast forest. That they had been  _near the perpetrators._ If not completely surrounded by their enemies last night, when he had been certain that they had left the vicinity. He hadn't sensed a trace of chakra from  _anyone_ but himself and his shinobi. Whoever these people were, he couldn't have detected them.  _What had they been doing? Watching us? Why hadn't they attacked instead?_

His anger was getting out of control the more he thought this through. It seems Eiji had also caught on.

"You really think they could have been hiding out there?" This only confirmed his speculation. Madara didn't reply. He knew that this was nothing more than a hunch.  _A good hunch._ It was like a sixth sense, but his intuitions were almost never wrong. They haven't failed him before, why would they start now?

"No way could they have been just sitting there. We would have sensed them for sure." The third guy was completely against the idea. It was understandable. If they had indeed been watching them, even from a mid-range distance, an inept sensor-nin would have still caught wind of them. If Madara himself couldn't pinpoint their location or sense their presence, their was a high chance there was no chakra to perceive. Perhaps, Tobirama himself wouldn't have been able to sense them. No matter how extraordinary a shinobi was, no one could erase the emission of signatures. It would be like erasing your existence. As difficult as it was, he could only think of one person who could completely mask themselves. That was because she had no chakra at all. Unlike these sickos, who surely had enough reserves to torch this many people. There were traces of jutsu, if he recalled correctly.

_And now..._

And now everything was gone. They had come here with the intention of taking at least one more body back home.

His grip on his gunbai was straining his muscles. His knuckles were turning white, no doubt, had they been visible. The chained kama in his other hand ready to be flung at anything in his path, severing it in half.

"Madara..." It was Izuna's turn to speak. His tone was uncharacteristically calm. "You said there was a nearby town. North of here. How about I go check things out on that end, along with Hikaku." Madara found his suggestion comical for some reason. "While you stay here. Maybe you should scavenger this area more attentively."

They were all awaiting a response from their leader. Or rather an order. It was mid-afternoon and they needed to get this over with as soon as possible. They were due to meet up with Hashirama tomorrow. That was all he wrote down in the scroll before sending the falcon off that same morning. It took Madara a while to gather his thoughts that weren't completely fueled by rage and his thirst for blood.

"Fine." He agreed reluctantly. However, this was the best method to split the tasks if they had to make this time-efficient. He didn't want to raise his voice, it was fraught from all the shouting he had done yesterday and today morning. Yet, it lost not one timbre of its depth or severity. "Be back by sunset." He hoped Izuna would comply fully with his demand or else he just might find Madara right on his tail. In all honesty, a part of him feared for his younger brother. The things he discovered yesterday were enough to make him worry, not only for Izuna but for his kin as well.

"...Be on your guards." Eiji had said what Madara was hoping for.

"Alright." Izuna replied sternly. He then motioned for them to scatter. He was gone, with Hikaku right behind him.

It was just him and Eiji now. He might have been younger than the man, but Madara was not the inexperienced leader everyone, no, every elder thought him to be. Back then that is. It has been nearly a decade since he took over his father's position. Many objected to it solely for that reason. Eiji was not bad himself, he was much older than Madara, around twenty years his senior, and had much more experience. But then again, he was not Madara. His exceptional control over his visual prowess distinguished him from the rest of his mates. Ever since a young age, Madara was considered the prodigious son of his father. His strength laid in his fists. His body. His eyes. He was a warrior and not a bad strategist. Not at all. But Eiji...

Eiji had his father's acuity. His wisdom and his sharp intellect. He was a tactical man. A sharp one. There was a reason he was his general above all.

"I suggest we start by tracing their footsteps since their defection." He was right but...

"We will meet with him tomorrow. Until then, we have to find the bodies." Madara couldn't stress how important it was to get down to these snatchings. The act of desecrating and defacing grave sites were unthinkable in his mind. People who could steep that low, low enough to violate and vandalize burials sacrilegiously. _But these weren't normal people._  He had to remind himself.

"We should not waste our time searching other areas, then. I am confident this was where we buried them. The marks I had placed yesterday are still here." His gaze followed to where the man was pointing. There was nothing there at first. He activated his sharingan and it was bright as daylight. _A seal formula._  It wasn't the traditional ones where the formula was painted onto a tag. It was Eiji's specialty.  _Fūinjutsu._ Maybe his abilities in that area were due to his mother's talent for these techniques. It was long rumored that she had been an Uzumaki, but no one really knows. The old man refuses to talk about it. Madara walked closer and he saw the details more clearly. Eiji had placed it on a tree, right at the center. Visible to anyone who had the Sharingan. Although, Madara has never seen this type of seal before. There were ciphers and hieroglyphics instead of the usual katakana characters.

"I came up with it recently and placed four of them around here. Each has a trigger point. Whenever it comes in contact with chakra or within a distance of nineteen meters, it detects and stores it within. Chakra signatures are unique to each clan, so it should have helped in narrowing down suspects."

_"But..?"_  Madara knew there was something wrong.

"But it didn't detect anything. And it didn't malfunction. It just identified yours and mine." Madara let that piece of information sink in before he could think of what to say next. It was obvious.

"Could it have been deactivated had the person became aware of it?" He should have been more careful by wording his suggestion. A few words could imply a lot.

"But that's the thing. It doesn't deactivate." Eiji became silent. What he was insinuating was something Madara had already thought of but deemed impossible. In this case anyways. Every proof they had until now pointed to the perpetrators having chakra, how else could they have performed their jutsu? He rubbed his temples, his frustration finally showing. Everything was wrong.  _Wrong, wrong, wrong!_

A sound caught his attention. A shuffle in the distance. His eyes shot open and scanned his surroundings. It came from the east. As he got closer, a rabbit jumped out from the bushes suddenly, as if running from a predator. Eiji had already had his katana out and was right by Madara's side. They went to the source of the disturbance and saw a few twigs had been broken. Nothing out of the ordinary, until something caught Madara's eyes. Something shiny, easily noticeable even without his sharingan. He crouched down and picked it up gently, holding the silver chains right between his gloved index and thumb. It must have fallen from above and scared the hare. He looked upwards and did in fact see parts of the branches were splintered. Though, what caused it to fall, he had no idea. His gaze returned to the piece of exotic jewelry in his hand. Even his shinobi was surprised.

"Is...Is that a necklace?" He questioned.

_It appears so._

_..._

_"_ I've seen it before." That was not something Madara was expecting to hear. He knew for sure who it belonged to, question is, how would Eiji? He stood up, cracking more twigs as he did so, and glared at the man. "Actually, I have only heard of it before, to be more precise." They were both the same height and similarly built, though the older gentleman was a bit on the slender side. "Where?" Madara asked, arching his brow.

His shinobi sheathed his sword and began talking. "It once belonged to my great-grandmother. Father spoke of it a number of times." His graying hair was more apparent now as the wind picked up. His leader was positive that this jewelry item belonged to Mina. The concentric circles. The gem. Although, it appeared more darker now. He could have sworn it had been ruby when he last saw it.  _When did I last see it?_  He tried recalling the moment he may have caught a glance of this chain.  _That's right._  When he first found her in the forest. Nude as the day she was born. The movement of his irises may not have been obvious, but he saw everything. Every detail of her. Including this silver chain that hung around her pale neck. The precious stone was leaning towards fuchsia now. Maybe it was an effect of the shading or lighting. Madara may have had a difficulty differentiating the colors, but his memory was still intact. Relatively. When it came to the more important matters, such as this. He had two candidates now. Two prospects to who this pendant might belong to. An old woman who was more than likely dead for quite some time and her bones; no longer than just ash, or a strange creature that goes by the alias 'Mina'. Which seemed more probable? Probably the live candidate, though a big part of him wished it was the great-grandmother's necklace. It wouldn't have made sense either way. Why was that necklace here? Only one person can answer that.

"So, you have never seen it in your father's possessions?" He asked the ninja. Madara had to be absolutely sure he was on the right track.

"No." Eiji replied. "We should ask him. He knows more than you think" That was slowly becoming an irrefutable fact in Madara's eyes. Takayama was a fascinating individual.

_"Oh, I bet he does."_

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

_She was fast asleep_.

Faster than he'd imagined. Tobirama had wanted to see how she was doing. It should come as no surprise to him. She seemed very tired when they had arrived. Stamina wasn't her forte, he had surmised. He gave her the closest room that allowed her the most privacy. And yes, he purposely chose one without a window in it, just for the fun of it. And to test her stability.  _So far, not so good._  He caught her talking to herself a couple of times. For a second there he thought she might have sensed his presence but no, she proceeded to shout. To no one in particular.  _Or maybe to herself_. She was an odd person, that was for sure. At some point, she fell asleep after her ramblings.

This was a good time to assess her mental state. And according to him, it wasn't doing so well. He may not be a Yamanaka, but you didn't need one to enter her mind and see that it wasn't balanced. He sighed, _that was enough sightseeing for today._ He needed to get back to work. The sole reason he was here in the first place. Hikaku Uchiha wasn't here though. He had left back for his compound two days ago. That meant Tobirama would have to take on his load if responsibilities as well. He didn't mind. As long as it gave him something to do.

...

It was already morning and he didn't catch a blink of sleep. He could say he didn't have the time, but then he would be lying. Sleep didn't come to him. And not often either. But that was his life. Forever was and forever will be. They couldn't get anything done last night. To him, that had been a day wasted. Right from the start. He'd have to admit though, that he did learn some interesting new things. Things he should probably be questioning, but he didn't feel that the time was right.  _What was it that she said, everything with due time? Or something of the sort._ She wasn't wrong. It would just have to cost him some patience.  _It was okay._  As long as the answers he was waiting for were worth it.

Up until now, they've been able to clear out the majority of the woodland that covered this area. Lots of trees were torn down as a result. They've also successfully managed to install the steel ridges for the main administrative building. But there was an apparent problem they've been having. Something about lack of wood, something Tobirama had found hysterical. How could they not have enough wood? It was impossible that they've already used up all the logs that were stored. The timbers they've stock piled were more than enough to build the main tower and its surrounding house complexes. These carpenters, who were supposedly the best in each clan, have run down a great deal of this forest. Tobirama had difficulty imagining how such capacity and magnitude were not enough to build the basic structures of this damn village.

But then again, carpentry was their field of expertise, not his. He  _should_  trust in their abilities more often. He was barely a step closer to his destination when he heard a loud gasp from behind him. He knew she'd been following him for a while now, he was just puzzled at how shocked she appeared. And at how early she was awake. As he turned to face her, he also noticed something else. She had cut her hair.  _When on earth did she have time to do that?_ With that much hair, he had expected her to take quite some time. Granted, she did not shave it off completely but only cropped it to her shoulder. It was much shorter if compared to how it was just eight hours ago. And it was much better, he had always preferred shorter hair for obvious reasons. Her brown locks appeared dampened. Her bangs were pulled back into the shortest ponytail he had ever seen. Some strands stuck out randomly, while the rest of her wavy brown locks fell comfortably to her shoulders.

"You cut your hair?" He stated the obvious, he knew no other way to strike up a conversation about her hair.

"Yes, I did? I didn't think it was that obvious. Kudos to you, my good sir." She was surprised at his...randomness? Or awkwardness? He wasn't sure to which category he belonged to at the moment. He did not miss that snub though. Mockery. The same words he used on her a mere two days ago.

"It's...nice." He said, his face holding the same sour look he had on since yesterday. She didn't know if he was serious or not.

"Why, thank you?" She raised a brow.

"So, is that the hokage tower?" She asked curiously, pointing to the bare structure in front of him. There were no walls, no roofs. Nothing. Just the foundation. Albeit, the substructure was already known to be the administrators property.

"What's a hokage?" He asked nonchalantly. She wouldn't stop repeating the word and it got to him. Like she knew something he didn't, and he most certainly did not appreciate that. He saw her close in the distance, coming nearer. Her smile was a grin from ear to ear, unable to contain her smugness. He narrowed his eyes in warning when he saw her come close enough, he wasn't about to let her invade his privacy again, and all within the span of less than twenty-four hours.

"Your hokage is the leader of your village of course, just like the raikage or the mizukage, leaders of their own respective villages." _Raikage? And Mizukage?_ As far as Tobirama knew, they were the first to build such a large-scale village. And from their names, he concluded the raikage must have been a leader from the land of lightning, the mizukage; land of water.

_"And who might that be?"_  He crossed his arms. She had already picked out a name for the village, actually Madara did, according to her.  _Just not yet._ Whatever that meant. And now, she was spouting nonsense about leaders and whatnot. Surely, Tobirama would have been the first to know about any of this. She tipped on her toes, in a failed attempt to try and reach his height.  _Quite pitiful, hmm._

"I would think that would be pretty obvious, dontchy'a think?"

"No. Spill it. How do you know?" He changed his question, although it would have eventually led to the same answer he was looking for. She bypassed him and walked ahead.

"I thought we already went through this? Do we have to do this again?" She stretched her arms and yawned. It seemed she wasn't fully awake just yet. She was about to face him, but he was already in front of her.

_"No, we didn't._  We already established... _where_  you came from, not how you seem to know everything that occurs here." He bent slightly, to reach her height instead. It was quite nice looking down on someone shorter than him by more than a head. He may have been shorter than Hashirama by a few centimeters, but it was nothing compared to how short this woman was compared to him. She chuckled nervously.  _Did she not think this through?_

_"_ Well that's a very good point, but OH-LOOK. Someone's calling you!" She pointed behind him and he followed with his gaze. Next thing he knew, she had taken hold of his happuri and yanked it away from his face. She then ran off with it.

_What?_

"See ya!"  _Why you-_

He was about to go and run after her, like a ridiculous game of cat and mouse, but he did hear someone call out to him. "Tobirammaa!"  _Oh no._ Not even one day. Not one day without Hashirama. His luck wouldn't have it, as he saw his elder brother make his way to him.  _Dammit! What was he even doing here?_ He looked back for a few seconds but the woman was already gone. No worries, he could find her later on. He just had the need to understand why the Senju leader was here. He wasn't planned to visit until another week, when more progress would have been completed by then. Hashirama was waving to him ecstatically, untypical of him at this hour of the day.

"What is  _wrong with you?"_ Tobirama asked him. "Oh come on now, is that how you greet your older brother?" Hashirama joked. But Tobirama didn't find it funny. He wasn't in the mood to play along with his eccentricities.

"What are you doing here?" He got straight down to the point, he wasn't fond of beating around the bushes. The taller of the pair saw that he didn't have much patience for him today, so he dropped the act.

"I'm here to meet Madara."  _What a short and intelligible statement,_  even for Hashirama. Tobirama took his time running it over in his mind and only came to one conclusion. Perhaps the Uchiha had finally realized his mistake and was coming here to pick it up.  _So, she's going back after all?_ But there was still so much to learn from her, so much more answers... He wasn't sure she should go just yet.

"Why?" His skepticism and incredulity were obvious in the way he spoke and his sibling caught on. He, too, became suspicious. Of Tobirama.

"What do you mean why? What are you hiding Tobirma?" Sometimes, _just sometimes,_  Hashirama could be spot on. It irked him, how his clan head could just simply alternate between the dumb idiot that he was and an excellent lie detector.  _He couldn't just stick to one alter-ego, could he?_

"Nothing. Why would I be hiding anything?" He tried to appear as neutral as possible as he recalled the  _specific mission_ he was assigned and may not have followed through. "Where's your happuri?" Hashirama's curiosity was getting out of hand.  _Wasn't curiosity what killed the cat? Hmm..._

"What do you want Hashirama?" He was getting tired of all these questions. He only wanted to get back to work. And to find his happuri. To him, everything was chaotic at the moment. Nothing was in order. There was no organization. No proper layout. This was why he was here, to bring some sort of coordination and management to this conception of a village. Now, if his brother would just move out of his way so he could do his job...

"I want to know why that woman is still here."  _That was fast._ Although, he shouldn't have expected differently. He would like to think that sometimes, Hashirama wold have a third eye, right at the base of his skull. It sees everything. But if his logic followed his imagination, then how would 'supposed' third eye see through all that lock of hair? Hashirama's silky brown hair was a common trait among the Senju, the polar opposite of Tobirama's spiky short forelocks. Another thing the younger Senju had noticed right then, was that his elder was wearing his armor and carried his sword. This couldn't have been a diplomatic meeting, or a mere exchange.  _Maybe, he really wasn't here for her?_  And a part of Tobirama felt relieved. He spaced out, leaving Hashirama waiting for a response. His senses returned to him shortly after.

"She asked to stay for a while. It seems she  _didn't_  want to go back." He could understand why Hashirama might have a hard time believing that, seeing her reactions yesterday. One could say she was hellbent on returning to Madara and his clan but by the end of the same day, she had indeed changed her mind. Tobirama wasn't sure he could explain yesterday's events. Hashirama's look was more than enough to tick him off.

"Tobirama, we need to talk."

* * *

_"Bit by bit, I'm falling under your spell_

_Your smile's all I need to see to know we'll_  
_Leave this endless-sssss darkness, saying,_

_"Come along with me!" Hold my haaaaand.."_

He looked up and saw that she was sitting on a branch, leaning against the tree trunk. She had climbed the tree as it appears. She hadn't sensed him yet and he took advantage of it. Tobirama remained standing, a couple of feet away and watched her do nothing but sing. She was dazed and looked up at the sky intently, almost as attentively as he was listening to her. Yet, she looked so peaceful. Smiling. At ease and relaxed. When she sang, she seemed the liveliest. He could tell she really loved that song.

_"Back when you first came into my life,_  
_I recalled a place that I knew as a child: a special place, one that I held close to my heaaaart_  
_Won't you lead me in a dance down this winding road,_  
_Where light and shadoowww entwine to take hold_

_of the thoughts of the one left far-rrr behind?_

_Know that sometimes, I want, to, turn, around and see the things that I've passed on the journey,_  
_But know with love on my side, with courage and pride, I'll fight; I WILL CARRRYY ONNN!"_

She was twirling his happuri on her right index, just like a plate. But he didn't care for that, no. He was too focused on listening to her voice. The lyrics, too. It wasn't the same song as last time. It was much different and yet exuded the same... _emotions? No_. It was immensely distinctive. And quirky. Its tune was catchy and reminded Tobirama of a time that was vibrant and spirited. A time he never saw coming. It nearly made him as enthusiastic as she was. He wasn't sure if it was because of the song or because of her voice.

_"Bit by bit, I'm falling under your charm..."_ The more she sang, the more passionate and exuberant she became. He was actually beginning to like the song. Very much so that he even began to memorize the lyrics itself, so perhaps he could replay it later on. In the safety of his own mind of course. But, he just had to wonder, who's charm was she falling for? Did she even mean the lyrics she was singing? Or did she sing it out of fondness? Her voice matched the tone of the song well.

_"You'll keep me and all the world far from harm_  
_Bring hope to everyyyy-onee; take in your hands eternityyyy_  
_Even when it seems that I don't need you,_  
_Just know that I am in love; can't wait toooo-_  
_Leave this endless-ssss darkness. Won't you come along with me? Hold my hand"_

She returned to humming before repeating the same verses, slower this time. But her voice quieted down, and that's when he knew she had finally caught sight of him. Soon, her humming also came to a stop as she sat upright and dangled her feet over the edge. Her smile was still there, unwavering despite probably wondering how long he had been standing there watching her. Did she think he was a creep? He didn't doubt it. The only thing missing was a swing and then she would have taken on the appearance of a child.  _A child, she was._

"I suppose you're looking for this, hmm?" Mina said blankly. He didn't answer her and fully expected her to jump down and hand it to him.

"Why do you always have that scowl on your face? It isn't friendly you know. It's actually kinda mean." She feigned a hurt expression. Which wasn't very convincing, not to Tobirama anyways.

_"As if."_  He raised his hand, demanding her to come down and give it to him. Personally. He really didn't want to play along with her childish tricks. He had enough of Hashirama's that could last him fifty lifetimes. "Come on now." Maybe encouraging her would bring her to her senses. It didn't. She looked at the metal forehead protector that was still in her hand and scrutinized every detail of it.

"Oh, you want  _this?"_  She teased. "How about you be a gentleman and come up here and take it yourself? You know how bad backaches are for old women like me." She placed a hand to her lower back and curved forward a little, biting her lower lip. He thought she might actually fall. However, she held herself steady and let out a practiced groan.  _"Oouf."_

"Your acting is terrible." Was all he replied with. This only prompted her to raise an eyebrow in awe. He went on, feeling like he needed to elaborate in case her fragile mind wasn't up to taking on subtle hints. "If that were the case, then how did you get up there,  _old woman?"_ She was far from an old crone, very far. She should be in her prime. The peak of her health, though she did lack stamina and endurance.  _She couldn't be_ _more than twenty._ That was his guess.

"Get down, now. _Child."_ Well, if she did want to play  _that bad, why not?_ Mina then burst into a fit of giggles that somehow turned into loud cackles.  _"HA!_  I may not be an old woman, but I'm no child either." She calmed down not too long after. "Very well then." She said.

She stood up, cautiously, while holding onto the tree trunk and took a deep breath.

"You asked for it."  _Was that a warning?_ It was. For the next thing he knew, she jumped down. Well, lunging herself at him was more precise. Pouncing on him. He saw her coming of course, he just didn't move. Not until the last second. And so, as graciously as one could, she hit the ground. Full frontal. Almost. Her obi nearly untied. What a shame she fell. Too soon. Nothing saved her this time though. No wind. Nothing. Which was odd, he half expected her  _not_  to come in contact with the ground. But she did.  _Did she not have full control over it?_  It was quite a sight.

"Ohhh" she groaned in pain. He moved to the side slightly and crossed his arms as he looked down over the splayed woman who plonked to the hard surface with a heavy thud. He towered over her defenseless figure. "Oh God, not this again." He heard her grumble, barely coherent with all that mud stuck to her face, covering her mouth as well.  _She was right though._  This particular scene was all too familiar. It should be, it had only just occurred yesterday. However, this time, she had jumped with her own free volition. He specifically remembered telling her to  _come_  down, not to jump. If anything, she deserved this.  _It should probably teach her to listen to people more often._

He had let her roam free for the past couple of hours while he tended to other matters. One of which included Hashirama's brotherly scolding. Tobirama had never gotten any of those. Not until now. Hashirama, under Kami knows what influence, thought Tobirama lied about her wanting to stay here. Consequently, leading the elder to believe that he was holding her captive against her will.  _Here, out of all places. Actually, it wasn't a bad idea._  Just a preposterous one. Tobirama had never been a deceitful one, why would he start lying now? Much less to Hashirama? To him, the Flying Raijin creator had 'been acting out of sorts lately' and it has 'been worrying him'. Whatever that meant. Tobirama thought he was actually doing rather fine. He couldn't see what on earth his elder brother was talking about, but went along with it just so he could get it over with. When in fact, he disagreed with everything his brother was saying, he didn't have the energy or peace of mind to counter Hashirama's nonsense. Normally, he would, but he was unnaturally drained. Drained of energy. If anything was 'out of sorts' with him, it would be how fast he tires out recently. Maybe it was due to the overload of work he was having as of late. But he was accustomed to handling more than what he was able to, so it didn't surprise him much that maybe the work was starting to have its toll. He would always get back on his feet.

During his little reproach, he had come to learn two things. One was that Madara had sent an urgent demand to meet with his brother. Only confirming his theory that he really wasn't here for her. The second was.. _.What was it?_  He couldn't remember. Something about the Sarutobi.  _Yes, yes._  That was it. They were the third clan to participate in this establishment. Though, he would have to confer with his pal, seeing that they were now allies. Throughout all of his maundering, Hashirama never gave him the opportunity to inform him of the little adventure he had while coming here. His thoughts had shifted to the Inuzuka back then. Just as he was about to open up the conversation concerning that blatant infringement on their lands, Hashirama was summoned away.

Thus, leaving him to wander around the settlement for the rest of the afternoon. Things were going along well. The pace at which they were working wasn't too bad. They should be able to finish mounting the bases of most infrastructures. Including the hospital and a small school Tobirama had thought of. It would make a great academy for children to come together. To learn. Excel. Become shinobi. Hashirama persisted on the fact that it provided 'a place where they could become friends.' That didn't really concern Tobirama because he still believed that even children nowadays, from both the Uchiha and their side, bore grudges one against each other. They may have been too young to understand what it was but that...general disdain for one another was something that passed on from generation onto generation. And this alliance was just beginning. He had no doubt that it would take considerable time for something to mend between these two clans.

_Fear not though, Hashirama already had a plan that could fast track such process!_ That was the third thing he came to know from his little get together. Hashirama was planning to expand further this idea of a village by extending it to include any other clan that would like to join their ranks.  _The more, the merrier, no? Hashirama had said._ The logic behind it didn't fully convince Tobirama. In his mind, by adding more clans within these borders would not dissipate the mutual tension and enmity that were felt on both the Senju and Uchiha's ends. In his point of view, of course. In Hashirama's point, well that was another tale.

A tale that included the somewhat spontaneous disregard of the hostility between both of them. That by introducing other people, one would start to forget about long held resentment as one would get to know others. New things. What Hashirama failed to see though, was that not everyone was like him. Not everyone could easily empathize with others and overlook deep-seated emotions that have been building up over centuries. Those things didn't easily go away. Tobirama may not have excelled at such issues, but he wasn't an idiot either. He had always doubted the authenticity of this treaty since the beginning. So a part of him was always wary and on guard. Expecting that something would happen which would end up nullifying the treaty.  _Maybe it just hasn't happened yet?_ He had told Hashirama once. A long time ago it seems. He wasn't expecting a response from his elder brother back then, but he did. And his point wasn't too bad. _Madara wouldn't have randomly accepted the treaty unless he thought it wasn't what his clan wanted. Entering the alliance wasn't just Madara's decision, it was his people's._  According to Hashirama that is. And that was one area he could trust his brother. He had to face it, if anyone knew anything, if even just a diminutive look into the Uchiha leader's personality, it would be Hashirama. Aside from Izuna, who was an entirely different matter altogether. If he were to assume his brother was right, then perhaps the Uchiha themselves were more tired of fighting than they were bitter towards them.  _Perhaps, tired as much as the Senju were?_

And yet, he couldn't be sure of any of this. They were all just conjectures. And he didn't like conjectures. So, he put such thoughts out of his mind for the time being. They now faced another problem. One that involved molding metals, precisely iron and nickel and other carbon-based elements, into steel ridges. There was a reason blacksmiths existed. Unfortunately, they would be of no use if they weren't able to extract the elements properly nor melt it to a specific degree. And the quantity they needed...that was another issue. He needed to find a method that would be able to melt that much iron, meaning he would have to acquire heat that exceeded the Uchiha's katon jutsu. That was difficult on its own, albeit seeing creative uses of their fire styles, it still wasn't enough. They needed to desperately melt these metals in order to produce steel beams and ridges that would be used for the supporting the foundations of most infrastructures here.  _And pipes._ Metal pipes were essential for the plumbing system he had come up with. The network of pipes and tanks were required for adequate water supply to reach any of these buildings. Which would dramatically improve sanitation around this area. He was making changes to the pipeline schemes he had designed at first, seeing that more adjustments had been made in the original blueprints for the outlaying of the village.

Tobirama spent most of his afternoon strategizing and planning until he couldn't anymore. A break was long over due and he decided that a pause simply couldn't hurt him. He sought out the girl and now, he found himself hovering over her motionless body.  _Was she planning on getting up? Ever? No?_ He chose to move forward instead, careful not to  _purposely_  step on her lower back as he crossed over her. He bent down and took hold of the metal plate in her left hand.

"Thank-" He was about to show his gratitude for her efforts in getting down and handing him the happuri, but he was momentarily caught off balance as she suddenly woke from a fake slumber and grabbed his left shoulder with her other hand. He was pulled down and fell to his knees. As he was about to regain his composure and stand up, he felt a knee come into contact with his stomach. Good thing he was wearing his armor.

_"AH-HA!_  Ever heard of playing possum?!" She taunted him. Tobirama was now on his back, the stupid woman toppling him.  _She really had no understandings of boundaries, did she?_ He didn't feel her knee alone, but she was concentrating all her weight into one single point, and that was what ached.  _She was heavier than she looked, after all._

"I know how terribly desperate you were to finding this." She said, as she waved the happuri in front of him. He wasn't though. What he was terribly desperate for was for her to get off of him. Now. He could easily overturn her just as she did to him, but he didn't want to seriously injure her. "Get off." He wasn't joking. But she must have taken it as that,  _otherwise, why would she continue jabbering instead of getting off?!_

_"_ Anyhow, I just thought you would want me to hand it to you  _personally._  But I have a better idea.." She leaned down as she whispered. "How about I put it on? How more personal can you get?" The next thing she did could have nearly blinded him. Her attempt at trying to place it in the correct position was ridiculous. The metal piece was not far from gouging out his eyes.  _She was horrible at this._  Like she had never seen a happuri before. He took hold of her wrists, stopping her before she could do anymore damage. He flung her to the ground as he grabbed the headpiece from her hands. He got up on his own two feet before she could even blink her eyes. He had to wonder if she was drunk again. _She was not like this yesterday. At all._  Was she a different person every other day?

He was brushing off any grass and dirt that may have stained his pants. The woman on the other hand, remained seated on the ground, her laughs; ear-splitting.

"You don't have to be so harsh ya know?" He glared at her, but she paid no attention to him. Her chuckles soon turned into coughs. Mina, or whatever her real name was, clenched her fists and thumped gently against her chest, as if trying to expel whatever that was stuck in her passageways. _Serves her right._ Her coughing calmed down a bit but her expression turned somewhat sullen. Or was it confusion?

She may have stopped clearing her throat, but her hands were still feeling the outlines of her sternum. She did so for a minute before her hands shifted to the ground beneath her. Her fingers sliding through glass blades, in search of something.

"What's wrong?" He asked curiously. But she didn't answer him. She got up to her knees and widened her search area. Her panic was showing. And it seemed to be getting worse as each second went by. Her gaze returned to the tree she was just sitting on. She ran to it and looked everywhere around it. He could have helped her had she told him what she was looking for. She didn't. Not until a few more minutes had passed.

She brought her hands up to her chest, concern drawn on her face.

"You don't happen to have seen my necklace, did you?"

* * *

_**Sora's POV** _

_Oh Kami, Kami, Kami._

_What have I done?_

She was pacing around her room anxiously and in circles.  _This was bad, really bad. Why? Why did I have to do it?!_

She wouldn't stop cursing herself in her mind. She was blaming herself. She just added one more person into this stupid plan. An innocent person. Sora felt like she had just betrayed Mina's trust. In a sense, she did. Although, she would try to convince herself that this was  _'all for the greater good'_. Like it has been recited to her, over and over. And besides, it wasn't like that girl was as innocent as she appeared. Again, or so she was told.

_But who's greater good?_

She knew that if she got caught, there would be no mercy for her. She would die a very painful death by the cruelest man alive. If that was the case, she would rather take her own life, right here and there. Right in that moment. She didn't care. Her life was meaningless. Right from the moment she was born and until the moment she takes her last breath. Now it was just up to her if it was Madara who took that breath with his bare hands or her father; who could in fact be more abominable than the Uchiha leader himself. There was no choosing between two equally horrific deaths.

All of this because her mother had decided to take her own life long ago, leaving her to fend for herself in this damned world.

_That bitch! Damn her!_

Sora fell to the ground, wailing and crying her eyes out. This had become her nightly ritual. Her roommate had found this bothersome so she had changed chambers, for the better. Now she had the space to freely weep as her heart shattered into pieces. Ever since Azami died, it had only gotten worse. She had been the only person who knew of her suffering and kept quiet about it. Per Sora's request. Her only friend, her only partner, her only lov-

Long blonde streaks stuck to her damp cheeks as she clawed at the wooden floor, screeching. Her nails broke, her fingers bled and her body ached. It was a chilly night, but she left the window open to allow the full moonlight to illuminate this dark, dark room. Nearly as dark as her heart. Nothing was left there. Absolutely nothing. It was just an empty void now. She wasn't entirely sure there had ever been anything there in the first place. Her night gown was ripped, exposing her pale left thigh. She began regretting ever taking that necklace. It didn't belong to her.  _That was wrong._ But what happened to those people...

_Oh Kami!_

She began sobbing once more, careful to silence her growing whimpers. Sora looked up at the full moon. It seemed merely a fantasy. Something out of a fairy tale.  _Something so beautiful should not exist in such a hideous world._ Someone as repulsive as herself has no right to look at something so divine and heavenly.  _No._  Only monsters like  _she_  deserved each other.

She reached for one of the broken wood panels of floor. It was barely fixed with a nail, however it was hidden underneath her bed, so it was out of sight. She managed to unscrew the one nail and lift the old wooden plank to the side. She let it fall as she took out a piece of cloth. Removing the ragged cloth, she uncovered the large shard of mirror. The only thing she was able to sneak in here. They weren't allowed to have any weapons with them, for safety reasons they said. Because, as maids, they were never accustomed to handling sharp objects. Like they've never used butcher knives fifty times a day.  _What a bunch of bullshit,_  she had first thought. But now she understood their concern. It was to keep out people like her from doing something...reckless. While this was her perfect opportunity to end her wretched existence, she was caught off guard. By her own reflection.

She could not recognize who she was looking at. They were not her.  _It couldn't be._

A pair of glowing eyes stared right back at her.  _Red_  as the bloodied rivers of her old hometown.  _Red_  as the blood running through her veins. The tomoe she was met with were all too familiar to her. She grew up looking at, no, fearing these eyes. And their wielders. She firmly believed these eyes were nothing but a cursed gift from the heavens. Or rather from the demons of hell.

"Why..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, even to her own ears, she was inaudible.

More tears streamed down her face. Pouring out all her emotions in these simple teardrops was all that she was capable of.  _For now._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I STILL feel this chapter was just...meh.  
> I know some of you must have recognized the song I used here. I don't know why but I just love this English version. Japanese version was dope, but this has got to be one of the best translations of an anime opening. Those of you who don't know it, please check it out. It's Dragonball GT opening. Personally, I prefer the original Dragonball, but this opening really was on point. It's called:
> 
> Bit by Bit, I'm Falling Under Your Spell (English version of "DAN DAN Kokoro Hikarete 'ku")  
> I mean, who doesn't love music? Am I right?
> 
> Peace.


	25. Told You.

 

_**Sora's POV** _

_Oh Kami, Kami, Kami._

_What have I done?_

_She was pacing around her room anxiously and in circles. This was bad, really bad. Why? Why did I have to do it?!_

_She wouldn't stop cursing herself in her mind. She was blaming herself. She just added one more person into this stupid plan. An innocent person. Sora felt like she had just betrayed Mina's trust. In a sense, she did. Although, she would try to convince herself that this was 'all for the greater good'. Like it has been recited to her, over and over. And besides, it wasn't like that girl was as innocent as she appeared. Again, or so she was told._

_But who's greater good?_

_She knew that if she got caught, there would be no mercy for her. She would die a very painful death by the cruelest man alive. If that was the case, she would rather take her own life, right here and there. Right in that moment. She didn't care. Her life was meaningless. Right from the moment she was born and until the moment she takes her last breath. Now it was just up to her if it was Madara who took that breath with his bare hands or her father; who could in fact be more abominable than the Uchiha leader himself. There was no choosing between two equally horrific deaths. All of this because her mother had decided to take her own life long ago, leaving her to fend for herself in this damned world._

_That bitch! Damn her!_

_Sora fell to the ground, wailing and crying her eyes out. This had become her nightly ritual. Her roommate had found this bothersome so she had changed chambers, for the better. Now she had the space to freely weep as her heart shattered into pieces. Ever since Azami died, it had only gotten worse. She had been the only person who knew of her suffering and kept quiet about it. Per Sora's request. Her only friend, her only partner, her only lov-_

_Long blonde streaks stuck to her damp cheeks as she clawed at the wooden floor, screeching. Her nails broke, her fingers bled and her body ached. It was a chilly night, but she left the window open to allow the full moonlight to illuminate this dark, dark room. Nearly as dark as her heart. Nothing was left there. Absolutely nothing. It was just an empty void now. She wasn't entirely sure there had ever been anything there in the first place. Her night gown was ripped, exposing her pale left thigh. She began regretting ever taking that necklace. It didn't belong to her. That was wrong. But what happened to those people..._

_Oh Kami!_

_She began sobbing once more, careful to silence her growing whimpers. Sora looked up at the full moon. It seemed merely a fantasy. Something out of a fairy tale. Something so beautiful should not exist in such a hideous world. Someone as repulsive as herself has no right to look at something so divine and heavenly. No. Only monsters like she deserved each other._

_She reached for one of the broken wood panels of the floor. It was barely fixed with a nail, however it was hidden underneath her bed, so it was out of sight. She managed to unscrew the one nail and lift the old wooden plank to the side. She let it fall as she took out a piece of cloth. Removing the ragged cloth, she uncovered the large shard of mirror. The only thing she was able to sneak in here. They weren't allowed to have any weapons with them, for safety reasons they said. Because, as maids, they were never accustomed to handling sharp objects. Like they've never used butcher knives fifty times a day. What a bunch of bullshit, she had first thought. But now she understood their concern. It was to keep out people like her from doing something...reckless. While this was her perfect opportunity to end her wretched existence, she was caught off guard. By her own reflection. She could not recognize who she was looking at. They were not her. It couldn't be._

_A pair of glowing eyes stared right back at her. Red as the bloodied rivers of her old hometown. Crimson as the blood running through her veins. The tomoe she was met with were all too familiar to her. She grew up looking at, no, fearing these eyes. And their wielders. She firmly believed these eyes were nothing but a cursed gift from the heavens. Or rather from the demons of hell._

_"Why..." Her voice was barely above a whisper, even to her own ears, she was inaudible._

_More tears streamed down her face. Pouring out all her emotions in these simple teardrops was all that she was capable of. For now._

_..._

"Yes, Madara-sama."

Sora bowed down to her leader. He had just ordered her to prepare his gears for his travel. It was not like she hated him. No. It was just that she was not fond of his existence. Nor most Uchiha. It really was nothing personal, she only hated their guts and their impulsive and egotistical nature. Sure enough, not everyone was like that, but a great deal of them were. She would often day dream, her darkest thoughts couldn't lie. She would frequently think about eviscerating them. Disemboweling every single one of them and decorate the walls of her clan's fort with their organs, hang their bloody entrails and intestines down the barriers. Rid this world of their disgusting presence. She may have had some of their blood coursing through her but she had never counted herself as one of  _them_. There was no reason to. Not until yesterday night. Her sharingan was finally awakened. For some reason. When she had already given up long ago that she could ever activate them. She never thought it possible.

Sora had always believed she had inherited more of her father's clan's attributes. Which weren't much besides their love for fighting and war. Their savage battle tactics, that were actually non-existent, and archaic values were passed on to their descendants, though she has yet to feel that immense compulsion to rip someone in half. Something strong enough to push her to do it.  _Something_  inside her always imagined her father's clan dying out as they failed to attempt to prove their ferocity and brutality. They were the kind that preferred to entertain their bloodlust rather than to face defeat and dishonor. Or so, that was what she gathered from the few meetings they had. If they were to face the Uchiha, they would undoubtedly be wiped out as they initiated the battle. That was just the way they were. The way she was turning out to be.

_It seems that I was wrong._  Her mother's gift to her had finally appeared. She wasn't sure what to feel about it. Sora finally composed herself from yesterday's self-pitying session. She could not let them believe something was wrong or out of sorts or else they could get suspicious. The last thing she needed right now.

Many times she thought about poisoning Madara's food, his clothes or slit his throat while he slept, but she doubted her own abilities in those areas. That was why she preferred to let her father handle such matters.  _His field of expertise._ He was a cruel, cruel man. Every day of her life, she wished deeply that she had never met him.

Besides, she was under orders not to harm the Uchiha leader at the moment. That wasn't her job and they made that loud and clear. A part of her was glad as she detested going anywhere near his room. Particularly at night,  _where whatever slut was entertaining him could not shut her mouth. So much for self respect, huh?_ The loud moans were unbearable. But the sheets were the worst. It wasn't like they could refuse him and yet he never truly forced them. Whenever he did have someone over. Which was surprisingly not common. For a clan leader, he was unnaturally discreet. Sora came to learn over the years she has worked there. Now that she thought about it, there was only one person who did refuse him. Rather indirectly, but she did so anyways. Unknowingly that is. Mina probably did not realize it, but Sora did. Madara had been frustrated during the past weeks and it wasn't hard to guess why. She was a woman after all, she knew everything there was to know about the male psyche. It was pretty easy. The male species were very simple and uncomplicated creatures. All issues that were ever on their mind were sex, food and fighting. And more sex. They were truly no more intricate than lower animals. A big reason as to why Sora preferred fellow females. Whether she was born that way or that her proclivities were rather a byproduct of her harsh environment in which she was brought up...she didn't know nor care.

_Great._

She was carrying metal armors that were nearly the same weight as she was. Sora was on her way to the blacksmith so he could see to Madara's wishes.

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

He kept the locket with him.

He would return it to its rightful owner when the time was right, but until then...

"Is this yours?" He demanded of the old man, who was seated right before him on a tatami mat. Madara dropped the necklace into his hands so he could have a better idea of what he was talking about. Takayama had motioned for his leader to take a seat the moment the younger Uchiha barged into his home. It appeared like it hadn't been thoroughly cleaned in ages, though the elder found no problem with it. He was in the middle of a shogi match when his unexpected visitor arrived. It was a bleak day, somber and dull. The sky was grey and heavily clouded, as if it would begin raining at any given moment. However, Takayama was just content with the way it was now, since he did not appear to have any problems sitting outside on his terrace.

Madara didn't quite see how it was possible to play shogi with only player, but this wasn't what concerned him at the moment. He may have been blind for as long as Madara has known him and long before his birth, but the man sitting in front of him was perhaps more in tune with this reality than any of them. Be that as it may, Takayama gave off the impression of being able to see _everything_ around him. Maybe he could.

Madara was still standing, he had no time to waste, all he needed was to finish this and head out. He had planned to meet Hashirama tomorrow but he was starting to rethink that. If it was up to him, he would head there right that instant. However, Izuna was still not back and he  _still_ did not know what this necklace was doing at the grave site. A grave site that was no longer there.

He heard a low chuckle from the man who was feeling the pendant with his long and slender fingers. If Madara saw correctly, he could have said the old man even smiled ever so lightly.

"I never would have thought she would be so careless as to forget it here."

_She?_ That should have been enough of an answer for him but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted a clear explanation as to what the elder knew about her and this necklace.

"What makes you think she forgot it?" He crossed his arms and awaited a reply. Eiji's words still echoed in his mind. Loudly. The shinobi decided against visiting his father and opted to go and inform the others of the current situation. Hence, why Madara was here; alone. His host was still twirling the chains between his fingers, like he would a coin.

"It appeared to me that she had cherished this jewelry. Perhaps, it was a gift from someone she held dear." He speculated. It made much sense, yet it still wasn't good enough.

"And you would know because?" It seemed he, too, knew much more about the woman than Madara. Actually, everyone was apparently acquainted with her. Even Kagami. It was all thanks to that boy that he knew anything at all. That day Madara had found him sitting with her in the garden; with a pleasant surprise. He may have awakened his sharingan, but Madara was a man of his words. As much as he would have liked to train the boy then, he didn't. Instead, he took him to see the new settlement they were building in collaboration with the Senju. He wanted him to see where he would live from now on. Where he could grow up with other children his age. No fighting, no wars, nothing.  _A normal childhood, he would have._  Or whatever that was left of it. It wasn't cold back then as much as it was now.

It had been a good day, despite the circumstances. Madara had carried the boy on his back, that way they would have arrived faster at the site. Kagami wasn't as quick as he was at the moment. And they ran and ran and ran...through endless foliage. The countless shades of green filled in most of their peripheral vision as the wind nearly blinded them. The thick canopy had provided plenty of shading against the harsh sun. Madara leaped from tree to tree, the boy had stayed silent almost throughout the whole way there. Madara dared to take a peek every now and then and saw that his sharingan was deactivated. Whether he did it purposely or not, he wasn't sure. Kagami even appeared to be dozing off.

It had taken them around four and a half hours until they reached Madara's destination. Though, they've never quite entered the premises, they rather preferred to view things from above and in a further vicinity. He had settled the boy down on a thick branch and he stood there for a while, saying nothing. Uncharacteristically, Madara was the first to break the silence. He pointed towards the small houses underneath them. Everything appeared diminutive from their height. The people working were no larger than ants in their points of view.

"You see this?" He spoke softly in order not to alarm Kagami. "This is where we will live from now on." He tried to explain it as best as he could. But the boy was still confused.

"Are we moving?" His voice was just above a whisper, Madara almost didn't hear him if he hadn't been looking at the boy. Kagami returned his gaze, looking up at his mentor and clan head.

"Yes." He answered him honestly. That was the word that had been going around though the child himself did not know.

"Why?" He wasn't expecting that. Madara was fully prepared for the  _when, not why._ He had prepared an answer for his own question because it wasn't often asked why they were moving. Everyone had just...known. But he was a kid, how could he? Madara took his time trying to formulate a simple answer.

"Well.." His gaze shifted to the village under construction.  _Why indeed._  Why were they planning to leave the only place they have inhabited for centuries? The home where they grew up in? Where their parents grew up? Their grandparents and great grandparents and so on so forth? Were they about to abandon the only residence they have known all their lives?

"It's a condition of the alliance." Straight to the point. There was nothing wrong with that, as long as the boy understood that is.

"Why though?"  _The kid's got a lot of questions._  Madara could not remember ever being this curious about his father's affairs. Mainly because his father would shoot down his inquiries. Was it because he belittled his son or thought little of his intelligence, it didn't matter now. "I thought we hated the Senju?" The boy added.

_We? Perhaps the boy understood more than I thought._ He raised a very good point. One Madara would have agreed with anytime back then. However, things were different now.

"Sometimes, we have to do things in this life that we don't necessarily like." The boy was waiting for more, ready to devour anything he said. But was there really anything else to say? He was sifting through his thoughts, delving into the deepest parts trying to come up with something...discernible.

"But if it's for the best of your people, then there should be no question about it." There it was, he never thought he would have voiced it out loud. Deep down, that was what drove him to accept the treaty. He could argue and say it was for better tradings and larger profits. When actually, less losses would be a better interpretation. No matter how he tried to sell it, he couldn't fool himself. Nor this kid.

"Oh.." That was all Kagami had said but Madara wasn't sure he had truly understood what he said. He was only a kid after all. A few minutes passed before they started talking again.

"So, when will we move here?" That was his next logical question. Although, this time, Madara didn't need to pause and think of an appropriate response. "Right after the snow has come to pass."

_Winter._

The harshest season of them all. Madara could only imagine what this year could bring. It was getting immensely cold with each year. The snow was intensifying, even hails were becoming increasingly frequent. He hated it.

"Will Mina-chan come with us?" The mention of her name pulled him out of his daze. He looked down at Kagami and saw a glint of hope in his eyes.  _What does he really see in that woman, anyways?_

_"_ I don't know." He replied. He really didn't. Madara wasn't thinking that far ahead, in fact, he wasn't sure what he would do with the woman right now. "I guess it's really up to her, isn't it?" The glint soon turned into a gleam full of desires and expectations.

"Although, I'm sure her family must be looking for her. I wouldn't count on it." Madara turned down any hope that still lingered within the child. He had to. It wasn't like he found pleasure in it, but it was necessary for Kagami to know that having high hopes would only end up disappointing him.  _People_  will end up disappointing him. Such anticipation did not belong in a shinobi world like theirs, where betrayal and deception were a common trait. He should take this as a first lesson. "She will undoubtedly return back to where she came from." He reassured him, in case the boy was still having doubts.

"Where she came from?" He repeated his words as if he couldn't understand what they meant and then began laughing. Madara was puzzled by his reaction as he had expected the boy to pout in disapproval. "But she can't go back."

"Oh really?" He quirked a brow. "I would beg to differ."

"She really can't. She isn't from here." Kagami's smile only widened. He couldn't believe this was the same kid who was sulking not even a few hours ago. "Where  _is she_  from?" Madara asked.

That was how he came to know of the quite unbelievable tale.  _What kinds of things was she telling the poor and unsuspected kid?_ Today's weather was not bright as it was back then. His mind returned to the current situation at hand, to the old man sitting before him. That necklace still in his grasp.

"I only know of what she had said, not what she feels. It was wrong of me to assume that she treasured this." He retracted his previous statement so that he could avoid Madara's questions. The pendant hung from the tip of his fingers and swung to the sides like a pendulum. Its core was becoming darker. Madara saw that it was no longer of fuchsia color, but rather a deep magenta. It astounded him how blind he could be to the most obvious things yet could singulary focus on the color of a rock. Normally, he wouldn't care but there was something about the necklace.

"So, you've see-... _felt_  it before?" He corrected himself a little too late. He was prone to saying stupid mistakes such as that, considering this was not his first time.

"I know what you're trying to ask me, Madara-sama and I'm also very aware of what my son must have said." He said, the raspiness of his voice had never been more clear than during those moments.  _Couldn't he just have admitted it from the beginning?_

"Well then..." This was getting too long, Takayama was abnormally vague in his answers, which wasn't in his nature.

"I don't know what to tell you." He handed him back the silver chains. Madara's patience was dangerously low. Of course he wouldn't take it out on this man, he was the only exception among the elders, instead he would take it out on the first person he met. Whoever that was, they were truly an unlucky individual.

_"What do you mean you don't know?_  It's either yours or it isn't. Which is it?" The young man waited impatiently for an answer.

"It's hers."  _There. Was that so hard?_  Now, Madara would have to think of all the possibilities on how her necklace got to be there. "Though, I can't deny I did have one just like it. Belonged to my grand-mother once, a very long time ago." Madara had already turned on his heels before the elder could finish speaking.

"It could have been another pendant." Madara shouted back, he was eager to get out of here. It has been a while since he visited this neighborhood. The one he grew up in all his life until a few years ago where the compound had expanded. Why had Takayama chosen to stay in this run down area, it never really made sense to him. Maybe he was still attached to the memories of this place. Unlike Madara. Which wasn't entirely true, in part. The only memories Madara had of this district was of his mother, but he had been trying to avoid those as best as he could.

"It isn't. If you look at the backside of the rock, where it's most thickest, you will see faint carvings of a symbol." Madara couldn't help it, he just had to take a look. And look he did. He turned over the central medallion of the jewelry piece and examined the rear side carefully. It was too small to see any clear marking so he used his fingers to feel it. Just as the old man said, there was a carving. The more he felt it, the more he outlined the surface, the more assured he was of the symbol that was engraved. He could have swore on his life that it was the Uchiha's emblem, surrounded by...slightly chiseled round pecks. It wasn't completely round though, a bit elongated at the end.  _Tomoes?_ There were three of them; one at the north, the second at the south-east and the last directed to the south-west. He would have to see it under better lighting, although he was pretty certain of what he just found.

"I haven't had it in my possessions for quite some time. Notwithstanding that fact, I did however see her wear it the handful of times that I have met her."  _Well, wasn't this confusing?_  What he was saying completely contradicted everything he knew. From what was visibly understood, it once belonged to his family but somehow ended up in her ownership. This was backed by the bizarre etching on the pendant. And that would have made absolute sense in his mind had Kagami's words not rung in his mind. Assuming Kagami was correct in everything he said, just how did this chain get into her hands? One of them was lying. Or at least misconstruing  _someone's_  words.

He felt light rain drops on his head. It was beginning to drizzle. Time for him to leave, while there seemed to be more things he could learn from this man, he needed to look after another matter for the time being. He took a last glance at the man who was in the process of getting drenched but didn't seem to mind it. He let out a sigh before he disappeared from view.

* * *

"Is he back yet?" He asked one of the guards at the gates. It was past sunset.  _Just._  But he was determined to see if Izuna had indeed taken his words seriously and if he could follow a specific order assigned to him.

"No, Madara-sama." The guard replied politely. They've been ordered to lock down any gates. No one was permitted to leave until Madara gave his permission, while that appeared to be a bit excessive to some, Madara didn't want to take chances or risks. Most of the civilians had no idea what was going on, but some had started getting the gist of recent events. Therefore, the gates have been closed until further notice from the Uchiha leader himself. He had placed extra watch at the back entrance, where it was less fortified than the front passageways. Madara did not want a single soul coming in or out of his stronghold without his knowledge. And that included the elders albeit some of their disapprobations. Though, it wasn't like he cared for their opinions. Not in the least and he had made that abundantly clear a great number of times.

Madara was now standing right at the front gates waiting for his younger brother to return, hopefully with some answers that did not lead to more questions. He was getting tired of  _patiently standing by_  for Izuna's return. He made a resolve, that if Izuna and his mate had not returned in an hour's time, he will personally seek them out and drag them back. His younger brother needed to learn to follow orders. He had been fooling around for far too long.

As he was turning to head back to his house, he sensed familiar chakra flares bounding for his direction.  _About time._

...

"Well?" Madara inquired the pair of shinobi standing before him. They appeared to be worn out and exhausted; haggard and drained of any energy.

"There was nothing useful." Izuna responded.  _Nothing useful?_

_"Beg your pardon?_ Repeat that." _How? How could they not find anything?_

"If they had been there, it didn't seem like they have made their presence known." Izuna was not saying anything helpful and it was starting to get to Madara. They've been gone all day only to come back and tell him that they haven't found a single shit?

"However, when we asked at one of the inns, they did mention that there had been a group of travelers passing by the area. Gypsies according to them, seeking to trade with the town's merchants." Hikaku intervened.

"Are they sure they were Uchiha?" He asked.

"No unfortunately. They had doubts though they insist they would have known if they were Uchiha, or so they say." So Izuna was right. If it was indeed them, then they must have done everything as to not appear as Uchiha clansmen. Maybe they did not wear their clan's traditional attire, which would have been the most obvious.

"How many of them were there?"

"Around a dozen, give or take." Izuna answered this time.

"Is that all?" He was anxious, waiting for more news. But none were coming his way. This was...something. It wasn't much, nevertheless, it was better than nothing. It would appear that his people had been wandering around wanting to trade, but for how long? When had they left the Senju? And why not head back here straight away? Sure, it would have been hard to reintegrate back but Madara would not have turned them away, and the elders could have done nothing about it. Asides from making their lives difficult, at the end of the day, he was the clan leader. Anything he says goes. So, it had surprised Madara that they would circumvent around their base and head north towards Imaicho, a merchant town. What did they have to trade in anyways? What merchandise did they have? What if they were attacked on their way back here? There were endless possibilities.

"One more thing." Izuna stepped closer and dropped a spherical object on his desk. They were in Madara's study. He looked closely at the rolling object. He brought it up to his eye level.  _Hmm, I'm not mistaken then._ It was an eye. A sharingan, though it was nearly decayed, its defining feature was still present.

"Where?" He asked curtly. He couldn't draw his gaze away from the eyeball staring back at him. For a moment, he wondered to who it belonged to. To one of the pairs of bodies they returned with or one of the tens they had buried?

"It was purely coincidental as we were searching the eastern borders." Hikaku said. "After discovering it, we scoured the whole area once more but found nothing." He already answered Madara's next question. He had not expected any differently. If whoever did this was able to excavate a dozen bodies and make it look like there had been no graves there in the first place, surely they were capable of cleaning the site of the murder itself. He handed the minuscule organ back to Izuna. "Get it to Lady Chiho."

But Izuna's eyes darted to something Madara was holding with his other hand. Something he had not let go of all day.

"Where did you find it?" The youngest Uchiha in the room asked. Madara's skepticism returned. "Why?" He countered with his own question. Which was useless, seeing his brother had spent most of his recent days with the woman. He too must have noticed the pendant on her.

"It belongs to Mina. Where did you get it?" He repeated his question. Madara thought long and hard on whether to answer him truthfully or not. However, this was no time to be withholding information from his clan, much less his brother.

"Back at the forest." It was that simple. How it got there though, not very. "Have you not found the bodies yet, Madara-sama?" the second shinobi asked. Hikaku had shoulder-length brown hair worn into a high ponytail. The resonating golden chain draped around his right shoulder was the only source of noise in the room. Izuna, on the other hand, was still focused on the silver chains laced between Madara's fingers. Perhaps he too started connecting the dots. His questions differed much from Hikaku's.

"Brother, may I accompany you to the Senju's tomor-"

_"No."_  That was his decision and it was final. He didn't want to take him along because Izuna tended to obtain answers his own way. Madara very much doubted that his brother's tactics would work on the woman, if anything it would just push her back. Causing her to backtrack and decide on not telling them anything at all. Not that Madara's methods were all that conventional as well. He would just have to take caution this time.

"But-"

"I said  _no._  You will stay here and make sure no one does anything I did not authorize.  _Is that clear Izuna?"_ He left no room for his brother's counter argument. His voice was dark and strident, shattering the dead silence that seemed to have reigned over them. And it was most definitely not welcoming any rebuttals. Izuna was not pleased and that showed noticeably in his expressions. But at the end, he would have to listen to his brother's commands. The few times he did go against Madara's wishes, it had not ended well for him. For anyone. As the majority of those times had led up to a disaster. Disasters which largely included deaths. One of which could have ended his own life not too long ago. That may be so, but Izuna wasn't going to let this go and Madara knew it.

"Izuna.  _Did you hear me?_  You are  _not_  to-"

"Yes, you made it quite clear, brother." Izuna replied, rather calmly.

"Good. Now get out." He ordered both of them and they followed. He plonked himself down on the chair, the necklace still in his grasp. It was night now and he would have to leave as early as he could tomorrow morning. He didn't know what awaited for him there but he hoped they were some exceptionally insightful answers. Or else...he didn't know what he would do. There was nothing predictable about any of this. And for some reason, he placed the last of his hopes on her, wishing that maybe she would have answers to any of these conundrums. The pendant was shining even more brightly than it had during the day. The moonlight reflected off its darkening gemstone. Frankly, it was a beautiful piece. However, it held many mysteries of its own as much as its owner did. He turned it over and traced its back surface. He did not have to feel it now in order to see the familiar crest etched into it. His crest. His family's. Madara could see it as clear as day. The precious stone glittered under the translucent moonlight. Its crystalline structure was nearly eclipsed by the glistering of the sterling silver.

_"Now, who could have given you something like this?..._

* * *

"Hashirama."

The man in question turned to face his long time rival. The Senju leader appeared to be in high spirits. Which was Hashirama's norm, however, Madara did not come here to casually spend some time with his 'old pal'. He wanted answers and he would get them.

"Madara!" Though he cannot deny that freakishly whimsical behavior that is Hashirama's attitude always had him on edge. He was far from the captious Tobirama yet he just couldn't decide which of them was worse. He had his own faults, there was no doubt about that, but there was just something about this specific pair of Senju brothers that had him neurotic and always tense. No matter how many 'fresh pages' they turned, no matter how many 'new starts' they initiated, Madara Uchiha could have never imagined ever being civil with them. He still couldn't and yet, he was laying the cornerstones of this village alongside them. Times really do change, feelings...not so much.

_"What a marvelous surprise! I'm quite surprised you wanted to meet. Honestly, I was shocked at first. You, Madara Uchiha, wrote a missive. I was doubtful but then I thought you may have wanted to see how far we've made progre-"_

"Shut up Hashirama." He interrupted his friend's rambling, otherwise his counterpart would have went on forever without a brief pause to take a breath. The aura around the Senju suddenly turned dark and gloomy. He, himself epitomized the true meaning of desolation and misery. This only highlighted the stark contrast between his split personalities. It was a good thing they were inside an office or so it seemed. Hashirama and Madara were the only ones present. And Eiji as well. It was a bit surprising not to find Tobirama among them, who always seemed to bud in into whatever matters his elder was handling, except this time he wasn't. Maybe Hashirama had not informed him but that was very unlikely.

_"I see you still haven't resolved your random bouts of depression, hmm?"_ Madara mocked him but that only had the opposite effect. In no time, the Senju was up and about, happy as the moment they entered his peripheral vision.

"Everything in due time, my friend!" His laugh was deep and guttural. No one understood what was so funny that it had the brown haired man cackling. Eiji gave Madara a look.

_"Is this guy for real?"_  He attempted to whisper. Madara understood why Eiji would ask such a thing. It was a common question among those that have never met Hashirama. He turned his head and faced his shinobi.

_"Look, I'd just go along with it. It gets easier."_ That was the only advice he could give the man. There was no right way to deal with Hashirama.  _You let Hashirama be Hashirama._ That was his motto. And whatever happened afterwards was of no concern to him. It was a while before anyone said anything else. As Hashirama calmed down,

"Good. Now that you are done with your buffoonery..." Madara's solemn and grim humor brought Hashirama to his senses. "Hey, I was just trying to break the ice. Give me a break."  _What a sad excuse._

_"Now..."_  The Uchiha leader continued, uninterrupted. "When was the last time you've seen our defectors in your custody?" That question seemed to have caught Hashirama off guard. It was clear that he wasn't expecting that matter to come up.

"When?" He repeated. Hashirama may have acted the fool, but he wasn't the village idiot. "Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Madara retorted. "I asked you a question." He couldn't differentiate the expression Hashirama wore. It was a mix between confusion, dread and apprehension.

"It's just that I find it odd."  _Boy, wasn't he dragging it out._

_"Would you care to enlighten me?"_ He narrowed his eyes and glared at him. His 'friend' was treading a very thin and dangerous thread that was Madara's patience. His self-restraint and composure were at their limits, as they usually were.

"They've been gone for about three months."

* * *

He sighed. Heavily.

_Well this wasn't what I expected._

"What do we do now?" He heard his general's voice but Madara wasn't listening. There was a distinguishing line between the two actions. It was what set apart a good leader from a relatively bad one. One should always listen to his people, be attentive to their concerns and issues as much as he was to his own personal matters. Madara tried his best but this was not one of those moments. Eiji's words went through one ear and passed out the other. They were walking through the muddy streets, he could see buildings and small houses have already been erected. Though, he did not pay attention to any details. Leaves decorated the incomplete wooden surfaces and covered most of the terrain like a rug. A kaleidoscopic range of colored leaflets of all sizes were wafted away by the wind only to end up on the ground, trampled over by heavy footsteps.

He remembered the country, the Fire country as it was, the wind dancing with the first autumn leaves, painted in all kinds of beautiful shades of reds and oranges to golden yellows and browns. However, Madara did not remember a vibrant world, he could not remember a time where people were so full of vim and vigor... _full of life._ And yet, here, as the leaves lay dying, those around him never appeared to be so lively as they were now. These were the same people who spent most of their lives hating each other, fighting against one another, shedding blood and more blood until..well there was no more. Madara could only believe that they were excellent actors. The majority of these folks grew up seeing the same things he did, Uchiha and Senju alike. Most of Madara's memories consisted of... _of... Just what did it consist of?_

He could only recall their piercing screams, the people he had lived with as long as he could remember, and it tore through him like great shards of glass, desperate and terrified on the bloody battlefields where there were nearly as much children as there were adults. Back then, at the start of every battle, he would feel his eyes widen and pulse quicken, heart thudding like a rock rattling in a box. When he had been too young, he would always ask himself what was happening? Every time he entered a fight, he would always come out losing something. Whether that had been a brother, a friend, his father...And every time he would vow to cause just as much pain to his rivals, to Hashirama, as they did to him.

In those moments, the thick scents of melted and scorched wood entered his nose. His vision became blurry. Black smoke filled the battlegrounds and invaded his lungs. He would cough and cough and cough until tears washed over his eyes. Madara would become hazy and could barely see in the midst of merciless fighting.  
Just then, for a moment he saw flames burn with colors he never thought it possible. With each flare, he knew another part of their territories were alight along with some of their shinobi. He had been a child then but he knew better. He did his best to escape the heavy atmosphere of smoke but was the last one to get out, wheezing and desperate for air like most kids his age were. Even when he couldn't see where he was going, he would always find a way, never giving up. He was the prodigy of his clan and was adamant on not dying then and there. He still had much to do with his life and was hellbent on surviving these hideous circumstances and make his father proud by killing as much Senju as he could. Slathering their blood on every possible surface. Otherwise, he would be called weak and Madara didn't like to be called weak. That was his determination, his resolve. These scenes became all too familiar as he grew up with the fighting intensifying over time. Just as his rival grew powerful, Madara too reached his peak. And was still considered in his prime even now.

That was what he remembered vividly. War ravaged towns. Streets were bare as skeletons stripped of their flesh, houses burned to the ground, their woods nothing more than charred coal.  _Nothing more than ragged piles of debris and rubble._  That was his childhood. And many of those surrounding him at the moment. A part of him was angry at his father, who had the power to have ended this bloodbath long ago but chose not to. At the same time, Madara felt grateful towards him. Had he not went through the experiences, fights and battles that he went through, then perhaps he wouldn't have been who he was now. None of the power he currently held would have ever been achieved.

_And now_...He stopped in his tracks and looked, carefully this time, at his environment. It was like a dream. A lucid dream. But the weather was all too real. They were at that time of year again where the threat of rain loomed in the mornings, evenings and nights. The sun rays were nothing more than faint bursts of light every now and then. The warmth of the waning sun was soon replaced with the chill that accompanied the autumn breeze, while the air was cooler with a tincture of earthiness that followed him wherever he went.

"Is everything alright?" His shinobi asked him.

"I don't know.  _What do you think?"_  He replied.  _No, everything was not alright. What kind of question was that?!_ Madara was always 'taught' to respect his elders, though that definition was highly variable, Eiji was one of the few he actually valued, not his futile question. What he had intended to do now was to search for the woman. She was here apparently, according to Hashirama. And well, he did catch sight of her on his way here. She was following Tobirama around like a damn puppy. He didn't get a good look though, he had been too far away. Since he couldn't sense her by chakra, he would just have to hunt her down. Which wasn't too hard as she suddenly appeared out of the blue.

She was walking down the street, heading towards them.

"Is she the owner you were talking about?" Eiji was referencing the necklace in his gloved hands. He gave a slight nod as a response. Tobirama was right behind her, it seemed as if they had exchanged places. The follower was now the leader. Madara recognized the look on her face. Distress. Her gaze was directed at the ground, her eyes constantly moving in every direction as if in search of something. And he had a very good guess as to what it was. She had mud smeared over her left side of her face. She exuded that earthiness smell he had been smelling as of recently.  _What did she do? Bathe in mud?_ But that wasn't what truly caught his attention.

Her hair.

She had cut it.

It was now the same length it was a few months ago, when he had first seen her in the forest.

He didn't like it. Madara hated short hair, especially on a woman. Long tresses suited her better. Much better. Her short brown locks were like an atrocity against him. Against mother nature. If he had any say in it, he would have never let her cut it. But he didn't.  _What was I thinking? She had much more important questions to answer._

She may not have sensed him but Tobirama did. A long way back. Which could explain why he stopped walking a few feet back while she remained steady on her path. Bumping into his large figure.

"Ouch! Watch it idio-" She raised her head and looked at him. Her eyes widened in surprise, it was obvious she had not been expecting him.  _Good._ He narrowed his eyes and lowered his gaze.

"Maybe  _you_  should watch where you're going." Her mouth stood agape. She didn't bother in trying to hide her surprise. It took her a few moments to let his presence sink in. She took a step back and looked at Tobirama, who only stood as a spectator. His arms folded and a scowl already in place. He really did know how to greet a fellow ally.

"I'm over here."  _Why was she so concentrated on Tobirama anyways?_ The way she looked at him...it was like she was trying to communicate with him with sheer eye contact.  _Telling him what though?_ It took Madara a second to understand.  _Help me._ That was what had been written on her face. He mentally chuckled at that thought. Like Tobirama could stop him from tearing her apart if he wanted to. Furthermore, the white-haired man did not seem in the slightest bit interested in their upcoming little chat. Hence, why he turned and walked the other direction, avoiding whatever problem that was about to explode between them. She started to run after her Senju pal, but the Uchiha grabbed her back towards him.

"Wow..she really..is small." Eiji had commented. If Eiji expressed any kind of emotion, then it was safe to assume that whatever he reacted to was truly worth the surprise. Mina's height was quite uncommon among them, even in their women. She couldn't have been more than 5"2.

"Told you." Madara smirked. He saw her face contort from that of a shocked expression to one of slight annoyance.

"Hey! I'm 5"4 thank you very much!" Madara doubted that. He brought up the chains and swung it before her. His grin was long gone, now replaced by a solemn impression  _"I believe this is what you are looking for, hmm?"_ He said almost viciously. Her bewilderment returned. So, he was right. She was looking for it. But that wasn't the only thing that caught her off guard. Did she think he was here just to hand it back to her? She wasn't that dull, she had to now why he was here.

"You found it!" She snatched the pendant out of his hand and took it into hers, inspecting it at every angle, making sure it was not scratched or abraded. He heard her sigh in relief but this was far from consolation. Not to him anyways. She just unknowingly confirmed that she was there at the scene of the- Well what other possible reason could there be for her necklace to turn up there?  _She had to have been there._ He couldn't honestly say it had been present the night they found the bodies as they had not searched thoroughly enough, but it was there that morning after. His expression turned grimmer and more stern. Eiji had neared closer and he too surrounded her on the other side. She was practically cornered and had noticed the change in atmosphere the second it converted. It was getting late and they were still in the public eye, on the street. This may not have appeared well but _boy, did she have things to answer for_. Madara needed to get her out of sight from these people.

She shook her head and gave him back the pendant.

"It isn't mine. Sorry."  _What?_ Didn't she just validate her ownership? What was she playing? Did she think he was an idiot? What was it? He bent down to her height and closed the distance between them, causing her to almost trip backwards but Eiji's position prevented her from doing so.

_"Is it or is it not yours?"_  He hissed. Madara's face was a mere three inches away from hers. His onyx eyes met her large brown ones straight on. He had never been this close to her since the night of the wedding. Her pale face was now a bright shade of red.

"I..It..it- it isn't mine. My pendant had a red gemstone. N-not purple." She stammered as she tried to get a hold of herself. He thought the same as well. "Take a look again." He warned her.

"It isn't-"

_"I SAID TAKE ANOTHER LOOK."_ Madara's deep voice became a notch higher. High enough for people around them to take notice. _"Oh, isn't this odd? What a surprise, there's just a house beside us. It would give us much needed privacy, won't you say?"_ He told her all the while giving Eiji a knowing look. Somewhere more secluded would be best suited for this conversation. She was too slow to react to his sudden jerk. He yanked her arms and took her to that 'house'. He shot open the door and shoved her inside, closing it after he was also inside the room. This was not a house, but a singular four wall chamber. What it served for, he did not give two shits. It was only him and the woman in the empty room now. The other Uchiha stood outside, guarding them.

_"Well?"_ He crossed his arms and awaited her response. She was visibly flustered.

"It looks really similar to mine, but-"

_"Are you sure about that?"_ He interrupted her before she could deny it any further. He started circling around her, the way a predator does to its prey. "I-" She began but he would not let her speak a full sentence.

"I have people who say it belongs to you." _People._  Not one person. Not just Takayama. But Izuna too. His brother instantly recognized this jewelry. How could she repudiate it?

"I...Look, yes it is uncannily similar to mine but I swear to you, mine had a red stone in the middle. Not a purple-bluish one." She seemed convinced of her answer. But something else bothered Madara. It was like she didn't even know of the small carving at the back. Either she completely ignored it or was utterly oblivious to its placement. It had the Uchiha's crest engraved. Back in the days, his grandfather's mostly and even earlier, they would model pendants and engrave the clan's insignia to give it to their loved ones, as a sign of affection. Although, hardly anyone ever did that nowadays and Madara had never seen such a necklace before.

"Where did you get it?" He asked curtly, coming to a stop behind her. She turned to face him.

"Someone gifted it to me." She replied just as firmly.  _Gifted? Hmm, who could that be? "_ As a birthday present." She added, hoping he would forget that line of questioning. He wasn't about to. Not by a long shot.

_"When?"_

"Three years ago." Her voice was getting quieter.

" _Who?"_

_"_ A friend."  _Insufficent._

_"Who?"_  He repeated with more tenacity.

_"A. Friend."_  She was matching his persistence with her own. He stepped closer but unlike before, she did not cower away. She stood before him, head raised high, her back; straightened.  _It seems like she got plenty of backbone._

"And did that  _friend_  tell you where he got it?" He asked.

_"She_  bought it from a pawn shop. Something wrong with that?" She just revealed the gender of her friend unconsciously. Too bad he couldn't play the same trick with names. Pawn shop though? There weren't many around here and he couldn't begin to guess where pawn shop keepers would get their hands on something like this.

"What's with all the questions? What  _if_  it was mine? What's wrong with that and why are you getting so close?!" She was blabbering, one question after another. He didn't care and only stepped forward until there was a mere column of space between them. However, she was adamant on standing her grounds. What was she trying to prove? It didn't matter. Her blush was getting deeper. Very deep.

"Ever heard of personal boundaries?!" What a pathetic save. _She was one to talk._

He bent down once more, if he needed to get his point across he needed to make sure she remembered his words. Even if it would cause him a few backaches. He took her lower jaw into his gloved hand and raised her head so she could face him. Properly.

"This is quite rich. Coming from someone who goes around molesting people. Hypocritical, if you ask me." He raised his brow, bringing her mind back to that night. She would surely remember what happened by now. And that was evidenced by the several degrees of red that had appeared. It was like she was an overripe tomato. Redder than Mito Uzumaki's hair. He never thought that such a thing was humanly possible.

"I didn't...I didn't molest you!" She countered weakly, trying to shake her head away from his grasp.

"I never said it was me."

...

"I was drunk!" Her voice took on that mousy tone. She was clearly embarrassed by her actions but would not come out and apologize for it. He honestly didn't expect her to. He had...enjoyed it. And if she remembered what happened, she probably remembered that as well.

"Hmm, were you also drunk when you jumped Tobirama as well?" He knew for sure she wasn't expecting that. Her eyes widened at his remark. Madara could feel her shallow and warm breaths on his lips. A testament as to how close they genuinely were. Her own were just as red as the rest of her face and quite puffy as if they were swollen. Perhaps as a result of too much blood flowing towards her upper body. His gaze fell a little too long on them. He did wonder for a second how it would feel to bite the fleshy muscles. Madara could easily smell that earth-like aroma that she so unceremoniously bathed in when she fell face first to the ground. Yes, he had seen her from afar. He concluded that she had tried to ambush the man, and for a brief moment he believed that she would, but the Senju's reflex was faster than she was. Was she trying to wrestle with him afterwards? He couldn't tell from that distance. He preferred not to think about it as he made his way to Hashirama back then.

"What? Are you stalking me now? Creep." She pursed her luscious lips and faked a pout. He knew it was fake. He saw her sulk way too many times to know when she meant it. But right now, her feelings of embarrassment far outweighed her desire to shoot back insults.

Madara had enough.

"Where were you three days ago?" There was no need to prolong this any further. She was supposed to be confused, but instead, she appeared to be angry and her rubescent face gave her the complete opposite impression she had a mere minute ago. Her crimson look made her seem to be boiling with rage and not shame.

"Where do you think?" She glared at him. What did he think? She wouldn't want to know. "Right where you fucking stranded me, rings a bell doesn't it?"

_Right where I fucking stranded her?_  He tried to comprehend that statement carefully.

"HOLY SHIT! You don' remember you twat?!" She gave him a light punch to his chest. He was barely affected, her knuckles however...she should know better than attempting to punch metal. "Ouch! You left me at the Senjus!" She pulled her head away with such force, Madara thought she might fall backwards.

_Oh right. Couldn't she have just said that?_  He knew he left her there, it wasn't like he forgot. It was just her wording. Awfully vulgar, in his opinion.

_"Oh really?"_ He narrowed his eyes. There had to be an explanation.

"YES REALLY!" Her eyes were wide with fury. Tobirama must have informed her of what he said. He did say that they could keep her...Madara just didn't think they would take it to heart.

"So why was  _your_  pendant hanging near a dozen scorched Uchiha corpses?"

...

_"What?"_

 

 

 


	26. Cut To The Bone.

**_Mina's POV_ **

" _I...I don't know?"_  I replied. He was awfully close. Too close for my own comfort. I could feel my heart rattle against my chest. Its beats were loud. Their echoes were deafening to my ears. I was afraid that if it went on any longer, my heart would burst open; explode into pieces right in front of him. _I wonder...could he hear it, too?_ I have never been this close to anyone. And much less to a man. Willingly. I finally managed to release his grip on me as I snapped my head away rather violently. The smell of his long, obsidian hair still lingered in my nose. For a mere fraction of a second, I thought he would...

No.

He was only teasing me. A payback for what I have done to him back at the wedding. Okay, so maybe I did deserve that, but still...That predatory look in his eyes was uncalled for. A part of me thought he would go in for a kiss. But no. He didn't. Although, he gave off the impression that he would rather rip my lips off. I was eternally grateful that he let me go. I knew I wouldn't have been able to release his hold on me if he didn't voluntarily loosen his grasp. I stumbled back a step, relieved that I was no longer in such close proximity to him. I was so focused on  _him_  I had completely forgotten that he was talking. I may have heard a word here and there but my mind would not let me comprehend them.

 _"Oh really now?"_ Madara's glare was unlike anything I have seen before. If looks could kill, I'm sure I would have been dead a long time ago.  _"Well, I guess you'll just have to pardon me if I don't believe a shit you say."_

He took a step forward and as a response, I took one back. The more persistent he became, the more I retreated, as if we were dancing the waltz. This was no time to play the heroics.

"I really don't know." I wasn't lying. I had no idea what he was talking about and I definitely didn't know what my- _this_  pendant was doing there, wherever he found it.  _Now that he mentioned it, how long was I missing my necklace?_  On one hand, I was not completely certain that this piece was mine. On the second hand, if it wasn't, then where was mine? Though Madara seemed dead sure that this did indeed belong to me for some reason. And he may be correct. I would have to agree with him, except for the stone in the middle. It was the wrong color, but what were the chances that there was another one like it here? In this world? I think it was fair to assume that there wasn't much chance. Which only made me wonder, how did he find it? And where? More importantly, when did I lose it?

I tried to think long and hard about it. I couldn't remember wearing it yesterday. Maybe it had fallen from me when I nearly plummeted to my death? Twice? _Was that where he found it?_  No, it couldn't be. If I thought about it, I couldn't even remember having it during the wedding. So, I could not have left it at the Senju. That was impossible, I would never carelessly forget it here. But then again, how did he get a hold of it? Maybe I wasn't as careful as I thought. The only seemingly logical explanation was that I had left it at their compound right from the beginning, when we journeyed to the Senju's for Hashirama's nuptials. Yes. That had to be it. The last time I recalled seeing it and feeling it with my own hands, was when I was trying on the different kimonos Sora had prepared. I took it off so the chains wouldn't hook into the fabric. If this was the case, I would think Sora would have found it and kept it until I returned.  _If I returned._  Memories of that night came back to me, one after the other. I was so deep in thought I had not realized that I was cornered. My back hit the wall, the necklace still in my hands and Madara right in my face. This time, I could smell more then his jet black mane, which was oddly scented, like that of freshly carved ebony wood, but that could have been the room itself. I could actually smell his breath, count the number of breaths he was taking just by the movement of his chest. I could see that tiny scar running up the left side of his thick neck. One couldn't possibly be aware of it with all that spiky hair running wild.

In fact, I noticed a lot of things I had never seen before. Like that incredibly vague dent to his pointed nose that was most likely a result from being broken. By a hefty punch, no doubt. Or those dark lashes of his. There were a lot of things you could take notice about a person when you're forced to look them straight in the eyes.

 _"So?"_  He narrowed his eyes. Something was suspicious about him. Why hadn't he activated his sharingan? He usually did it when he was quite angry. Unconsciously? I didn't know. I brought up my hands, as if in surrender, and placed them on his armored torso and tried to pry him off gently but he wouldn't budge. The sound of metal chains clanking against metal reverberated across the room. I had not listened to what he was saying yet again. How was I supposed to answer him?

"I...was just trying to remember the last time I saw it." I only hoped that he had believed me. From the looks of it, he did not.

 _"Care to also remember how a dozen of my people were burned to a crisp, hmm?"_ How a dozen of his people were burned to a crisp? What was he talking about? And how would I know anything? Why did everyone expect answers from me?

"I don't know what I have to do to make you believe me but I swear I have no idea what you're talking about!" He said nothing as he continued to glare at me. His eyes were like fire. I felt like I was being branded with hot, scorching metal. "Madara..I" I believe that was the first time I had oh so casually called him by his name. Right to his face. It felt so weird and unnatural. My tongue was in a bind. It just didn't feel right.

"I...the last time I saw it was when we left for the wedding. I could only assume that I had left it back in my room." I tried to appease to his common sense. No, scratch that. I tried to appeal to whatever sense of mercy he had.

He leaned in and hissed, " _Assuming won't cut it."_ I didn't think he could possibly get any closer. I couldn't breathe. There was no room for air to enter my nostrils. It was like everything suddenly got narrower. I could see nothing but him. Everywhere. Even in my peripheral vision. Boundaries did not exist in this world.

"I swear! Ask Sora! She must have found it and kept it! In fact, I'm sure of it. Yes. Yes that's it! She was the only one who saw me take it off and leave it and-" A strong hand covered my mouth, effectively shutting me up. I sighed. I could finally take in a gulp of air. I was so nervous I was practically eating the words all the while holding my breaths.

 _"That's enough now."_ His glare did not seem as harsh as it was a few moments ago. That didn't mean he was all lovey-dovey. No. But he was slowly putting space between us. I had never felt so relieved. Although he still placed his hand over my trap until he was reassured I had calmed down.

"Are you certain of this?" He asked. "What reason do I have to believe you?" He was skeptical, that was all. But he raised a very good point.

"You don't. " I replied honestly. "But for one, I have no idea what you're talking about. And secondly, how could I have left it wherever you think I did when I have been here for the past three days?" I spoke softly so I wouldn't accidentally hit a nerve. Not agitating him was my best option. My only option.

"You could have simply placed it right before coming here." He countered.  _Hmm...good thinking_. But I didn't. "For all I know, you're pinning it on someone else. Pointing fingers will get you nowhere."

"But I really have no idea what you're talking about!" I was practically whining now. What was it with these people? Did they always assume someone was guilty until proven innocent? "Yeah? How do I know you're not trying to play me? _At the moment I just happen to realize that I was missing my necklace, you appear out of the blue with it in your hands?_  How am I supposed to believe that was a coincidence?" I would love to hear his counter argument this time. I mean, two could play this game and I was hellbent on beating him at it.

He stood there, motionless and quiet. The movement of his irises were the only signs that he was still conscious. I couldn't read his mind and maybe that was a good thing. However, I just couldn't help but wonder what on earth was he thinking right now. Did he believe me? Or was I already dead meat in his eyes? I could feel all the blood drain from my face.

_"If I find out that you lied..."_

What? You'll tear me in half? Decapitate me? Cook me raw? What? Perhaps he had worse things in mind, things I would rather not imagine. His threat was all too real. He turned to leave. As he reached the other side and opened the door, I called out to him.

"Wait!" I stretched my hand out uselessly, as if I could reach him from where I was. The door suddenly slammed shut. Right into the other guy's face. But Madara wasn't even holding the knob. A gush of wind had erupted and blew the door back into place. Along with a few strands of his hair. There was no window in the room, so...

_Oh Oh. Not this again!_

He looked back at me. I'm quite certain he must have put two and two together.  _"Yes?"_ He answered all the while scrutinizing me. I could see he was only becoming more suspicious.

"What...happened?" I asked, my voice shaking. He was nearing towards me once again. The clanking of his weapons against his metal armor was getting louder. I did want to know what happened. Something about dead bodies. It had to be serious if it got him to come all the way out here just to interrogate me about the pendant. More information would be useful. You know, as long as he kept his distance.

"Funny. You just ask that now." Two feet away.

"Please stop." I asked him gently but he didn't listen and just continued on. "I said stop." I repeated, just in case he didn't get it the first time.  _How could I stop him? Come on! Think!_

It wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

I clenched my hand into a fist and extended my arm, as if about to punch him. Miserably. But making a fool out of myself wasn't my intended target. He was. And I was right. It worked. For the next thing I knew, a sharp gust of air sent him flying a few feet back and right through the door, unhinging it and knocking down his ninja who was waiting for him on the other side. They both fell onto the ground of the street with a loud thud, Madara had toppled his shinobi. But as fast as he tumbled down, he was quick to get up on his feet. His Uchiha clansman, not so much. Seeing that he was overturned by 200 pounds of muscles.

A great hole now stood in lieu of a door. Wooden planks were broken into pieces and flung everywhere. Residents rushed over to the site of the commotion. I did not mean to cause this. I had only wanted him to back up a little.  _Great. The things he could do to me now._  I gulped at the sight of both Uchiha in front of me. This would have been an excellent time to make a run for it...but they were blocking my way and I wasn't so sure they would so casually let me walk away. I didn't want to cause anymore of a scene.

I could see Madara seething with rage. I may have not been able to hear him above all the chattering outside but I saw him mouth something along the lines of

_"Why you..."_

I took a few steps back.  _What have I done?_

* * *

 _"Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!"_  So, that may have been a lie. In part. I did mean for him to keep away, I just didn't mean to have him thrown through a wall. Or the door. Whichever it was.

 _"Eeeeppp!"_  I thought I felt my heart would take a fall as Madara suddenly took a leap downwards. He was carrying me over his shoulders, the way you'd carry a useless sac of potatoes. I couldn't see his face, but I could very well imagine how angry he must look. After the not-so-little incident, Madara was understandably furious. Quite furious. I had begged him to leave me alone. To leave me where I was, At the settlement. The last thing I wanted was to go back with him. Like that. Though, he did not care of what I thought. That was how I ended up, belly-down, on his shoulders, in the middle of a forest. There wasn't much I could do about it back then and still couldn't. If I tried anything, both of us would only end up getting hurt. His ninja, who's name was Eiji as I have come to know, was right on our tail. Following Madara. I had the pleasure of facing his rather ominous expression for the past two hours.

Madara was moving way too fast. I was close to vomiting to my heart's content; however, I did not feel it appropriate enough to anger him further. Instead, I had to suck it up. Word for word. Letter for letter. I was not joking.

 _"I SWEAR! JUST LET ME GO!"_ I squirmed and wriggled and did everything I could to shake him off, knowing fully well I could probably fall seventeen feet to the ground. All the while, that guy couldn't stop giving me the stink eye, could he? His scarred face was really creepy and honestly made me feel uncomfortable. At least Madara's face was somewhat pleasant to look at, you know, if you could manage to ignore the constant glares and the very real intent to kill. Otherwise, Madara was far from short on looks. I snapped my gaze away from the second shinobi and tried to to take a back peek at the man holding me. "Urghhh!" I tossed and turned, flailing my arms as well as my feet. I was an excellent example of a child throwing a tantrum.

 _"Keep. Still."_ I barely heard him over the loud howling of the wind wind. Naturally, I didn't listen to him. Just as he didn't listen to me when I politely asked him to stay away. "NEVER!" I shouted back at him. As I was trying to shift my position so the metal plate armoring his shoulder doesn't pierce my stomach, I nearly succeeded in falling off. Nearly. A rough hand grabbed my lower thighs in an attempt to prevent me from sliding off. His hand glided upwards a few inches and rested, hooking into the fabric that covered my behind. This kimono was really not suitable for this kind of situation.

 _"Get your hands off my ass, jerk!"_ I was pretty sure that if he did, I would fall straight on my head. Well, it was either that or let his hands linger on me any longer. He didn't answer and only ran faster. His other arm wrapped around my waist, holding me down in place as his grip tightened while his other remained placed over my left buttocks. His hair was blowing with the wind, just like mine. But the length of his mane was the problem. It was almost as tall as my upper body. Its untrimmed edges were poking my eyes and I could taste some of the strands in my mouth. He didn't make a gesture to remove his inappropriately anchored hand, so I thought perhaps I could encourage him. While I had barely any freedom to move, I managed to jerk my behind, fluttering it non-stop in his face. It worked. Almost. It got him to lose his balance just slightly. Enough for him to slow down his pace a notch and loosen his grip.

"You like that? There's more where that came from, dic-"

_"Get your damn arse away from my face!"_

"Get your hands off my arse!" And yet he didn't. The ultimatum was pretty clear, I'd stop trying to traumatize him only if he unhanded me. At this point, I could only assume he liked being traumatized.  _Very well then._

_I'm game._

I reached down to the areas where his armor was not covering his lower half and found my way to the pair of buttocks underneath the metal.  _There it is._ Using both my relatively small hands, I cupped both cheeks and squeezed the firm and toned flesh as hard as I could.  _"Damn boy. NICE ASS! WHERE DID YOU GET IT?"_  I retorted. I took a page out from Mary's book. Surprisingly, it was a much more effective method as he suddenly came to a halt. His sudden arrest practically thwarted me over his shoulder. Before I could even realize that I was about to headbutt the ground, a figure appeared and took hold of me. He landed soundlessly on the floor, with me in his arms. It was Eiji. He dropped me down and as I touched the ground ever so lightly, I looked up and saw Madara giving me his trademark deadly look. Like If I had just violated him. He  _did_  accuse me of molesting him, right? _Might as well live up to the accusation._ Besides, he started it. Yes, I'm that petty. If he wanted to point fingers, then I will be the first in line.

It was night. I didn't know if Madara planned to stop to rest or was willing to head on. I did not care. All I wanted was to return to the settlement. Actually, I was willing to go just about anywhere that did not include Madara's presence nor that of his henchman's. Speaking of which, the man looked both equally horrified and astounded at the sight of his leader, the almighty Uchiha Madara, being groped by a 'puny' woman. _Almighty my ass._  I turned on my heels and began walking into the other direction to where we were heading. I crossed my arms and held my head up high. There was nothing to feel ashamed about. At all. Nothing.

...

 _Now that I think about it, maybe I shouldn't have stooped down to his level._  Oh well. Thin fingers curled around my forearm and pulled me back.

"What? Want me to fondle you too?" I shot back, annoyed at the situation at hand. I didn't want this. Why did the world insist in putting me into these embarrassing spots?

"Where do you think you're going?" The older man asked apathetically.

"Back to where I came from." I replied, mimicking his tone.

 _"...Is from the other direction."_  Madara intervened. I wanted to point out how wrong he was but decided on a later time. A time when he did not feel this compulsive order, this uncontrollable want to kill me. He was on ground level now. And closing in on the conversation.

"Go scour the area. Report anything you find." He ordered the shinobi. It was odd seeing him give orders to someone who appeared to be twice his age. Eiji bowed down and followed the command that was assigned to him. I realized something. All of a sudden, being stuck with Madara in the middle of a forest in the dead of night did not appear to be a safe nor a pleasant idea. Far from it actually. The guy raised more than a few red flags before. Red flags usually indicated an alarm of some sort. And this was not the first time I found myself in a situation like this. Izuna, may God rest his soul even if he wasn't dead, bamboozled me into something similar. Although, the last time when I found myself in Madara's room interrupting him when he was doing God knows what...Well, I would like to think I got off scot-free. Unscathed.

But something tells me that this time might just be a bit different. It was because of times like these that made me think life truly had it in for me.

"I'd think you would hate being molested, but if you're coming back for more..." While this may not have been the best time to goad him, I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth. I even made a gesture to try and grab his-

"Keep your hands to yourself."  _Was that a warning?_  It sure didn't sound like it. There was a hint of annoyance in his voice but not the deadly kind.

"If you keep yours to yourself." I countered.  _Don't panic. Don't panic. This will pass. Just suck it up._ I kept myself as calm as I could. I couldn't show him how scared shitless I was. Like how you shouldn't let dogs smell your fear. Or whatever they used to say. I couldn't remember line for line, but I knew the concept was the same. Somewhat.

"I could do what I want." He said, sounding almost as smug as Izuna did. At some points in their lives, I had no doubt that both brothers acted uncannily similar that it could be hard for anyone to differentiate between them. He may have looked like Madara but I saw more of Izuna's complacent personality shine through.

"Well then so could I." If he wanted to go on forever, I had no problem. I'll just negate everything he says. And deny every accusations he throws at me.

"Hmm, not so much." He was definitely closer than he had been before. I couldn't see him step forward. His footsteps were light as feathers and the lack of light didn't help either. The only source was that of the countless stars up in the sky and the half moon. But even their light were overshadowed by clouds and the few trees that still held onto their leaves. Winter was definitely around the corner.  _I wonder what month it is back home?_

I was growing weary and tired.

"What do  _you_  want from me?" I asked. I had always wanted to ask him that question the moment I realized I was stranded in this world. I was never able to arrive at a logical or conclusive answer despite living at his house for weeks on end. Or was it months? It didn't matter, time here didn't seem to pass by normally. Why did he take me from the forest? Why would he let me live in his home? With his people? For free? Without demanding anything in return? What was he up to? No one, in this world or the next, does anything for free, without any strings attached. It took him a while to answer. But when he did, it was as much unexpected as it was dark and foreboding. Just like his beautifully deep voice.

_"Everything."_

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

Izuna was about to lose his mind.

For once, and perhaps the only time in his short life, he was feeling this...this disquietude inside him. This uneasiness. This vague feeling of suspicion. Izuna Uchiha was beginning to have doubts about someone living within these walls. One of their own. His gut was telling him there was something wrong and it had to do with someone close. How he arrived at that conclusion, he wasn't entirely sure. Moreover, his guts were the last thing he trusted. Unlike Madara, he intuition was not nearly as sharp as his elder brother. Which was why everyone took everything he said with a grain of salt. While, ultimately, he did often arrive at the correct answer, it was usually too late. And yet, something about this whole mess had him wide awake and alert at all times of the day. In his mind, there were already a list of suspects and he had been carefully crossing out the names he concluded were of no threat. He had been silently testing them without being too overtly obvious. It was no secret that some of the Uchiha, both shinobi and non alike, were discontent with the treaty. But they were only a small fraction. They should have been dealt with from the beginning and he had tried to inform Madara of that, however, his brother had been too busy lately with everything going on. On one hand, the elders were still hassling him over trivial issues such as marriage and heirs, while on the other, there was the construction of the settlement. And now, the murder of at least a dozen of their ninjas.

Those against the treaty, including some of the elders, had the clearest motive. What better way to vent their dissatisfaction than to eliminate the ones who were responsible for the mere introduction of the thought of a treaty? Their defection was enough proof to sentence them to their death. Or so they thought. There were a lot who were against the thought of treachery and treason more than they were against the thought of peace. Although, Izuna failed to see how any of them could murder some of their own flesh and blood, in a fashion as such Madara and his shinobi described.

_No, that couldn't be it._

Something was wrong. He wasn't thinking straight and there were definitely flaws in his conjectures. He was sitting in the garden of his own home, trying to sort out the information that were flooding his mind. They didn't know much about the murder itself. No known location, no known method of the killing, no known explicit motives and no known time of death. _And now, no bodies._

They've gathered nothing new from analyzing the charred limb nor the other two spared corpses. Izuna was just as surprised as anyone else about the burned patterns found. He could think of no fire-style jutsu, or even lightening, that could cause something so...peculiar on the victim's body. Now that the other bodies were nowhere to be found, according to his elder brother, there was no way to test for other strange occurrences. It was as if the perpetrators had left them out there long enough for them to discover the cadavers and then waited for them to leave just to take them back.  _For what reason though?_ And now that eye they had found. It undoubtedly belonged to one of the bodies. They couldn't tell whose it was but it made him think of two possible scenarios.

One; that the group had originally been killed near Imaicho. And the eye could have merely slipped in between all the mayhem. Or two; it could have been placed there purposely to confuse them and throw them off course. But why would they go through all that trouble to arrange the bodies, then excavate them all the while leaving pieces of them everywhere? It didn't make sense to him. None of this did and he wasn't sure it was meant to be.

"Izuna-sama." The maid called out to him. She bowed down to him before placing the tray before him. He had ordered tea to try and calm himself. Collect his thoughts and contrive a plan  _based on those thoughts_. He only ended up confusing himself.  _It was a dull and dreary day indeed._  His brother had left for the settlement and Izuna was desperate to go with him. Because, just as it so happens, they've got another mysterious clue handed to them.  _Mina's pendant._  He couldn't understand what his brother was doing with it. For a split second, he thought she had returned or that Madara had retrieved her. Otherwise, how could he have had the necklace? The woman was practically inseparable to the piece. So, it was a shock to him that it was in his brother's hands. What had been more shocking was where Madara had found it. Even if Madara had found it where he said he did, Izuna simply couldn't accept that fact. To him, he had a hard time imagining the tiny, seemingly helpless woman and most importantly,  _without chakra_ , be implicated in something such as that. _It was impossible. Someone must have taken it and placed it there in order to frame her._

That was his logic. Perhaps, a great leap from what Madara was probably thinking, but Izuna always had another perspective.

He was carefully turning the cup of tea in his hands, in an effort to cool it. It was a cold day and cloudy, too. If he had just left the cup for five minutes, it would have cooled down by itself.  _Hmmm._ He heard a cracking sound. Something had fractured. He thought the maid had dropped a plate or something. When he looked closer, a small crack had appeared on the side of the cup.

_Wasn't this interesting._

Then a thought crossed his mind. Izuna decided this might be the perfect time to test his theory.

"Oi, woman." He called the maid back over.  _Sora, was it? Yes, it was certainly her._ She could very well know everything about Mina, seeing that she was the only person she hung out with.

"Yes, Izuna-sama?" She walked back to her second-in-command. Now, how does he go about entrapping her? He needed to think this thoroughly, just in case.

"You haven't lost the pendant, have you?" He tested her and awaited her response rather anxiously. Her expression remained solemn and aloof. Her demeanor; there was no obvious change. And yet, Izuna noticed the faintest of twitches in her right leg. It wasn't noticeable to the naked eye considering her long and loose-fitting kimono, but Izuna was no ordinary man. He could catch on easily to these imperceptible clues.

"Pardon me, Uchiha-sama?" Her voice was soft and even, with a hint of confusion. A nice touch on her part.

"Back at the wedding, she told me that she had forgotten her pendant here and said you would probably find it. Keep it safe. So, is it with you?" He made up a lie. It wasn't too bad but it would do the trick. It was a simple question. She could either tell the truth and say she doesn't have it and in that case, his suspicions of her might subside for the time being. Or, she could lie and say that she kept the necklace. And that would be that. She took a second too long to answer a very unambiguous question.

"Yes, I did find it."

"And?" That wasn't what he was looking for,  _why was she beating around the bush?_

 _"_ Uhm, yes, I believe it's inside. Somewhere."

...

_Oh._

"Okay. You may leave now." Sora bowed down before leaving and returning to her duties.

_Well well, who do we have here?_

He was staring intently at her back as she walked away wondering what on earth was she hiding.

* * *

"Jiro. I need you to do something for me." Izuna asked the young shinobi. He couldn't have been more than nineteen or twenty. Three or four years younger than Izuna himself.

"Yes, Izuna-sama." He was put on watch duty for the supplies storage. No doubt he found it boring and tedious. Jiro was eager to show off his abilities, he wanted to make himself useful to his clan. Instead, he was placed at the homefont. So, it was a relief for him to have The Izuna Uchiha, ask something of him.

"I need you to collect information on one of the maids here." This might have been a strange request considering all of the maids were Uchiha-borne. Everyone knows everything about each other. It was a close-knit community. _All but one._ "The name's Uchiha Sora. Mother was an Uchiha, father; unknown lineage. I need you to find out what clan or affiliations he belonged to."

A seemingly simple task for a seemingly capable individual. Though, it wasn't as simple as it appeared. Where would he even begin to ask around? It sure wouldn't be between the Uchiha themselves. No records were kept on civilians. And as far as Izuna knew, her mother was a civilian. What bothered him was her heritage from her father's side.  _Did she even awaken the sharingan?_  There was a good chance that she did but did not publicly reveal it. Jiro appeared to be confused at first but then began formulating a plan on how he could start a line of questioning based on...well, nothing.

He needn't think any longer. A large explosion could be hard all the way from the other side of the complex. To the western direction. Where the old district laid.  _And the back entrance._ A great fire ravaged through the old homes. One explosion ensued after the other, lighting up half of the compound.

 _"SHIT."_ Izuna exclaimed. "Let's go!" He motioned for the young shinobi to follow him.

_A surprise attack. Orchestrated. Staged._

It had to be, it was night and the area around here was difficult to navigate through thanks to the rough landscapes of uneven terrains and mountainous regions. But the biggest reason was the most obvious one. The clan leader was absent. This only reinforced the idea in Izuna's head. Someone on the inside definitely let their mouth slip a bit too much. For all he knew, these attackers purposely lured Madara out in order to gain an advantage over the region and the site itself. Again, certainly under the guidance from someone on their side. Rage bubbled through Izuna. Every single cell, every single fiber of his being was on fire. Burning with an intensity he could only remember having when he was about to battle a Senju Tobirama. They were leaping from house to house with extreme diligence so they wouldn't puncture the roofs with their heavy chakra.

"I need you to inform everyone, and I mean civilians, to get out and seek shelter at the Naka shrine. There's a secret layer underneath. Hurry! And inform every shinobi to move forward." He barked out orders, he was in a haste to reach the site of the incursion.

"Bu-"

"NOW!" Jiro then did a 180 degree turn and jumped to the ground level. The streets were already crowded with wailing children. Young mothers and the elderly were rushing through in order to reach the underground hide-out. The intruders would pay for this dearly. Izuna would make sure the streets flooded with their blood. In no time at all, the whole encampment lit up like a bonfire gone wild, unable to tame it. This was a draw-back to having built wooden infrastructures. The Uchiha were natural born fire-style users and their usage of fire techniques at the moment were causing more damage to the small village than it was to the perpetrators.

_Dammit!_

They had to be more careful. This infiltration could cost them a great deal if they didn't play cautious. Echoes of loud cries filled the village. Everything was in chaos. As Izuna finally reached the point of impact he saw countless numbers of the assailants already gushing through the walls of the compound. They did not seem coordinated but rather every one of them appeared to use their own tactics. No team-work, nothing.

A screaming opponent came dashing at him but Izuna had already saw him coming. Sharingan activated, he was able to put the man down in a mere second. But soon enough, more of them followed. One after the other. However, the enemy were still outmatched by the Uchiha. Despite being at a tactical disadvantage of not using their fire styles, each of his shinobi still had a trick up their sleeves.

There was only one objective on Izuna's mind. And that was too have as few casualties as possible on their side. Preferably, no casualties at all. That seemed unlikely. However you wanted to see this, there was one way to deal with this. Like how you would treat an infection; prevent it from spreading any further into the village by inhibiting it at its source. This was the source.

"YES! YOU. LOOK AT ME WHILE WE FIGHT!" His new opponent was shouting at him. It was as if he was desperately trying to catch his attention. There was something off about him. The way he was dressed, just like his fellow attackers, was strange. He did not recognize any symbols they might have been wearing that could associate them to any known clan. Two red dots were painted above their somewhat nonexistent eyebrows, which were cut short. The same paint was used to underline their eyes, like eye-liner. Their hair was visibly split into two, right from their scalp. Large locks of brown hair were wrapped in bandages and framed either sides of their faces. All of them were carbon copies of each other, like they belonged to a cult.

It took Izuna five seconds to analyze his surroundings. That was all he needed to see that the enemy were advancing. The concrete walls were nothing more than rubble now. Boulders rolled over. Smoke from the burning houses were blown into their direction. They appeared to be wielding hand-held weapons of alternate sizes and did not seem to be using any kind of chakra transformations. None of them. For each one, there were three Uchiha shinobi surrounding each.  _Three to one. Not bad odds._  They may have had the advantage of numbers but that didn't look to have much affect as the enemy seemed to be holding themselves together quite well.

"LOOK AT ME UCHIHA!" Izuna returned his focus to the bumbling fool in front of him. He was nothing but a middle aged man swinging a sword. He didn't even need his sharingan to predict his next moves. The man was swaying the katana rather violently attempting to hit one of Izuna's vital organs. Both their blades came into contact as everything around them was burning to the ground. He couldn't prolong this any longer. Sparks flew in all directions as their swords collided once more, metal grinding against metal, creating thunderous clangs.

The man might have been old, but he easily matched Izuna's strength. They were locked in a fixed hold off. A swing to the left and he would dodge to the right. Another swing from the left, this time he repelled it.

_"Yes. YES! GIVE ME YOUR BLOOD UCHIHA! HA-AH-HA!"_

_What the fuck?_ What in the world was wrong with this man? As their swords connected and as they butted heads, Izuna saw the man from up close. His eyes were bloodshot. His smile; borderline maniacal. Psychopathic even. As if he enjoyed spilling blood. His laugh was even more disturbing than his smile. It was loud and more of a cackle than anything else; harsh and uproarious. But it didn't lack a hint of lunacy. Folly. Madness. You could call it whatever you wanted, this man was not normal. Not even Madara nor himself acted this way when battling an opponent. They never got this...turned on. Sweat beads were beginning to form on his Izuna's forehead. In less than a fraction of a second, he kicked the man back a few feet and slung his katana to his left hand. His movements were too fast for the man's eyes to follow up with the sequences. But as Izuna was ready to deliver the final blow to the right side of his abdomen, particularly to his liver where it would cause the most blood loss, something beat him to it. Something white pierced through the man's core. Something hideous. Its edge was drenched with the man's dark blood.  _Black._ His blood was so tenebrous, it couldn't have possibly been anything other than black.

_What?_

Izuna took a step backwards, his eyes still analyzing the field. Not one thing escaped his vision.

But right now, he needed to concentrate on that... _thing_  in front of him. The man dropped dead, face first to the ground, revealing a taller, more sinister figure. Judging from his attire, same red dots, same red paint, same white garbs now tainted with blood. But most of all, that unhinged smile was more than identical. What Izuna couldn't understand was how they could kill one of their own.  _Were they not on the same team? Was this a competition between them?_  No one does this. No one.

 _"Good. Now here's a challenge."_ His voice was shrill and high-pitched. It suited his demonic demeanor. Izuna narrowed his eyes, trying to assess this man. Unlike the rest of his so-called clansmen, he was different. His bones protruded out of his body in all directions. It looked painful. Though the man didn't show it. In fact, his laugh indicated quite the opposite reaction Izuna was expecting.  _So, that was what pierced him?_  Izuna's clutch on his lowered sword tightened. He noticed the large bone jutting out of the center of his palm. Its ending was as sharp as his blade.  _No, it was sharper. And denser._  To have sliced through that much flesh so easily...The veins in his temples were obtruding. The Uchiha's second-in-command took his stance. This man was not going to be as easy the last ones. That was for sure.

Those were not normal bones. Not for humans, anyways. The same protrusions were found on the finger tips of his other hand. He had to be careful of those. Very careful. Suddenly, the man retracted the bone-like structures back into him as he cracked his fingers, one by one. The sight of this scene would forever be etched into Izuna's mind for the rest of his life.

 _"Let's get this started, shall we?! HA!"_ He cracked his knuckles before bringing his right arm to the base of his nape. Izuna's sharingan was recording everything by the millisecond. Both his guard and agility were up. The man began to pull something out of him. Something long.  _Wait...was that..._

His vertebral column. His backbone. Literally.

However, this was not a normal one.  _Was anything about these people normal? Or human for that matter?_ He kept on withdrawing his vertebrates. Long was an insufficient word to describe it. It was more of a weapon than it was something to structurally support his body.  _This...is not good. Not good at all._

 _"Uhhh. Oh."_  The man breathed. No. No. Was he moaning?  _"Now that it's out..."_ The aberrant creature then launched itself forward with all its force.

"Very well." Izuna said calmly. That was the only thing he would ever say to him that fateful night. Izuna then came at it with his own strength.

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

We were in a staring contest. Me and him. Him and I. Him being the man Eiji. Not Madara. No, thank God. He stepped out for a walk some time ago. Leaving me and his shinobi alone in this clearing. He was almost as old as my father but this guy was just plain creepy. And quite familiar too. I know I have seen that face somewhere.  _Now where could that be?_

We were both seated on the ground, opposite to each other. At each end. I hugged my knees closer to my body. It was a cold night and I had not 'packed anything suitable.' Unfortunately, I was not given the luxury of doing so when Madara oh-so gently decided to snatch me.  _Well, beggars can't be choosers, right?_ The kimono itself was not thick enough. And with this guy being a gentleman, he generously offered me the gift of staying far away from me as possible. Maybe it was for the best.

The more I looked at him, the more I became convinced that I was looking at a mirror. We wore our hair the same way; let down with the bangs tied back into a ponytail. Except his hair was longer, straighter and mostly darker, except for the white strands poking out here and there. Like salt and pepper. The only indication of his age. His face was more angular with a tapered chin, the scar running down the length of his visage. His eyes were naturally black. His figure; tall and lanky.  _Taller than Madara_ , I had surmised.

He also had a growing goatee, mostly white, in contrast with his hair. It wasn't big but it was definitely showing. It kind of reminded me of Takayama's beard, but this was pale in comparison to the old man's facials.  _Hmm...Takayama, huh?_ That actually made sense for some reason. I just didn't know the elder had a son.

I shifted. The ground was even colder. And bumpy, making it uncomfortable. I had no idea when Madara would return, if ever. I tried not to think about what he wanted from me. As much as I would love to forget that the last few months of my life have happened at all, I saw no way of getting out of it. Everything was a considerably vague answer at first but then I came to understand that the word wasn't to be taken lightly. Everything did mean  _everything._  No exceptions. I shook my head lightly, this was not the place or time to be thinking about such things. All I wanted was to return back to the settlement. To Tobirama. At least he didn't make me feel like shit. Actually, I take that back. He took the risk of killing me by throwing me off a tree just to prove his point. But still...He wasn't staring daggers at me all the time.

I really needed to go to the bathroom. And soon.

_Wonderful._

I stood up, he didn't. He shot me a glare to sit down to which I happily ignored. I headed for the bushy areas inside the forest. I guess he realized I wasn't joking around and that must have prompted him to stand up and talk.

"Sit back down." He ordered me. I stopped walking and turned to face him.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, one needs to powder her nose." I said, humorless. Nothing about this situation was funny. However, he seemed to be confused at what I was referring to.

"I need to go to the washroom." I enlightened him. He narrowed his eyes and showed more incredulity than he did with my last statement.

"There are no washrooms here."  _No shit. Okay, maybe I really wasn't being clear enough._ I took a breath and then two and then three. Waited a minute or two and gathered myself.

"I need to pee." I didn't see how more simpler I could put it. It appeared to have gotten through his brain. Finally. And now, he appeared to be thinking that statement over and over. Probably deciding on whether to let me go or not. While he stood here pondering, I could have already went and finished my business.  _No, please, take all the time in the world, it's not like I got anything better to do. Not at all._

I gestured for him to come along into the dark forest. "Hey, you're welcome to join if you like. Though, I can't guarantee you won't get hit." I retorted sarcastically. My offer wasn't genuine.  _God, no!_ I'm sure he understood this one. He had to. Unless he wanted to become a victim of my overactive imagination. It wouldn't have to be mere imagination anymore. I could make it reality if he so desired. But it wouldn't have been a pretty sight. It took him two seconds to answer.

"Fine. No more than five minutes." He said.

"Thank you." I replied and headed deeper into the woods. It wasn't like I wanted to be here. I would have preferred to stay out there instead of having to relieve myself in this shady area. It was dark and frightening but I couldn't lose it right now. No, just two minutes to get this over with. One hundred and twenty seconds. Not a fraction longer.

Once I felt I was far enough so he couldn't see or hear me, I bent down near a tree. I closed my eyes and took a deep inhalation. Ninety seconds left. I began to untie my kimono slightly and raised its hem off the ground.  _Before_  I could even _think_  about urinating, I saw a dark figure appear before my eyes. Not just dark, no. Pitch-black. And this wasn't because of the lack of light. His eyes were yellow and glittering with hostility. Golden, just like that cat's. No pupils whatsoever. Whatever feelings I had of wanting to urinate were long gone. I could feel my heart beats becoming irregular; faster.

 _"Well well, it has been a while."_ His voice rumbled with brutality and maliciousness. It was sharp and rung loudly in my ears. Those words...they rolled off his tongue like bitter acid.  _Did he even have a tongue?_

Long talons went straight for my head. Thankfully, a part of my brain was still working and managed to send signals for my body to move. I barely dodged him sideways and crawled away. Tried to. I wasn't even given a chance to stand up.

 _"I would appreciate it if you didn't make this harder for me than it already is, Ms. Mina."_ The creature hissed.

I was internally screaming as I felt long, callused fingers had grabbed my ankle and dragged me back. All I had to do was get to Eiji. Now. Cold sweat streamed down my pale face as I dared to look back at the nightmare that was hauling me by my feet. As I began to formulate a thought, his other freakishly long hand went straight for my throat.

_"Shhh.."_

I began to feel the faintest hints of darkness overwhelming me before I was completely submerged in it. His wicked smile was the last thing to torture my mind before everything went blank.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

"Where is she?" He asked Eiji. Something was wrong. He felt it in the depth of his bones. Something was not right. Whether it had to do with his home or the woman, he wasn't sure. Perhaps both.

"She went to relieve herself." His shinobi answered plainly. Madara was gone for nearly a half hour, he had been patrolling the area, looking for any suspicious activities. However, nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary. Everything had appeared to be calm.  _Too calm if you ask me._  And that in itself was unsettling. Which was why he wanted to leave straight away, avoid taking any other breaks in order to reach his base quickly. But the woman wouldn't have it.

"How long?"

"Ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" That was awfully long, even for her. He had made it strict orders for her not to move a single inch or he would seek her out and drag her back by her hair. Which made him wonder...

"It would have seemed more than inappropriate had I accompanied her." The older of the pair answered frankly. And he made a good point. But...

 _"Wouldn't you say ten minutes is overdoing it?"_ Both of them understood very well that sometimes, women just needed to take care of their business. However long that took. Yet, Eiji himself was growing suspicious. He commanded her to be back within five minutes. More than once, he thought about checking over her, but his doubts overtook him. If she was till... 'powdering her nose', then that was no time to interrupt her.

Both Uchiha gave each other the same look. Dubiety.

"Show me where she went." Madara instructed. No further than that sentence were both of them already on their way into the thick woods. They were certain that something did happen. Something horrible. And if it didn't and they both happened to barge in on her, well then... _she would have to get over it._

But Madara's guts were telling him otherwise. Unfortunately, he was leaning towards the former possibility.

They came to a stop. It was a small and dense area. Dead leaves cluttered the muddy ground. It was a good thing it had rained because he could see footprints imprinted into the floor.  _Only one set of footprints. So she was here._

Madara looked around him. There was no smell of urine.  _Did she even...?_

 _"_ Look." Eiji caught his attention. His wary gaze followed Eiji's. To a tree bark. There were scratch marks and broken nails inserted deep into the wood. Specks of the liquid dappled the ground in random patterns until eventually vanishing. No more traces were found beyond five feet.

_Blood._

Something in Madara's mind snapped right then.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OUUF. I wonder what's going to happen? Lol  
> Anyways, thank you guys for reading this.  
> Reviews and constructive criticism are welcomed. :)
> 
> Have a good day/night!


	27. Spock

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why, but I was feeling a bit discouraged and unmotivated lately. Actually, I was very unenthusiastic and fed up. And I still am. Plus, writer's block isn't really helping.
> 
> Anyways, sorry for the delay, here's a new chapter.

 

_**Madara's POV** _

_Where is she?_

It was times like these when chakra would have been the most helpful. But seeing that she didn't possess any, it was quite impossible to track her down. However, there were still other ways.

Eiji was already going through the hand signs required for a summoning. It was a Ninken. A large one.

"Here." The man brought forth a piece of cloth. Presumably Mina's.  _When did he have the time to-? And how?_  Madara watched as he placed the ripped fabric under the hound's muzzle. The dog took in the scent of the broad material. He was growing rather impatient, although knowing fully well that this was the fastest rate at which the dog was going.

The grey-furred animal barked loudly right before launching into the eastern direction of the dark forest. Madara and his shinobi were already on its tail. Leaping from one tree to another for what seemed like an eternity. Eternity wouldn't pass by fast enough for him. And his mind wasn't far behind either, it was taking great leaps just as he was.

_"To the left."_

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

_Where am I?_

My head was pounding. Hard. This was worse than a migraine. I felt incredibly dizzy and I could barely open my eyes. And yet, I could feel my hands tied behind my back. And my ankles as well. I was sitting, no, I was forced down to the ground. My back ached; leaning on the rough wooden patches behind me. My nails were burning badly and I didn't know why. As if someone had ripped them off my fingers, one by one. I could feel dried blood at the center of my palms.

A minute went by, then two, then three and eventually I dared to open my eyes. Even in the slightest. I couldn't make out anything at first but then two shadowy figures a few feet away began speaking.

_"Well, I have done what you have asked of me. My reward, if you will?"_ Said a shallow voice.

_"Not until I'm sure she's the one. And that he's far away from the attack."_ The second person had responded.

" _I do not make such petty mistakes. She is the one you asked for. Unless you have changed your mind, in that case, that is your doing, not mine. As for him, I am sure he will be here in no time."_

_What were they talking about?_ Things were much difficult to understand when there was a head-splitting ringing echoing in my mind. I couldn't understand the rest of this awkward conversation, everything faded into a murmur.

But soon enough, those figures came into view. The faintest of lights illuminated their already dusky appearances. One of which I recognized. The same  _thing_  that dragged me by my feet and brought me here. No wonder my nails hurt, I remembered scratching every surface I could before blacking out. I didn't think it was human. Its eyes were nothing but yellow circles, as if they were drawn on. It could have been a mask, but Black Zetsu didn't wear a mask.

_That was Black Zetsu, right?_

I still couldn't tell as it was lingering behind the other unknown man, not too far off but still a great distance where the canopy provided even more shade. However, the other man was inching closer and the nearer he got, the more clearer I could see him. He looked strange to say the least. He was wearing some sort of white garb, lined by tyrian purple hemming and a thin obi around his waist. Red dye outlined his lower eyelids just as the two perfectly circular dots painted on his forehead. His hair style was ultimately the most creepiest thing I had seen. His white locks were split right from the scalp and framed his face in the weirdest fashion. No, they weren't white, but more like the flaxen kind of yellow. Much like Sora's. Speaking of which...

_"You're the one my daughter talked about?"_  I wasn't entirely sure if he was truly asking me or was simply stating a fact. His voice was shrill and piercing, definitely not suitable for a man his size. He bent down to reach my height and his remarkably turquoise eyes were practically burning a hole right through my skull. I gulped down every ounce of fright and terror within me and spoke my first words.

"What do you want from me?"

It wasn't as loud as I preferred it to be, instead it came out as notch above a whisper.

"What do I want? Nothing much." His hand stretched out to stroke my right cheek. I was horrified and panicking but I couldn't move. My body tensed and froze in place. As I was taught. Cold sweat ran down my face, the skin of my hands were clammy. Any more and I just may go into a panic attack. His hand wandered further, more south.

"You're much prettier than my daughter. Spineless just like her mother."

I still couldn't move an inch, my muscles wouldn't let me. As much as I wanted to blame it on being scared to the core, a part of me couldn't help but wonder if all the lessons Uncle had drilled into me were still having an effect. After all these years, all those lessons that were taught behind closed doors were beginning to take shape. Being still and staying quiet were my uncle's favorites. And here I was, sitting motionless and mute of any sound while this strange man was groping me. The shame that I had managed to forget was starting to build up again.

_"Let me go! Wait! What are you-"_

While it was a blast strolling down the horrors of memory lane, I knew I couldn't just stay put for long. I had to do something. Anything. With enough determined will, I had managed to get my body to recoil just in time before he grabbed my left breast. As expected, he became angered at my sudden reluctance. His response was slightly more violent as he seized the collar of my kimono with his right hand while the left roamed over my body roughly. As if searching for something and it became increasingly apparent as to what it was. His fingers found it as they untied the sash and located the necklace hidden between the inner foldings of the robe. He ripped open the cloth and snatched the necklace.

"Hmm. I knew I would come to find it again. I will admit we made a mistake by dropping it back at the Honshu, but here we are." His smile turned feral. I couldn't hold back my horror anymore. Bits and pieces of information began to make sense. I wasn't quite there yet but I was sure this man was a person of interest in Madara's hit list. He stood up and tossed my pendant towards the figure that remained in the darkness. He caught it and as he did, I caught a glimpse of his arms. They looked anything but human. Like an extension of his shadow. Nothing but..matter. Physical matter.

"I apologize for the delay. My daughter had given it to me but there seemed to have been an accident. I believe we are settled now." This man, who was unusually dressed like a member of the Kaguya clan, spoke to his counterpart.

_"NO! GIVE THAT BACK YOU LITTLE-"_

It was like they didn't hear me. At all. Or they must have chosen not to. Either way, my shouts went unanswered.

_"Not quite."_  Zetsu replied.

"What? You've got your precious moonstone now. What else do you want?"

_Moonstone?_ What? That was probably a fake gem, I mean it was bought at a thrift shop. What else could you expect? I tried to untie myself, to get the ropes off but it was no use. Even if I wanted to try bending the air or earth around us, I wouldn't be able to if I couldn't use my arms or legs. This was frustrating! I kept shouting and screaming at the top of my lungs in vain. A failed attempt at trying to signal anyone nearby. I could only hope that Madara had the right sense of actually looking for me. He had to, right? It wasn't like he was done with me as of yet. I wasn't fond of playing the damsel in distress as I very much rather be my own hero than let anyone else help me. But this was out of control.

_"Shut up."_

A kunai was flung my way, supposedly directed for my head but ended up penetrating the thick and giant sequoia I was leaning on. Five centimeters to my left. That shut me up pretty quick. That was it. I had no reason to stay here anymore, I couldn't care less what would happen to the necklace right now, I only wanted to save my ass. And so I began crawling like an unhinged child. I was unbalanced, had both my hands and ankles tied and could barely move. Which was why I could not get more than a foot away before sinking to the ground. It was clear that I wasn't going to get very far but I had to try. For the sake of trying if not for the sake of survival. I propped myself up using my elbows and continued on pathetically.

_Fuck!_

The Kaguya man was walking right behind me, his footsteps were getting louder and louder but that didn't stop me. He did. By getting a hold on my untied sash and yanking me backwards. My kimono came undone, exposing my breasts and upper abdomen.

"Where do you think you're going?" He asked wantonly.

_"Away from you monsters! Get the fuck off of me me!"_  I shrieked as he kept on pulling my hair.

"You've got a mouth on you. Not very lady-like."

_"And you're not very human-like! LET ME GO!"_

_Dammit! Why would she do this to me?_  Why would Sora do such a thing? His daughter had to be Sora. Everything pointed to her. Besides the eerily similar looks she shared with this man, she was the only person who could have had the chance to get hold of the pendant. Why would she give it to him?

"You have yet to serve your purpose, yes?"

_What? What purpose? I had no purpose._

The more he tugged at my hair, the more crumpled the kimono came and the more exposed I felt. It was cold, terribly cold that the chill air of the night had my most sensitive areas burning, as if being stung. It was a strange sensation, the same as if I was holding on an ice cube for far too long. But this was worse. The man began to drag me back to where I had been sitting before. Tears began forming at the edge of my eyes but have not yet fallen. I would never let him see how bad I was suffering.

"Good, now that you've calmed down..." He brought up his finger to the same cheek he was stroking not too long ago. It wasn't his finger though. Nor his nail. It was his bones. The phalanges. The distal bones of his fingers. They began to emerge from the tips ever so slowly, penetrating the skin. It was disgusting. He held my face tautly with his other hand while his bones traced the side of my face; right from the temple, across my cheek and down to the tip of my chin. A liquid began to flow down the path he had just taken. It didn't take much to guess it was blood. His bones were razor-sharp if not sharper. I clenched my teeth in revulsion, trying my best not to give him the satisfaction of seeing me tremble underneath his touch.

"You better get your hands off of me you sick brute."

_"Or what?"_ It was fair to say that he was surprised. I had no ammunition to my threat. Nothing. Luckily enough though...

A heavy and violent clash came down on us. My captor had finally taken a few steps back to confront his assailant. This gave me the time I needed to back up while Madara dealt with this crazy man. I tried to rub the rope against the tree vigorously as I have been doing the last few minutes, trying to get it to snap. But I suppose this was one of many tricks that only worked in movies because for the love of God, I could not get the ties to loosen! In the meanwhile, I had kept my eyes on Black Zetsu. Strangely enough, he did not attempt to leave the scene but stood in the far corners of the shadows and watched the fighting going on before him. It was alarming, I did not think Madara had caught wind of him. I had to warn him, if anything, his current opponent was not the worst enemy. It was always the ones in the darkness, the ones that we can't see, that are the most dangerous. We would never see them coming. Including Madara.  _Why couldn't he see Black Zetsu?_  And what did he plan to do with the necklace? If there was anything I had learned throughout Naruto was that he was always planning something. Always pulling strings. Again, this included Madara. But ever since arriving here, things changed. People who were alive should have been dead. And the same goes for a converse argument.

_"Come on! Come on!"_  I could feel the countless sharp and tiny wood pieces splinter my wrists. It was painful, but not more heart-aching or distressing as seeing Madara fight that man. Every time their swords clashed, the clangs of metal against metal, the sparks that resulted from the friction, it was enough to put me on edge. For each and every single blow dealt to Madara, my heart skipped a beat but he would always manage to dodge it so effortlessly. He was so completely immersed in his battle everything that surrounding him was nothing but mere framework. Framework that was so easily destroyed by the impact of their collisions, this area would have to be remapped. I really tried my best to stay away from all the commotion by crawling back into a deeper part of the forest. Had I stayed there, I might have ended up getting hit by Madara's Fireball jutsu. Not something I wanted to go through again.

Out of the blue, Madara skidded backwards at such speed, he broke through a tree bark.

"Oh my God! ARE YOU OKAY?" I tried calling out to him, as much as I wanted to run and help him up, I couldn't seeing that was tied like a rooster on a Thanksgiving eve. But apparently, my worries were misplaced as he was already on his two feet, rage oozing out of him and with no visible injuries. Except for a slight gash in his armor, right beneath where his right pectoral would be. If I remembered correctly, the Kaguya were quite a bloodthirsty bunch but not all of them wielded this kekkei genkai.  _What was it called? Shiko..? Shikotsum...? Shh-?_  I couldn't remember its name but that didn't matter right now. Unfortunately for Madara, he just happened to stumble on one that inherited that ability to weaponize their own bone structure.

He took a look at me before he jumped back into battle.

_"WAIT! YOU NEED TO-"_

As I was about to tell him the only way to get to him was to strike for a vital spot once and for all, I took a look back at the man who was anything but a man. This guy was literally encased in his own skeleton.

Like exoskeletons of some animals, used for protection and support. And as such. The same can be said about this... _this monstrosity._  There was not a single patch of skin free of bone, no way to land a single scratch on him and much less hit a vital organ. His ribs were protruding like pikes, ready to impale anyone within its reach. His forearm and upper arm bones were extended just as well. But the rod-like structures that emerged from the center of his palms were the most deadly. It had cut Madara's sword in half. Clean cut, too.

_Shit._

If it could cut through metal, it wasn't far fetched to think it would easily slice through flesh. Now that I could think more clearly, Madara just left his katana on the ground. His fan and chained scythe as well. They were all scattered. Everywhere. Dispersing your weapons everywhere like that was the equivalent of entering a battle naked. Even I knew that.

_What was he thinking?!_

The susanoo. That was his plan.

Which was evident from the enormous blue form of chakra that suddenly manifested around him. It wasn't complete from the looks of it, but it was immeasurably surreal. The real thing versus what I had seen in pages or on-screen was incomparable. Its presence was overwhelming. The gusts of wind resulting from its movement were so powerful it sent me flying back a couple of feet, knocking me out as my head rebounded from a hard boulder.

...

I felt groggy. That migraine I had an hour or so ago seemed to have intensified now. But that wasn't what bothered me. My eyes shot open.

_"BLACK ZETSU! BEHIND YOU MADARA!"_

I sat straight up. From what I could gather, I had been laying on the floor.  _For how long?_

The ropes were gone as well. My hands and ankles were free.  _Then why weren't there any rope marks?_  No sign of ever being tied up? I felt the right side of my face where that fiend had tried to cut me. There was dried blood but I felt no scar. No splinters in my wrists, no scratch marks, no bruises and my nails had fully regrown.  _That healing feat is turning out to be quite helpful._  And my clothes, they were strapped together once again, covering me. It took me a few seconds to tune in with so-called reality. The moon was still high up in the sky and everything was quiet. Abnormal. Considering that there was a fight going on. I twisted and turned to take a better look around me ,I was in a completely different area.

"Who?" A dark and familiar voice caught my attention. I spun around and saw that he was sitting on a large boulder on the opposite side of the clearing. Madara looked drained. Well, not really. He looked like how Madara looked on any given day, except he appeared to be out of it.

"Black Zetsu." I repeated, shocked at the sight of him. But mostly on how we got here. I could only surmise that he had won.

"Who is he?" He continued.

"You didn't see him? He was watching you fight with the Kaguya clansman."  _Huh?_

"I asked who is he." His question was clear. Very.

"He was the one who took me."  _And implanted false ideas into your mind which included faking your death, planned your reanimation, strung you along and ended up stabbing you in the back, in the heart to be precise, only to end up reviving his Rabbit Goddess of a whacked Mother? Or something of the sort._

Well, I may have left that last part out. For obvious reasons.

"It wasn't the other one?" He inquired. I shook my head. This piece of information may have dulled the mood even further.

"You didn't see him, did you?"

"No." His voice was muzzy. It still didn't look like he had a scratch on him except the one to his armor. Silence fell over. No one said anything for the longest while. I was still trying to think about how to come up with a way to thank him for saving my life. It was a bit difficult. I had a feeling a simple thanks would not suffice. Now that I looked at how this day started and how I acted before, well now I would have to apologize for that too.  _That's just wonderful. Fucking wonderful._  On the other hand, I was greatly indebted to him for getting me away from those bastards.

_Uhm.._

_Shit._

My hands went for where the pendant should have been. And it wasn't there. Black Zetsu must have kept it. Fuck.

"Did they hurt you?" He kept asking questions that didn't make any sense or perhaps-  _and what was the most probable_ , my mind was too busy to even care to listen.

"Hmm...no." My hands were still searching frantically through the kimono, every crease, in and out.

"Are you sure?" Wasn't this getting dull.  _Of course I am sure!_ Actually, I really had no idea what he was talking about so I just nodded in response.

"Did they...touch you?" That sure caught my attention. It certainly made my hands stop wandering. I faced him, with perhaps the weirdest and the most offbeat look I could muster.

"No!" I replied firmly. Though I could understand why he might assume something like that, considering the condition he must have found me in. He sighed, though out of relief or exasperation, I couldn't tell.

"Are you looking for this?" He lifted a silver chain with a round, concentric medallion. My eyes widened. Just like how a puppy would run to his master to fetch the ball, I ran, almost as awkwardly, to Madara. _I couldn't believe it!_

I came and unceremoniously plonked down to the ground right before him. I took the pendant gently into my hand.

"Where did you find it?!" I was shocked to say the least. He looked down and met my eyes. I could see his were a bit hazy. I momentarily wondered if his vision was blurred.

"Back there. Tossed over a branch." His answer was short, concise and blunt. But very confusing. Why would Zetsu leave it? I thought he had wanted it? What the fuck? And then Madara lifted another chain, similar to the one in my hand. It was like seeing double.

"What?"

"I had another one made. You didn't think me stupid enough to give you the actual one, did you?"

Hold on there a second. What? That made no sense whatsoever. Never imagined I would be having a hard time following his logic.  _Or maybe I'm just dumb._ If I followed correctly, then the one I was holding was not the real necklace. No wonder Black Zetsu left it, he must have known it was a fake, somehow. Then he must be looking for the actual one, which would be in Madara's hands. When had he replaced them though? Because I was sure as hell that I was shown the real one back at the settlement. I narrowed my eyes to try and focus on smaller details to differentiate between the two but it was incredibly hard with the lack of appropriate lighting. From the first glance, I could swear that both were identical. Goes to show what excellent craftsmen the Uchiha were. I really couldn't get a second glance.

"What did they want from you?"

"I wouldn't know." That was a lie, I could only begin to speculate. Although, I wasn't about to blurt out to him something I wasn't sure of. "Thank you."

"For what?" Something was off about him.

"For saving my life." I couldn't bear to look him in the eyes for some reason, so I settled for lowering my head and bowing just slightly. "And I apologize for my recent behavior." I could only hope that my apology was formal enough for him to accept. I wasn't entirely sure how people went about doing this sort of thing. Though I figured 'Sup dude, soz" wasn't gonna cut it. Even when sitting down he was still an intimidating and obscure figure. I could feel him gradually plummeting towards me, if he fell on me, there was definitely no way to get him off. I raised my hands to try and stop him half-way. I looked up and saw that his eyes were definitely getting murky.

"Are you okay?" I asked, slightly concerned at his seemingly unbalanced state.

"Yes." He answered, emotionless.

"You know, you shouldn't abuse your Mankeyou, you might lose your vision."  _Actually, you probably will._  However, I saw no need to point that out as well. There was a sudden change in his demeanor. He got tense and and angry. His brows furrowed and a scowl replaced that impassive and blank daze.

_"How would you know?"_ He hissed, with more annoyance than rage in his voice.

"Hmm?" Wouldn't be a bad idea to play the dummy now.

"I said-"

"You're bleeding." I pointed out. The cut managed to pierce his armor.

"So?"

_So he was definitely out of it._

_"_ In my world, back in the old days, and I mean eras, we used to pee on wounds just for treatment. It was long thought it helps in sterilization of the wound." I said nonchalantly.

...

"You are  _not_  urinating on me." He pronounced that very clearly, word for word, agitation taking over. It was kind of funny.

"Oh, I wasn't suggesting that I would. But if you desperately want it." I flashed him a light smirk, if it would lighten the damn mood, then fine by me. In truth, people didn't directly urinate on the wound. Perhaps they did, but it is believed that they collected urine and boiled it down, killing microbes and concentrating it.  _You know, history books._  And then times roll by and we come to find that urine is a good source of ammonia, considered a natural antiseptic. And could be used as a disinfectant, thought not fairly effective against dangerous strains of bacteria. And then you have science sparking up debates every day. One of which includes the infamous 'Is Urine Sterile or is it not?'. Surprisingly enough, it had divided a lot of people. These were the kind of things that happened in my world, not in this...figment of imagination.

"You are not-"

"Oh yes yes, I heard you. No need to repeat yourself." I waved my hand in feigned indignation. But something was bothering me. I placed my hand back on his armor, where the gash stood out and looked closely at his blood.

_Well..._

It may have been dark to see anything of minor detail, but this would have been hard to miss. Which made me wonder, how on earth did I not see it? I took a speck of his blood using my index finger and tried my best to examine it under the moonlight. There wasn't much to examine but the color.

"Take off your armor." I asked, none too nicely.

"No." He replied. He wouldn't even ask why.

"I promise I won't pee on you. Now take it off." I tried to reassure him, he didn't particularly have any reasons to believe me though I found it quite outrageous that he would think I could even try such a thing. To be fair, I did put the idea in his mind.

"See this?" I raised my index to his face, hoping that it was clear enough for him, too. "This is the color green. You don't bleed green. Not unless you're Spock. Are you Spock?" That was a rhetorical question, if he had attempted to answer, it would only make him sound ridiculous. The blood was indeed green. Very dark. Like that of muddy grass fields or even borderline aesthetic. Sort of. It probably wasn't his blood that was green, just the opening of the wound that may have mixed with some blood near the surface. Which made me believe that it was poison.

"It's poison." That should get his attention. I wasn't going to wait for him to take that in, I stood up and started to untether his armor. It was difficult, thankfully, he got the clue and decided to help out. I was still unsure on what I was supposed to do. Ultimately, I would be reduced to the archaic method of sucking out the poison or venom as much as I can, although that method has been debunked thoroughly by science a few years back. Seeing that the poison or whatever venom that was used enters the bloodstream pretty quickly. Making this method pretty much ineffective to an extent. It wasn't like they had snakebites or first aid kits around here. Much less, finding people carrying it on them. Any kit that had a suction device which would be more suitable.

No wonder he looked so weak, nauseated, had blurred vision and even droopy eyelids. If I let him go like this, he might get into serious trouble. That might end up fatal. And then I'll be blamed. Or I could likely die if I suck out too hard, ingesting the poison and then die a potentially painful death. Both seemed like equally shitty fates. _I guess there's no choice but to put my faith in my abilities, hopefully that creepy healing act will not fail me this time._

Finally, the armor was off. I had to help him undress by taking off his shirt. I was starting to think that the conscious part of his brain was giving up.

_"Come on!"_ I eventually managed to pull the black fabric over his head. His chiseled and well-sculpted chest came into view.

_This was not the time to drool over him, dammit!_ I had to get my act together. The good news about this was that there was already an incision. Probably from the Kaguya guy's blade in which its tip must have been laced with poison. So, I didn't need to make an incision myself, as we were taught in school back in the day. The boy scouts had thought it was a good idea to drop by and give a few tips on how to survive in the wild. And if we come into contact with snakes. Well, this predicament wasn't far off.

The bad news was that the gash was underneath his right nipple. The right pectoral muscle. Great. At least it wasn't near the left, where his heart was supposedly placed. Still, the location was really not... _uhm...'well-situated'._

_Fuck my life._

Was there really no pump suction devices here!? It would have made it much more useful.

"Here, lay back just a little and don't move. I mean it. Don't." I helped him into position just slightly, before I myself got down to my knees.

I shut my eyes and prayed that I would get this over with. I ripped a piece of my kimono and used it to wipe the cut area of his skin. As I was about to put my mouth to the opening, I felt a hand stop me mid-way.

"What do you think you're doing?!"

_Not peeing on you?_

"Uhm, trying to suck out the poison?" I informed him. It seems that he was conscious after all. Boy, if he would just let me get this done, it would have made it infinitely less awkward. At long last, he let me go. There was no point in delaying this further so I did my best not to frighten him when I put my mouth to the incision.  _Talk about unsanitary, unconsidered and fucking unethical._  I would just pretend I was in the medieval times, where no sense of hygiene nor personal boundaries existed. I began to suck gently, trying to remove the superficial layer of the poison.

Oddly enough, it didn't smell nor taste like anything. The only thing that was tangible was the metallic taste of his blood. Even if this was derived from snake venom, there was definitely another component that masked the common bitterness of the toxin. I spit out the spoonful that I had managed to suck out. It was awfully thick and viscous. I tried to wipe my mouth with the back of my hand and found that greenish tint still present. It was partially a good thing that it had a sticky consistency, it probably wouldn't have been able to flow easily through the blood and reach his other organs that fast. The bad thing would be that it would make his blood flow stagnant, like a bit sluggish. Not entirely sure if there was a good side to this.

I put my mouth back and continued sucking, hoping to God that I wouldn't swallow it. I repeated the same approach, over and over. Suck and spit out. Suck and spit out again. I was well on my way to forming a small puddle of blood next to his feet. Each time I repeated, the color of his blood seemed to return back to normal. Somewhat. I very much doubted that I had actually sucked out any of the poison. It really depended on how much he was infected with and for how long had he been sitting like this.

Besides, it was already hard enough being this close to him, his nipple was going to nearly gouge out my eye. I tried to avoid getting my eyes poked but it was inevitable considering where the wound was. It kind of surprised me just to what extent where my mind could wander in a situation as serious as this. But most of all, I avoided eye contact with him as skillfully as tax evaders avoided the IRS. I knew he was looking down on me, but I resolved myself to take care of this wound of his than to meet his judgmental gaze.

I didn't know for how long I have been at it, but from the sounds of the chirping and the orange hue of the horizon, I guessed that it was dawn already.

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

"Hey Kawarama!" Tobirama called out to his younger brother. It was a cold, winter day. None of them should have been out this late. Or rather early. Dawn had just arrived and the night chills were still lingering in the air. They were in the dead of winter, where everything was frozen in time, where animals hibernated and where absolutely no living soul would walk the earth. Everyone was saving their energy for the spring, when life would begin again, where flowers would bloom and when wars would resume. A never ending cycle. And part of this cycle included them staying in for the harsh winter, conserving their energy and limiting their movement.

Seeing that Tobirama had always been the practical and ordered one, he never understood why his brothers disobeyed such logical orders. His little brother disregarded their father's demand to stay inside while he went out under the pretext of 'hunting'. Yes, hunting animals that were hiding for the winter. He couldn't talk back to his father of course, so he would just go along with it. And now, Kawarama was nowhere to be found. He was only six, he couldn't stand this weather.

_What if he wasn't dressed properly? Is he okay?_

Tobirama's mind spun. He himself wasn't wearing appropriate clothes and as a result he was chilled to the bones. He was worried for Kawarama. Ever since realizing that he had snuck out, Tobirama was on his tail. He could sense trace amounts of chakra radiating from the lake's direction. The young child with the bronze colored hair and a crossed-shape scar decorating his right cheek, loved to play at the lake. Kawarama would always retreat there whenever their father got out of hand. Especially in the spring time, he would love to play with the fishes and tries to catch them. The only moments where he seemed to own a normal childhood.

_But now..._

The lake was frozen and it was snowing. It was a dangerous place to be during this time of year. Tobirama dragged himself and ran straight towards the lake, his guts telling him that it was where he would find his dear brother. And he was right. The instant he exited the forest, he found Kawarama standing right in the middle of the lake. Over slippery and cracked ice.

"KAWARAMA GET BACK HERE!" He shouted. The boy in question turned and was delighted to see his older brother had found him. He waved frantically to his brother to come over.

"TOBIRAMA!" He was beaming. He looked so happy being there, sliding over the surface of the lake. He was even laughing. But Tobirama wasn't. He was about to lose his mind if his brother moved another inch.

And then suddenly, his worst fears came to life. Kawarama sunk into the freezing water as the ice beneath him broke. The white haired kid didn't even think this one through. He rushed towards his brother while unknowingly paying heed to the unstable surface under his feet. He might as well sink too but not before he got his little kid brother out.

He took no time in getting there. He found the hole in which his brother fell through.

"Kawarama! CAN YOU HEAR ME?"

He wasn't going to wait for a response that wasn't going to come anytime soon. He jumped into the icy-cold water. His body numbed at instant contact and the glacial temperatures were making it ten times worse. Probably not the best choice but it was his only choice. He couldn't stay down there long or he might lose consciousness. Everything was so...blue. His vision was blurred, though he could see well enough to have caught a glimpse of his brother's limp body, floating in the water. His panic began to get the better of him but he was adamant on getting through it. He swam furiously to Kawarama, grasped his brother's sleeve and pulled him along. The weight of his clothes were pulling him downwards and he couldn't hold his breath for much longer.

_Keep going dammit!_

The surface of the water seemed like miles away from where they were. Miles. The light of day was nothing but mere rays of light barely penetrating the deep water.

_Keep going! Keep going! Come on!_

It took him long enough to reach the gaping hole. He tried his best to get out while holding onto his brother's body. He was the first to hold onto the edge of the ice and used all the force in his skinny arms to push his body weight upwards. After doing so, he pulled his brother as fast as he could. He could finally take in his first breath in a long while. He couldn't stay here much longer or else he would find himself and his brother slipping back down into the dark abyss that was the damn lake. The image of his brother's blue and puffed up face would haunt him forever. And yet, he pulled on his collar, he couldn't carry Kawarama so he could do nothing but drag him along the ice towards the lakeside. All the while praying to kami that the ice doesn't break.

Maybe it was his luck or perhaps kami responded to his prayer, who knew? But he successfully managed to reach the ground on the other side without falling back down.

"Come on Kawarama! Wake up!" He knelt down next to his body and started compressions. As he was taught when there were no medics around in the field to heal them. He also needed to return oxygen flow to Kawarama's brain. Soon. His brother looked dead. Very much so that Tobirama began to lose hope. Tears started to flow down his cheeks as his face contorted to one of sadness and sorrow. He began sobbing. He hugged his brother's body so tightly, not wanting to let it go and at the same time trying to radiate heat back into his lifeless, cold body.

_"To...tobi.."_

_Huh?_ He let go of his body instantly and looked up to see Kawarama had opened his eyes ever so slightly.

_"KAWARAMA!"_

...

Tobirama's eyes shot open. Wide open.

That recurring nightmare was repeating way too often. He sat up in his bed and rubbed his temples. He was sweating profusely, the drops of salty water were covering his naked body. Right from the top of his forehead down to his rough and muscled exterior. Tobirama's mind ached. This was too much, when would he let go of all these memories?

He remembered every single detail of those dreams that haunted his days just as much as his nights. He remembered them as if they had just occurred yesterday. He remembered Kawarama's small body laying there, dead, and then seeing him regain conscious. He remembered getting him back home safely. He remembered seeing him in pain. He fell ill. Hypothermia.

He also remembered mourning him seven months later when he was killed in battle.

His brother had survived that terrifying accident only to die less than a year later in an even more horrific combat.

_Fate truly had a twisted sense of humor._

He looked out of the window in his temporary bedroom and saw that the moon was still shining through. This night just wouldn't end.

_I wonder..._

* * *

_**Izuna's POV** _

"Has my brother returned yet?" The Uchiha's second-in-command was unnerved. With every right to be. Everything that had passed in the last twenty-four hours were hell. And Madara should have been back by now. In fact, he should have been back since yesterday.

He could only think of one reason that would stop Madara from getting his way. The enemy had probably got to him before he could manage to arrive here in time for the orchestrated attack. This was the only logical reason that Izuna could think of. And many had arrived at the same conclusion. They did well in separating the clan head from his clan. They would have had no chance if Madara had been here.  _Not that the damn bloodthirsty fools stood a chance against him alone._

The village was a mess. A great quarter of it was completely obliterated while the rest sustained damage from their fire styles. The old neighborhood was the area that took the most hits.

_Fuck._

Madara would surely cut him down if he saw their compound in the state it was in now. Izuna was entrusted with the safety of their clan home and his people. And he failed miserably. He was beyond outraged and disappointed in himself.  _How could I have let this happen? How did I not see it coming?_

They defeated the assailants without a casualty on their side and he was utterly grateful. He never thought he would have had to use it though. The susanoo wasn't something he took lightly, considering  _the_   _very real_  and  _the very_   _possible_  side-effect of overusing it. Izuna wasn't planning on going blind anytime soon. But it couldn't be helped yesterday night. He had to stop them. Whenever they struck one down, another one would spring up, like weeds that wouldn't die. There was virtually no way of getting rid of them other than from a single blow. A part of him had lost control as well.

However, it got the job done.

They were dead. All of them. Those that he wanted to capture alive were quite stubborn. They would not go down without a fight and would keep doing so until they dropped dead. Whoever these people were, they were one of the most unnatural and exceptional people he had ever faced. No one here knew who they were or even a clue to their identity.

They were burning most of the bodies but had kept a couple for further examination. Especially those with that bizarre ability of deforming their bones to an extent that they could be used as weapons. There wasn't a whole bunch of them. Only five of the seventy-three that had invaded.

Izuna was waiting at the gates for Madara to show up. He had a lot of explaining to do but Madara would surely have none of it. As he was about to return back inside, three figures appeared. Izuna narrowed his eyes. He wanted to make sure that what he was seeing was indeed real. "Madara-sama has arrived!"

_No shit._

"Yes, I see that. Thank you Jiro." He replied sarcastically, though he was in no mood to joke. A second look at the group and he began theorizing on what the hell could have happened. Madara was leaning on Eiji. Somehow. His upper chest was bandaged awfully. While Mina was walking right beside them, just a couple of steps behind. She was carrying Madara's heavy armor, his gunbai and scythe. She could barely see where she was going.

They were no more than ten feet away when Madara pulled away and his eyes took in his surroundings.

_"What the-"_ A sharp clang was heard as the metal apparels fell to the ground. She was shocked as much as she was confused. Just like Madara. And Eiji. But more importantly...

_"What happened-"_

_"WHAT HAPPENED-"_

It seems Madara was already thinking of the same question as he was, though both of them were looking for completely different answers. Madara was getting angrier whereas Izuna concerns were growing. Something certainly wasn't right. His elder brother couldn't even walk straight as much as he tried to convey his authority, he was definitely unbalanced.

_"WHAT HAPPENED!"_  He was growling now, but his voice held nothing of his usual menacing tone. By the time Madara walked forward and neared the gates, he collapsed and began vomiting his guts out. And then he fell to his sides, clutching his chest. Izuna ran to his side but the woman beat him to it.

"You need to get him to the clinic, now!" She was panicking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm glad I got this chapter over with. Was kinda stuck on it for more than two weeks. Had no idea what I was going to write, but now that it's out of the way, I can begin writing the plot that I planned for the next 6 chapters or so.


	28. Recovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear Dracien.  
> I'm posting this for you.  
> I honestly had no intentions of continuing it. But well, you kinda deserve it. So, thank you.  
> Hope I didn't disappoint hahaha.

_**Sora's POV** _

_Bloody hell._

It should have came as no surprise to her that Madara would return. She just hadn't expected Mina to come along. Nor with the fucking pendant.

How could he just forget it there? Her father was nothing but a bonehead. And a moron at best. She gave him the damn necklace right into the palms of his hands. How was it possible for him to have just left it there where he had killed those travelling Uchiha?

It was like he wanted to get caught.

It wouldn't have shocked her if that was what he planned. To have left it there in order to frame Mina. The least that he could have done was to warn Sora because all this time, she had been under the impression that he needed the necklace for some personal use. An exchange of some sort. Whether he did it purposely or not, she was fucked now.

She was aware that Izuna had started suspecting her.

_How?_  She didn't know.

And thanks to the failure to communicate effectively with her clan, she had essentially just dug her own grave. She may have answered Izuna and that was probably going to lead to her downfall. She had always assumed the pendant was with her father, not strung out somewhere in the forest. She hadn't expected anyone to ask about it, so she panicked and said that the silver chains were with her. She should have taken her time in answering him, but had she paused any longer, it would have only made her look more suspicious.

It was her fault. She should have never trusted her father or that clan of his. She should have never trusted them to do anything right. Sora was fairly sure now that Izuna had concocted a lie to get her to slip. And she fell for it. Mina probably didn't even ask him about the necklace. Anf he way she acted towards her since arriving back. The looks that she gave her...There was definitely something about Mina, she changed. Or maybe she didn't. The girl may have already suspected her too.  _What a shame..._

She didn't particularly hate Mina. She only thought that she was delusional and a waste of skin.  _I mean, I wouldn't say that I was necessarily fond of her existence._ It was just the way things worked.

And now that her 'mistress' was back, there was no way she would come out of this alive. And the attack on the base yesterday pretty much sealed her fate. Izuna was smart. It was only a matter of time before he came for her.

_Just a matter of time._

Until then, she could only think of how her short life would come to an end. She wasn't scared. There was no reason to be. There was no hope. Because at the end of the day, it was always hope, the promise of something new, a new life maybe, that had her down on her knees bawling her eyes out. It was something that she could never attain. Hope only gave her false expectations. And that was what had driven her over the edge every time that 'so-called hope' was shattered.

But now, there was no reason for hope.

_No reason to be frightened._

That noose was all that would take to end her. Sora looked up at the loop with a running knot. It was wide enough to fit her head through.

_Perfect._

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

"Are you okay?" He asked her. He needed an excuse to find out what happened to Madara. He decided it was about time he paid her a visit. She was in her room drying her hair with a towel. From the looks of it, she had just finished washing up.

"I'm fine. More importantly, how's your brother?" She asked him, worried. Her anxiousness was clear.

_How was Madara?_

Madara was the only person who could answer that. But if you asked the medics, just as he did, then they would tell you that his elder brother was going to recover. Albeit, slowly. They managed to extract most of the poison.  _Most._  They insisted that his body needed to break down the remaining trace amounts on its own while they took a sample of the poison in order to produce an antidote for it.

In the meanwhile, his brother would be suffering in his bed.

"Fine." His answer was simple. Though, not completely truthful. He had to wonder why she just couldn't heal him? She seemed to have that ability under control. And from what he heard from Eiji, was that she had already sucked out some of the poison before coming back. He had also learned quite a lot from that man, even gave him an overall picture on what went down and who went down. But his questions relating to this matter were better suited to be answered by someone else. Someone he hasn't forgotten just yet. Mina may not have chakra but she seemed creative enough. It was a wonder. Izuna's mind couldn't really understand how she was able to perform such feats but if it was possible, why couldn't she help Madara? Izuna could think of no one else who was relatively qualified and that who was present at the moment. As Madara had her help one of the medics to revive Izuna when he was on the brink of death, he too would bend over backwards if it meant he could get her to treat his older brother. The only brother he had left.

She still appeared distressed and on edge. It was obvious that she didn't buy his one-word answer.

"May I visit him?" _Hmm, what a not so weird request..._ Might as well take advantage of it.

"Sure. As long as you heal him." It wasn't a hard choice but it was ultimately hers to make. And if she didn't choose the one he wanted, then he would have to force her. So, perhaps it was not really her choice. However, whatever her answer was, it would reflect deeply on how bad she was willing to go see Madara. Unsurprisingly...

"What?" She quirked her eyebrows in confusion. "How could I heal him?"

"I wouldn't know. But I'm sure you could find a way. It seems to be your area of expertise." He crossed his arms and leaned on her door frame.

"You don't think that if I had known a way-miraculously-I wouldn't have done it already?" She raised a good point but still...Izuna himself had no idea on how these matters went. He was no medic. And yet, an idea popped into his mind...

"Your blood." He suggested.

"What about my blood?" She stopped drying her hair and threw her towel on the bed. It was messy and much shorter than he last saw it. So, she had cut it.

"What do you think?"  _How was she not seeing where this was going?_

"Your brother doesn't need blood transfusions. He needs an antidote." She countered.

"Your blood might be an antidote." It might have been a far-fetched idea at best, but there was no way that she could have sucked out that much poison without ingesting some herself. Like he had been told. Either she was already immune to it or  _developed_  an immunity to it. Somehow. Maybe due to her healing powers?  _Who the heck cares?_  Clearly, Izuna was no genius but  _you gotta do what you gotta do._

_"That's not how it works."_

"Perhaps in your world."

...

That got her to quiet down pretty quickly. He heard her sigh heavily, as if giving up on an argument that had not yet begun. As far as his knowledge extended, some Uzumaki used their blood in healing. It only sufficed taking a bite of their flesh and wounds would instantly mend. While biting may seem excessive and a bit savage, a needle was a rather better option. But it wasn't like they had the time or the luxury on a battlefield. Then again, this was only possible due to their unique chakra nature. The key word being chakra. Something that this woman doesn't have and a fact that he would always need to remind himself that she existed. How? He didn't know. As long as he got what he wanted, he had no issues with her. And what he wanted was for her to treat Madara.

"I...I can't." She was stuttering.

"Why the hell not?" He demanded. This was ridiculous.  _She was going to end up doing it anyways, so why was she putting up a front?_

"What if he dies? If we have different blood types and he receives mine, his own blood might agglutinate or clot. Badly. In the worst case, it would be fatal. And I'm not sure your clinic is properly equipped to treat something as serious as that." She sounded really concerned.

"What's your blood type?" He trudged closer towards her until he was blocking her path. Izuna leaned down to reach her height and looked her right in the eyes.  _She better not be spewing some bullshit to get out of it._

"What's his?" She deflected.  _Too bad._  He wouldn't fall for it.

"I asked you first."

From the look on her face, she was obviously struggling between telling him the truth or not. In all honesty, he wouldn't have been able to differentiate between her answers because he truly had no idea what the fuck were 'blood types' and he sure as hell never heard any medic speak of such topics.

"O." She finally answered and when she did, it was barely audible. He wasn't even certain that he had heard her correctly but from the way her lips parted and her mouth formed the circular shape, he concluded that she really did say the letter 'O'. Whether it was the truth or a lie, it didn't matter. There must have been a reason that she was this reluctant to say it. Sometimes, Izuna could be a great listener, and other times...not so much. But there was no need to worry this time, his ears were wide open.

"I'm O negative." Mina repeated.  _So?_ It was like she read his mind although it wasn't difficult to guess considering the expression he wore.

"Group O is a universal donor. O-blood can be given to other blood types without relative risks." He learned so much from her in those two minutes. Including the fact that she was not lying and if she had tried to, she would have been horrible at it.

"Well then, I think it's settled." He flashed her one of his smiles he hasn't used on her for a very long time. Mina didn't appreciate it. Oh well. She would have to go along with it. At least he wasn't snatching her from a field of grass, in the middle of the night while she was sleeping. Madara wasn't too gentle with her. Or so they say. Her hair was too short to grab, anyways.  _At least I'm being considerate,_  he thought. As he was about to suggest that they get going that instant, someone had entered the room. They both turned to see that Sora had opened the door, a pair of folded kimonos in her hand.

"Welcome back, Mina-sama." She bowed down before setting the clean garments down.

"Hi, Sora." She answered. Her voice was rather cold and bitter and yet when Izuna took a look at her, he saw a bright flame burning in the core of her eyes. Not quite literally, but it was indeed there. However, as soon as it appeared, it was instantly gone.  _Poof_. Like it had never been there. Something in Mina's demeanor had changed suddenly. She became more stiff and tense at her one-time close confidante's presence.

_Intriguing._

He didn't even bother to greet the maid. He saw no reason to, he would have his time with her soon enough. Either Sora was completely oblivious to her surroundings or she purposely chose to look the other way.

"Pardon me, Uchiha-sama. I was just bringing Mina-sama new clothes to change into."

"Thank you. But someone had already fetched me some." Mina interjected, still as icy as ever. Sora, on the other hand, continued to ignore the unexpected change in her friend's behavior.

"Oh. Will you be requiring-"

"No."

It was fun seeing the little exchange between these two women but unfortunately, time's up.

"Very well. My apologies for interrupting you once more." Sora bowed down before she turned to leave. As soon as the door was closed shut, he returned his focus to the brunette. Fretful as ever, Mina was getting more and more unsettled by the second. It led Izuna to wonder if she knew anything about Sora.  _Did she have her own suspicions? If so, what are they? When did she suspect her? And how?_

Now these were questions he was interested in knowing the answers to. Her gaze shifted to him, and for a second, he saw that knowing look in her eyes. It was nearly mirroring his. Her brows furrowed, suddenly aware of his own intuitions.

"I'm assuming that you've already got the gist of things?" He asked, carefully choosing his words just in case she didn't. Though, he doubted it at this point. With reluctance, she said,

"Yes." An awkward pause. "Do you?" She lowered her tone significantly as if someone could be listening in on them. This has been, by far, the most civilized encounter they had in ages. No wonder it might have appeared suspicious.

_So she knows, huh. Great._

One more person knew of this. Izuna had planned on taking on this matter silently and alone, without anyone's interference and knowledge. That still did not deter his motive to end this incident swiftly.  _How did she come to know though?_  Probably from the encounter they had with whoever Madara fought. He made a mental note to get to the bottom of this, but first...

"I have some business to attend to. I expect you to be fully ready by the time I am back." He turned to leave without giving her much room for discussion.

* * *

He was barely inside when he saw her standing upright, on a chair. Right in the center of her room, a rope was wrung around a metal pipe in the ceiling and one if its ends was tied into a noose. He wasn't about to let her get her way. Not while he was around. His footsteps were silent, so she did not hear him coming. Before she could even attempt to put her head through the loop, he pushed the chair sideways with a slight sway from his foot, tipping her over so that she fell to the ground with a loud thump.

_"Kind of a cowardly decision, don't you think?"_

His katana was already out and directed right at her jugular. Sora could only move to her side to take a good look at her soon-to-be executioner. She had fallen on her stomach which was quite painful. But not as painful as what was about to occur.

"Pitiful." Izuna really couldn't hide his distaste for this weak woman. This traitor. Not that he tried to. Blonde strands were entangled and matted into a messy bun. Her pasty complexion was blank. Void of any emotions. Her dark eyes were no different save for the sharingans she awakened.

"How could someone as weak as you be part-Uchiha? Though, I suppose you inherited your father's psychotic and nutty personality more than anything." She still wasn't responding. How could she? What could she possibly say to save her life? There was absolutely nothing that could be done now. He kept going nonetheless.

"Your clan's quite a funny bunch. Savage, too. But mostly moronic. Their insane thirst for blood will be their downfall. But then, I guess you would agree? You don't appear to be like them. You must be much smarter if you've been able to infiltrate for this long." He crouched down while keeping his katana in place, its pointed tip was incredibly sharp that it had already pierced through the outermost skin layer, causing a drops of blood to trickle down the side of her neck. His other free hand was rested on his knee as he squatted.  _She was a brave one._ Not a single tremor. No shaking. No avoiding eye contact. No sobbing and definitely no excuses.

"Although, I have to admit. There's just one thing I don't understand..." His voice took on that playful tone that would drive anyone nuts. More so, in a situation like this. It was a mockery. Taunting his victims right before ending their lives. Stretching out that moment only longer, making it all the more gut wrenching. However, Sora didn't seem affected by it at all.

"How could someone do what you did to a friend just like that? Stealing her pendant and framing her knowing fully well that Madara would be out for her blood. Kinda smart but a really bitchy move. Very vindictive and bitter on your part."

_"Friend?"_ She spoke back. Either she did not know what the word meant or-

"What friend? She was nothing but a means to an end."

_There it was._

_"_ An end?"

"Yes."

"What end?" What was she playing at?

"You and your damn clan's."

_Was this who she really was?_  This did not seem like the same Sora he had introduced to Mina a few months ago. She was not the same person who went along with his uncreative prank. He remembered very clearly how she had been the worst actress that could have ever lived, but ultimately, she may have just been far better at it than he gave her credit for. He said nothing else in hopes that she would come out completely and confess it explicitly.

She didn't dare move an inch but for some reason, felt compelled to give him a piece of her mind before he sent her back to hell.

"You Uchihas are nothing but self-absorbed, over-powered warmongers who seek nothing but to destroy everything and everyone in your path. Your 'honor' and your 'pride' are worth shit. Your clan is too overpowered for its own good and the power you pride yourselves in having over others is nothing but a weakness disguised as strength. That same weakness will end you. Every single one of you. You think the murderous thirst of my clan will be their downfall? Then what do you think will happen to yours?"

Her words were spiteful. Izuna saw that she was finally beginning to shed off that mask she had been wearing for quite some time. He didn't know what to feel. As her words were oozing out so effortlessly, he was unintentionally pressing the tip of his sword deeper against her skin, causing more blood to spill out.  _Just a little deeper..._

_"What? Does it hurt that bad to hear the truth? Don't you ever wonder how your people will die out? Because I could just imagine it. And what a pretty picture that would be. To imagine how your clan will crumble from within, to think that every one of you would wipe the floor with each other's blood is exciting. Your blind obsession with your worthless sharingans is disgusting. Irony at its finest, wouldn't you agree? But then again...Power, power and more power. That's all you fucking people ever feed on. There won't be a single Uchiha who isn't willing to gouge out his brother's eyes just to have a taste of that repulsive power you all strive for. Can't you just imagine it?! An Uchiha killing another Uchiha! What a shame that I won't be around to see it!"_  She then burst into a fit of laughter. That same maniacal laugh he heard just yesterday. For the first time ever, this was the only moment that Izuna could actually see her as one of those Kaguya people. Perhaps, there could never be a greater resemblance between them then there was right then. She sounded almost identical to the nutcase he was fighting.

He didn't know how to respond to her. This woman knew much, much more than she was supposed to. In fact, much more than a great deal of normal Uchiha clansmen.

_"For fuck's sake, can't you just get this over with? Putting off the inevitable is just boring and dull."_  She rolled her eyes. Her vulgarity did not surprise him in the least.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" That was not a serious question on his part.

"With me? Absolutely nothing. What's wrong with you?" She was smiling.  _Smiling?_ Smiling. Sora was turning out to be quite the epitome of madness and hysteria.

"Look. I'm not crazy if that's what you're thinking. My reality is just different from yours. If you don't believe me, ask your little lady friend. She's the perfect combination of delusional and paranoia. You know, if you're into that kind of thing. Though, I see your brother already called dibs. Good luck with that." Her giggles were unreal. They had to be. No one could be this...sick in the head. He had met his good share of mental cases, including yesterday's idiots, but Sora just topped them all. Izuna couldn't hide his shock anymore.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed but the deadly silence that had replaced her disturbing giggles was getting heavier. He had to do it. Get it over with. Despite hating her with all his guts and would prefer nothing more than to rip her to shreds, looking into her red orbs was almost the same as looking into any of his clan members'.

_No. That's not right. It was not the same._  There was no soul behind her own. She was...nothing. She was meaningless. However, Izuna was still waiting for that push over the edge. And here it was. With all the malice and bitterness she could summon, Sora was able to say her last words.

"I hope your brother dies and suffers through it. His death would do this world a great favor. I could only wish that my father finally did something right in his pathetic life by getting rid of the great bane that is Madara Uchiha!"

Izuna was convinced that he could not be held accountable for what happened next. But if he had to do it again, he would have made sure to have made her suffer even more. To make her scream until she could no longer.

...

He almost reached the ending of the maids corridor. His katana was dripping blood. Puddles had formed a thick crimson trail right behind him. The sound of loud screeching of metal against the wooden floor alerted the guards at the end of the hallway. They exchanged equally horrified and curious looks before returning their attention to the Uchiha leader's brother.

"Get rid of the body at the back. Now." Izuna commanded them.

"Hai, Izuna-sama." The bowed down as he passed them. He did not look back. It was no longer his mess. Though, he did pity whoever had to clean after his little outburst.

* * *

_Where the heck was she?_

Izuna was not in the mood to play hide and seek. His demand was simple.  _Why could she not follow through with it?_

He went straight for her room. Right after cleaning his sword that is. So much for trying to avoid getting more people involved. By now, the guards and the majority of the maids would have heard of the news if they hadn't already cleaned the scene themselves. He couldn't help it, it was like something had burst inside of him. He felt so confused at first but then rage took a hold of him. Pure rage at her words. At her mere existence. At least that was one thing he didn't have to worry about anymore. However, when his brother recovers, he will have to answer to a lot of things.

Until then...

"Where the hell on earth could she be?" He was irritated enough, searching the entire complex for her was not in Izuna's plan. She better show up. And show up she did. As he was walking towards Madara's bedroom, which was not far from hers. Not far at all. In fact, it was much closer than he originally thought.  _How did I not see this before?_

He found her there, sitting on the ground right next to his door. She had combed her hair and pinned her side-locks back with a small gem. She had also changed into another kimono; lilac in color with navy and white flowers embroidered all over. Mina had her knees close to her chest with her arms wrapped around them.

"They wouldn't let me see him." She spoke softly, as if afraid to alert the medics inside that she was still lingering around. Izuna was actually gobsmacked that she had already made her way here. Out of all the places she could have been at, this was not in the top five where he had expected her to be. He stopped a few feet away, took his time in analyzing her, trying to come up with a sane explanation as to why she was here on her own. She had never listened to Izuna before, why was she doing it now? To mess with him? This was not a good time or place to be doing so. If she was, he hoped that she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.

"Get up." He told her and then went for the door. He knocked first before turning the knob. She was fast on her feet for some reason. Before he could even enter, both he and Mina were already flinching at the sounds of shattering glass and clanging of metal followed by loud shouts, screams and vulgar cusses. That mostly belonged to Madara. It was like a war-zone in there.

Izuna was well aware that his elder brother was a difficult person to deal with. Very difficult. And that included the times in which he was injured or needed medical help.

" _Please, Madara-sama, you need to stop mov-"_

"What the fuck do you know?! You worthless shits. How are you even medics goddammit!" Madara was raging. The poor women in the room were dodging bowls left and right. They were clearly aimed for them but Madara was too out of it to actually shoot properly.

"Calm down, Madara-sama!" Shouted another young woman. Madara turned his glare towards her instead. And that was when Izuna had taken a very good look at him. He thought he heard Mina gasp from behind him.

Madara was yellow. Very yellow. His eyes were somewhat bloodshot. His hair was on ends like never before and he was shirtless, exposing his newly bandaged chest. Although there was no bleeding, the small wound still needed to be healed and covered. It didn't look like he had any other visible cuts, not to Izuna's eyes anyway. Everyone had taken a corner of the room, afraid that he would lash out at them again. While Madara stood right at the center, ready to hurl butcher knives if given the chance.  _He should be in bed, what is he thinking?!_

Izuna was the only brave one to try and get closer to him.

"Brother, you need to get back in bed." He tried to be as gentle as he could, knowing that Madara was probably in a sensitive place at the moment. The three female medics looked like they were ready to bolt out of the room. The stench was horrible.

"What do you want?" Madara said right before roughly grabbing one of the many scattered bowls and proceeded to vomit into it.

No wonder it smelled like a skunk had just died. Mina did not seem to have a problem with it though as she appeared to be following Izuna's footsteps. But still kept her distance from Madara by latching onto the young Uchiha's closed back.

"He looks horrible!" She exclaimed.

_"Thank you for pointing out the obvious, Mrs. Conspicuous."_ He turned his head to shoot her a 'you better shut up or die' look.

"I'd like to see you two looking any better after getting poisoned." Madara interrupted their little chat. His voice was like a chair scraping across a tiled floor; hoarse, harsh and made you feel like you should jump out of your skin.

"Look at him. He's yellow like the sun!"  _She just had to say it, didn't she?_

_"Again, thank you-"_

"No, I mean his liver is failing. Like that's a symptom. Jaundice, you know?" Well, that explained everything.  _Not._

"Well, what do we suggest we do, Lil' miss Know-it-all?" Izuna was going to run out of names to call her if she didn't shut her trap and do what she came here to do. Besides, he couldn't guarantee what Madara would do to her if she didn't stop with the insults.

"I don't know. Get him a damn antidote?"

She had a short term memory problem for sure. There was a reason that she was here in the first place but it seems that she had forgotten it.

"We're working on that at the moment." An old raspy voice joined the chaos. Izuna turned and noticed that Lady Chiho had invited herself in and was now standing in doorway, with a relatively large needle in her hands. "Anyone who does not belong here should get out." At that command, Madara went straight for the door but Izuna caught him before he did anything else that made him appear more stupid.

"I don't think she was talking about you, Madara." He told his brother.  _Honestly, what was going on in Madara's mind?_  He should know better than to treat the people who are tending to him this way. Although, Izuna should not have expected differently, he hoped that his leader of a brother would act more in line. And if he didn't want to respect the medics, then he should at the very least do it for his health. He shouldn't be walking around, shouting, breaking and flinging bowls every chance he got. This was not healing. No matter how much the medical-nin did or tried to do, all of it would be in vain if he didn't attempt to try and recover on his own volition. He didn't need to make this explicitly clear as Madara had already read his mind. That's a thing they shared. Sometimes,  _just sometimes,_  they were able to know exactly what the other was thinking without ever needing to explain themselves. And with that in mind, Madara stepped back until he threw his back to the bed.

"Thank you girls, you may leave now. I will take responsibility from here on." Said the old lady, excusing the three medical ninjas in the room.  _The medical ninjas,_   _not Mina_. But the girl still thought it worth a try to act dumb and follow the other females out.

"Nice try. But remember why you're here?" He tabbed her shoulder before she took another step. _She didn't actually think she would get away with it, did she?_ That thought did entertain him for a bit but it was time they got serious. After the distressed and thoroughly traumatized women left, Lady Chiho closed the door behind them and took a breath.

"Good. You saved me the trouble of having to look for you." She told Mina who started to walk backwards at the sight of the large needle syringe. Izuna would have stopped her but it was much funnier seeing her stumble on her kimono until she fell back onto the bed next to a now-sleeping Madara. She got up pretty quickly and shrieked.  _Bet she regrets ever coming here huh._

"I see that we arrived at the same deduction." The old lady couldn't hide that smugness from her tone and he had to agree.

"You know what they say,  _great minds think alike._ " It was his turn to smirk.

"Indeed." She concurred before heading towards Mina. "I'm assuming you're a willing participant in this experiment otherwise you wouldn't have stood outside for the better part of the last hour, waiting to get inside."

_Better part of the last hour?_ That was much longer than he had expected. Izuna's eyes widened just slightly and made sure to lock eyes with her. This was more entertaining than he thought. She even went further to prove his point by blushing. From head to toe. As soon as their eyes met, she looked away. His smirk turned into a grin. "Please don't get all flustered, I need all the blood that I could get." Even the old hag went as far as joking with her, only turning her all the more redder.

"Please extend me your arm."

Izuna preferred to stay a few feet back and watch the scene unfold. He has done his part up until now, she would have to follow through with her word. However, she was clearly reluctant to do so.

"Relax." Lady Chiho said. "The needle's sterilized. And I will be using another one after extracting your blood. I'm going to be honest with you, even as a senior medic, this is not something that I have done nor should be doing considering the risks. I am, in a sense, gambling with the effectiveness of your healing abilities. But there's no antidote for the moment and this would serve as a temporary placement. And I sincerely hope that it works. I wouldn't admit this publicly and I will be counting on it staying between us."

_Good, now that the introductions were out of the way..._

She didn't even wait for Mina to respond and instead took her arm, lifted the right sleeve of her kimono and rubbed an ointment on her upper arm. She then went on to insert the needle. The damn syringe was large enough to make Izuna uncomfortable, he had to wonder what kind of psychological torture Mina was facing. To him, the mental torment of seeing that  _thing_  pricking a body was much greater than the physical pain of it. On the other hand, that was a shit ton of blood that she was withdrawing. He took a glance at Mina. She did not look like she was in pain though, just annoyed. Her lips were pressed together into a thin line, a little on the pouting side. Otherwise, she looked relatively normal. Which was the equivalent of the opposite. Nothing about her was normal in spite appearing that way.

The needle was then pulled out and Mina retreated, stroking her arms.

"Thank you." A non-genuine appreciation was all she got. Izuna took this as a chance to approach his sleeping brother while Lady Chiho prepared her so-called equipment to inject the blood into Madara. The giant 6 foot 2 was splayed across his king-sized bed. He looked like he was at peace. Somewhat. In a weird, unnatural and a very distorted way. Except for his irregular breathing, his unconsciousness- probably not willfully induced- and his abnormal yellowish complexion. Asides from that, he was utterly lost. Probably buried somewhere deep into his wicked version of dreamland.

"So, should we wake him up for this or what?" He turned his head to the side to answer her.

"Not sure..." Izuna crossed his arms and contemplated for a while. "He's not very fond of needles. Although.."

_"You bet your ass I'm not. Don't get that thing near me."_

_Holy shit._ Madara's eyes suddenly shot open. How long had he been awake like that?  _Creepy ass._ Seriously, he could not understand how his brother could be such a creep.

"Fuck-" He heard Mina curse under her breath. Well not so much under her breath as much as it was under her sleeve, to which she was now using to cover her nose from the general odor of the room. The only elder in the room seemed completely unfazed.

"I don't think you have a choice." Izuna kindly informed his brother before he went on a rampage again. This time, he could not be so carefree when throwing potentially sharp objects at an elder of the council. Not that Madara would give a fuck, but well...there were limits.

"Just suck it. Don't be such a pussy."

...

_Dammit._ She ran her mouth at the most inappropriate moments of all times.  _Why? Just why?_  What did she gain by goading his elder brother? Sometimes. No, most of the times, Izuna could not understand how women rationalized some of their inexplicable behavior and this woman or girl or whatever she was, was a perfect specimen for such oddities. Unfortunately, that crude comment did not go unnoticed by Madara, much to both Lady Chiho's and Izuna's dismay. As expected, the sick man rose to his feet, slower than usual.

_"Pardon?"_ He may have still been half asleep, but Madara was more than conscious enough to punch a hole through the wall, had he wanted to. She, the foolish one, was obviously not aware of her own words.

"Oh, I thought you wanted to get to know me better. What better way than to have my blood coursing through your veins?"

Izuna believed a few brain cells of his had just died. These cells were now so irreversibly lost that they can never be returned. Mina was going to get hims kill him, he just knew it, but not before she attempts to get herself murdered by the Uchiha leader first.

" _Why you-_

"Get out." He warned her and thankfully, she was not mental enough to stay a second longer. She ran to the door while he did his best to hold back his brother from going after her. To physically restraint Madara Uchiha, even in this state, was no easy act. Even for the younger brother.

* * *

_**Mina's POV** _

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why did I say that?! I'm so stupid._

I shut the door gently behind me. I really did not intend to anger him like that. I actually meant it as a tease, you know. The playful kind in which you egg on your friend to do something stupid and reckless. I was getting the impression that he wasn't as angry with me as he was in the beginning. I was wrong. So wrong. You know, I was under the delusion that Madara was growing somewhat nice. Well, as it appears, we were not on that level of intimacy just yet.  _Stupid me with my stupid mouth._ I should probably make that clear, right? No harm done if I just...

I opened the door, stuck my head through and said, "I'm just joking. No offense taken, right?" with all the joy and enthusiasm I could voice. I tried to laugh it off, hoping to soothe some of the tension but if Madara had momentarily calmed down, it sure as hell did not last for long. He was about to jump up from his bed but Izuna caught him in time and tackled him.

"Get the fuck out!" I heard Izuna shout back.  _Okay, so this may not have been the best idea._ I quickly re-shut the door and ran as fast as my legs would take me away from this toxic environment.

I eventually found myself in the garden that I used to spend so much time in. It was a comforting site, I felt a bit relieved at being back in this specific place. Not in the compound itself, but just in this simple and beautiful green space.

"Mina-chan!"

_Huh?_

That familiar voice brought me even more relief and a bit of joy as I turned around to meet Kagami for the first time in what felt like forever. I squealed like a little girl as I rushed towards the boy and took him into a tight embrace. I crouched down and hugged the living hell out of him because I couldn't let him go. He was like the only thing that was  _nice_  about any of this. I honestly couldn't imagine how I went the past week without seeing him.

"I miss you so much!" I was beaming, I couldn't contain my joy anymore. The boy though was unusually silent. _Was something wrong?_ I released my grip on him to take a good look if he was alright or if I had done something wrong. It was both. Kagami was heaving as if he was having trouble taking in his next breath.

"Are you okay?!" I asked him, quite concerned. He wasn't like this in the moment before we hugged.

"Ye-yes..." There was a pause before he continued. "You..you were suffocating me...couldn't breathe." He pointed to my chest as if it was the culprit in a horrendous crime and then everything clicked. I may or may not have hugged him a little too tightly.

"Oh God, sorry about that, kid." I laughed a bit awkwardly as I shuffled his already tousled hair. "It's been a while, huh?"

"Yes! Where were you? You've missed so much!" He exclaimed.  _Yeah, I pretty much gathered that._  A good part of the compound was destroyed. There was nothing but rubble and waste in the old quarters. An attack. Exactly like they said.

"Oh really? Wanna tell me about it?" I took his tiny hands in mine and got up. He nodded ecstatically. "But first, how about we take a walk? The weather is kind of nice and I think we should take advantage of it as much as we can."

"Yes, sure. If you want to." He replied, indifferent to the whole suggestion. I didn't care for it either, I only wanted to get away from here before Madara bursts out of nowhere and all hell breaks loose. Kagami didn't deserve to see that.

"So, how you've been? Anything interesting going on?" I tried to get him to talk. About anything really. But just like every time, he didn't have much to say or talk about. Except about his training with Madara or what chore he did with the maids that day. I was a bit saddened by the fact that he didn't much friends, it sort of reminded me of how I was when I was younger. I didn't have much friends either. I didn't have any at all and it got super lonely. And that was why I urged him every time to try and talk to at least one new kid every day. Which was a difficult task for him seeing that he didn't leave the main household often. For now, he would have me. Until he is able to grow out of his shell and meet other people, I guess I will always be there on the side. Having no where to go really.

We walked past the garden and were in the middle of a training field. It was empty save for a few wooden posts here and there. A small forest encircled the field. _I guessed that this was far enough, Madara shouldn't be able to come out here in his current condition._

"Nothing much. Except for what happened yesterday!" He was really excited for some reason. I could only imagine yesterday being anything but a happy occasion. I knew how bad he wanted to talk about it which was why I was stalling. I needed to find a comfortable place where we could sit and talk as much as he wanted. And I found it. I pulled him along towards the entry of the forest. It was nice and breezy; the perfect autumn weather.

"Come on." And he followed me, as we neared closer to the dense area of trees, I recognized a few flowers that were randomly scattered across the field. I slowed down a bit and pointed to to one of the magenta-colored plants.

"Look. See that? Those are hibiscus flowers. Aren't they beautiful?" I asked him. Of course they were, who wouldn't like them?

"Yes?" He was hesitant in his answer, unsure of where I was going with this. I squatted and picked up a flower.

"Ever heard of hibiscus tea?" He shook his head. "Okay, so hibiscus tea is basically tea brewed from the leaves of this flower. The leaves and some of the petals are taken to be dried, under the sun if you will. Once dried, you can heat them in hot water and just make plain old tea. I love hibiscus. The tea is delicious. And even the color is beautiful. Just like this." I pointed to the darkest area of the flower. It wad that shade of deep magenta and pheonician purple. He was following every word I said. I hoped.

"Personally, I love to drink it ice cold but a lot of people also like it hot. It's sort of a change from the usual green or pecan orange tea. I have also heard hibiscus is actually good for you. Would you like me to make you some once we go back home?" I looked down at him and saw that he was still mesmerized by the range of colored flowers. Some were deep purples that washed out into pale pink-whitish hues. And others were bloody red with yellow and orange specks decorating their petals. I guess he had never noticed them before.

"Yes please! I'd love some!" He began picking out other flowers.

"Alrightie then, guess you'd have to help me collect a few more fl-"

"Consider it done!" He was already jumping from batch to batch. He was very fast, if I let him go any longer, he might deflower the whole field. And no. Not that kind of 'deflowering'. Though let us suppose it as such, for the sake of a lack of a better word. After a while, when we had collected a good amount of hibiscus in our hands, I ushered him over. We began walking towards the end of the field. We settled down and amassed the flowers into a pile. I took a seat next to a tree and patted down the area beside me.

"So, what happened yesterday?"

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

He felt nauseous and weak. He couldn't stand laying in bed doing nothing but at the same time, he couldn't move a single muscle fiber of his body. His insides were killing him. He had been poisoned before but this has got to be by far the worst of them all. He was feverish, his skin was turning yellow and he couldn't understand why. He was hunched over his bed, ready to vomit anything that was left over in his stomach and was still not out. Which was virtually nothing.

All he wanted to do was get out. See what the heck happened while he was gone for one day.  _One goddamn day._ He was certain someone had planned this. Perhaps the same person he fought back at the forest. And yet, h needed more proof on who had the guts to attack his village. The events of the last few days were nothing but a blur now. One incident after the other. The world would not give him a break. Most of all, he had not anticipated it would end this way. He did not foresee that he would end up going back to get her. Nor seeing her again. And definitely not retrieving her. A part of him was willing to leave her there and he was this close to doing so. As always, she never ceased to surprise him.  _Was she a wind-style user? How? She had no chakra. No fucking chakra._

The chain reaction that had followed went beyond his control. He couldn't remember the details. Not that he wanted to. All he could recall of that night was her disappearing. Then finding her. He and Eiji had split ways to extend their searching parameters and as his luck would have it, Madara was the one who found her. Half naked, tied up and crawling on the ground miserably. She looked utterly helpless. He had been seething with fury and anger. Mostly at himself for how he could turn such a blind eye for a mere second. Had he been more cautious, she would have never ended up in that situation and he wouldn't be strapped to this bed, ailing. It has been almost two days since returning and he was feeling like he was getting worse. Though, the head medic kept insisting that it was a good sign. That he was improving and that his body was 'detoxing'. She would even keep noting how his complexion was returning to normal but he really couldn't give a fuck after they forced that needle into him. Not to mention the fact that they still haven't found an antidote.

He groaned as his back hit the soft sheets of the bed. His whole body was aching and his mind was above and beyond exhausted. It didn't take much to get him to sleep after that. He felt himself slowly drifting off.

...

He woke up to the sounds of hushed voices. He had no energy left in him to open his eyes but he was well aware that there were people in his room.

_"Hey...should we be doing this?"_  A boy had said.

_"Why not? I mean we're only checking up on him?"_ Replied the other familiar voice. From the way their voice resonated, the boy was to his left while the woman; to his right. _How long had they been there?_ Suddenly, he felt small bony fingers jab his upper ribs. This went on for the next minute or so. Madara was waiting patiently for the idiot who was doing this to stop or else they would soon find themselves with an ugly set of broken fingers.

_"Kagami...stop. That's not nice. He'll wake up."_

_Oh. It was only Kagami._

_"But why? You've been doing it. Why can't I?"_ He countered, a little annoyed at his lady friend.

_"I was not."_  She denied it. But Madara had no way of knowing, he hadn't felt other prodding fingers. Perhaps, he had been asleep.

_"Yes, you were. You were poking his nipples."_  Kagami stated.  _The fuck?_ This was unsettling, at this point, Madara should have opened his eyes to take a look at the person currently violating his privacy. The woman began to giggle quietly.

_"I just wanted to feel how soft they were."_

_"That is just creepy, Mina-chan."_

This was enough, Madara was thoroughly crept out. He pulled the covers up till his head and turned to the side, rather violently. They better get the hell out of there before he gathered enough strength to get up. He heard laughter and shuffling around before everything went silent once more. "I think he's already awake." Kagami said right before the door shut after him.

_Finally._

* * *

A few days had passed by. It was excruciatingly long but he was feeling fairly better, a sort of improvement. Izuna had dropped by a couple of times along with Lady Chiho. There was a meeting to be held today but Madara had no intentions of going. From the looks of it, his brother wouldn't let him skip this one for some reason. He was slowly waking from a deep slumber, it must have been day as he felt a strange warmth hovering over his skin. And then a soft touch settled ever so lightly on his torso. He dared to open his eyes and was met with huge, round brown orbs. Her thick eyelashes fluttered every time she blinked. Her locks were falling all over his face. She was taking up most of his peripheral vision.

"Hey there, Sleeping beauty." She said, her voice was just as soft as her touch.  _What was this? Why couldn't she leave me_ _alone?_ He closed his eyes for a second and reopened them only to see her still up in his face. Though, she was smiling this time.  _Why wasn't she moving?_

"Welcome back."

Soon enough, another face forced itself into his field of vision. A young boy with short tousled black hair stood at his side, hovering over his face as well.

"Madara-sama is awake!" He blurted out all the while pulling at his arm.  _Who the hell were these people?_ Of course he knew who they were, he was just amazed at how fools like them existed in this world. With the exception of Hashirama. He was in a league of his own. He darted his gaze from the boy to the woman and then back to the boy. How could they so casually enter his room? Was there no one out there to stop them? They had already managed to sneak in twice. To his knowledge. Who knows how many times they strolled in while he was out cold? Who knows what else they had done to him while he was asleep? Such thoughts really made him cringe. It even made the hairs on his neck stand on end.

"At least you don't look like a yellow teletubby anymore. That's a good thing by the way. Never liked the teletubbies, they were always so creepy."  _What on earth was a teletubby?_

"Both of you. Get out." He warned them. They have long overstepped their boundaries and it was time they go back to their places.

"Kagami and you should leave. Now." Izuna suddenly appeared at the doorway, only reiterating what Madara was about to repeat. Harshly. Kagami tried to object but cut himself short, realizing that this was not the best time to complain. Mina took his hand and were  _happily_  on their way out the putrid room. Leaving Madara to finally relax. He propped himself on his pillow until he was fully straightened up and ready to get out of this damn bed.

"About time your ass got up." Izuna approached him, a scowl on his face. Not a good sign. This was to be expected though, he had to wonder exactly what the elders had done to his baby brother if it got him in such a foul mood.

"Yes, well excuse  _my impotence_  if you couldn't find the antidote earlier." He snapped back. Strangely, Madara did not remember ever being woken up to be given antidote to the poison. They must have injected him with it while he was asleep. The medics must have figured it would be much less of a hassle than having to deal with a waking Madara. He couldn't blame them seeing how he reacted the last time they tried to stick one into him.

"There is no antidote. So your excuse is invalid." His brother informed him in a rather sarcastic tone.  _No antidote?_ Then how was he healing? Or even feeling better in the slightest? He eyed Izuna, not sure if the he was playing him or was quite serious. Madara would have liked to know, but his first priority was to burn this God forsaken room to the ground before the smell turned into something much worse.

He stood to his feet, stretching his sore muscles in the process. He headed towards the bathroom to freshen up but Izuna insisted on making his presence all the more intolerable.

"Madara, we really need to talk about something."

 

 

 


	29. The Blushing Bride And The Killer Groom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had no idea people read this story in the first place, that was what discouraged me a bit hahaha.  
> Sometimes, I don't understand how this site works, at all >.<

 

**_Madara's POV_ **

He was walking down the corridors of his own house. His. But there was something so terribly off about it. Something so alienating, he didn't recognize it anymore. This looked like his house but Madara just didn't feel it. It didn't feel real to him. The wooden panels were cracking with age. The painted crests were peeling off after such a long time. The lighting was dim. The only thing shining today was the sun. Which was a surprise, seeing that they were right in the heart of autumn. Although, Madara did welcome a bit of sunlight. The last few days were so dark and physically draining, he didn't mind indulging in something bright for once. While he was admiring the atypical tranquility of the atmosphere and its hauntingly sweet odors, his mind was already working on organizing his thoughts. One by one. He rearranged everything his brother had just told him; reshuffled his words so he could begin making sense of them. He was really trying his best but he couldn't help but feel that there were things missing. Things Izuna wasn't telling him.

He had to hand it to Izuna though. He had found the damn mole and took good care of it apparently. But unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough. Not rapid enough to prevent the attack on their compound. Madara was now able to form connections on how all these incidents related to each other but just like always, there was always that missing link. The answer was so painfully clear but he was overthinking it. And that wasn't an entirely good thing. When one often overthinks things, they tend to dismiss the most obvious answer, which was almost always the right one. However, for the moment, he couldn't even begin to pin-point the exact instant when this cascade of horrors began. What triggered any of this? Why? What did anyone gain from conveying such traitorous thoughts? What did that maid, Sora, really had against them? Her reasons for doing this? There had to be an underlying reason behind the simple 'she was a spy working to gather information on us for her clan's benefit'. If there were other motives, Izuna didn't know. Or so he claimed.

His younger brother had this annoying habit of cherry picking his words, only saying what he thought was appropriate for someone to know and withheld the rest until further notice. Or until he felt the need to divulge. Just because. Why would Izuna choose to avoid telling him anything more sensitive? As far as Madara knew, he was privy to  _any_  and whatever information that each of his shinobi possessed. Including Izuna.

He was passing by the hall that opened out to the garden. The pillars and the greenery were on his left side; chambers and doors to his right. A few feet away sat Mina on the edge of the wooden floor, feet dangling out onto the grass and a cup of steaming tea beside her. She hadn't sensed his presence just yet. Madara stood there a couple of seconds and looked her over. Her natural caramel-tinted curls were like smooth honey dripping over her shoulders. For some reason, it reminded him of honey. Just from the color and from the way it looked, honey was the first thing that came to mind. Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he tasted some.

_Focus!_

His mind really did wander off to strange places sometimes. A few locks were pulled back and pinned down by a small gem. Her kimono was bloody red. It was pretty plain but the color somewhat suited her. He took another step forward and one of the panels creaked. She instantly turned her head in his direction and looked up. She straightened up and uncrossed her legs.

"Hi." She greeted him but he wasn't sure how to answer. Should he thank her for saving him or should he teach her some sensibility on how not to go around insulting her superiors? He ended up settling for doing neither. Balance was the key. Still, he was left rather clueless on how to reply so decided to just continue down his path, without even a simple 'hello'. He walked past her and she eyed him as he so casually ignored her.

"Nice talking to you too." She muttered but Madara heard her alright. He delightfully chose to ignore that as well. "At least you're up and about."

 _Was she talking to herself now?_ He stopped in his tracked and turned her way.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice was still groggy and a bit harsh. You don't go around saving someone you hate and then his brother who you equally despise without so much as demanding something in return. No one did anything for others in this world without strings attached, so why couldn't it apply to her? That was the conclusion he came up with. Madara still struggled with understanding why she would do it. As far as he concerned, his death would and should have been a relief to her. That way, she was free to do what she wanted. Free to leave to wherever she wanted.

She took her sweet time in answering a relatively simple question. It was like she was building up a list in her mind of what she wanted but then quickly erased it and opted for a much simpler "Nothing." Naturally, he did not believe her but he also had this uncanny feeling that whatever she did want from him, he would not be able to offer her as much as he wanted to. Or even tried to. Some desires were just so simple yet it was incredibly hard to follow through with them.

She looked away from him and shifted her gaze to the cultivated garden before her. She looked so enthralled by it which was a bit strange as most of the leaves were dying, falling to the ground and leaving their trees bare as skeletons. If he didn't know better, he could have said that she seemed so at ease or even peaceful right in that moment and perhaps she was. But being who he was and of course, he would have to ruin that moment for her.  _Unintentionally,_  he tried to convince himself.

"What do you remember of that night?" He demanded, Madara was inherently a skeptical person and he couldn't help but feel that she was  _intentionally_  forgetting to mention something. Something important. And he had been feeling this way ever since she unexpectedly undressed him right in the middle of the forest and began suckin-

She placed the cup down after sipping the rest of her tea. She crossed her legs once more and laid back on her hands. Returning to the same position she was in before he interrupted her thoughts. Not once did she attempt to get up.

"What part do you really want to know?" She finally replied.

_Everything._

"What part are you willing to recount?" His sounded much more stern than he actually was. It was just that he was used to displaying this kind of tone with everyone for the longest time, it was difficult for him to portray anything other than that particular behavior at any given situation. Even if that situation called for a more happy intonation. Not to say this was a pleasant event, it just did not merit his portentous demeanor.  _Not yet anyways._

"I.." She began but stopped midway before continuing. Mina was getting nervous and it was clearly visible. So he was right, she did hide something from him. And from how bad she was fidgeting with her fingers, it was something quite important.

"Just say it. I won't get mad. I promise." He said dully.

That was a blatant lie and even she knew it.

"Uhm...Remember when I said there was another person there?" She was dragging this out for absolutely no reason.

"Yes."

"So..uhm...they may or may not have been concocting to lure you out of the compound while they staged an attack." She whispered that sentence and with good reason, too. Madara wasn't buying it. Although he had come to that conclusion, there was no definitive evidence to prove that except the subtle insinuation of a dead maid and her dying words. But what this woman was saying...

_"WHAT?" She better get her ass up._

She flinched slightly at his sudden change in tone. He was wrong, now was the time that warranted his callous and relentless conduct. They kidnapped her in an attempt to draw him out while they used that perfect opportunity to invade his base. But how did they know that he would go back for her? Or that he even left her at the settlement in the first place?

_Right. Sora._

_"I-"_

_"You what? Didn't think it was worth mentioning when I specifically asked WHAT THE HELL DID THEY WANT FROM YOU?"_ He was getting nearer and was this close to dragging her up to her feet but she seemed to get the hint and pulled herself up instead. Madara remembered  _explicitly_  asking her back then what they had wanted from her and she had instantly changed the subject. That was the first red flag that caught his attention but he was mentally incapacitated that he couldn't follow up on her restlessness. Contrary to what he had expected, she did not step back but kept on advancing forward until she was right in front of him, a mere two inches separating them apart. She looked into his eyes and said,

"What did it matter if I had told you or not? In fact, do you know what would have happened had I told you? Because I do. I know that you would have ran straight back to the compound as fast as you can. And guess what? That poison you were infected with would have traveled that much faster to the rest of your body, spreading to your other organs. And BOOM. Guess who would have dropped dead right in the middle of a fucking forest in the dead of night? Tell me, what help would you have been to your clan then, huh? Tell me."

That defiance in her eyes surprised him far more than her words ever did. He had a hard time grasping the fact that this was the same woman who would always fall back whenever he was around. The same woman who made little effort to get into arguments with him or with anyone for that matter. As much as she wanted to make herself look intimidating than she was, it was hard to take her seriously when she was a full head shorter than him. However, he did take notice of her urgent and dire humour. Maybe she spoke truth to her words after all.

"Madara." A third voice interrupted their little stand-off.

It was a good thing Izuna had come in. For once, he had the perfect timing because Madara really had no idea what he would have done to the woman if his brother had arrived only a second later. He was torn between smashing his lips right into hers and taking her into his arms or pinning her against the wall and shake her so violently in hopes of getting some clear and tangible answers out of her. Again, balance was the key and he found himself doing nor one or the other. And that was mostly due to his brother's startling appearance.

He backed away slowly and turned on his heels, heading back to where he was originally going.

The damn meeting room.

* * *

"Finally, now that we're all present..." Said one of the elders.  _Same introduction as always, hmm._

"We would just like to say welcome back Madara-sama."

_"Yes, we are relieved that you are back on your feet."_

He honestly did not care what these people said. Half of them, if not all of them, hated his guts. Right down to his very core. And he could say the same about them. Though, he guessed it all came down to formalities.

"Yes, well-" Madara began. "I see a lot has passed since leaving." No one dared to allude to the events of the past week. They were avoiding the mere mention of the attack altogether as if it was an ill omen. It angered Madara because he was more than desperate to know what had happened. Everyone but one. Takayama was all for breaking the ice in any strained situation; relieving the tension. To a certain extent.

"We arrived at the same conclusion you have. It was an orchestrated attack planned by luring you out so they could have a chance at infiltrating the village. Though, I suppose you have already heard the details." He did. But Madara was curious to hear what others had to say. That wasn't meant to say that he didn't trust Izuna. No. His brother was in fact the only one he could trust. But it didn't hurt to have more insight. Maybe they knew something Izuna didn't.

"What were they looking for?" He voiced his thoughts which he did not do often inside these four walls. Unless it was in the form of barking orders or brutally insulting the currently sitting members.

"We don't know. A fight maybe." One of the men suggested. It wasn't uncommon for clans to initiate fights with other ninja clans. Nevertheless, there was always a reason behind the conflicts. Whether it was a long time grudge between the clans or even an attempt to acquire more lands, there was always a logical basis to whoever instigated the assault.

"They were  _a little too_  eager for a fight if you ask me." Madara had to agree with that statement. Whatever  _the thing_  he was fighting was, it seemed more than bloodthirsty. It or he was willing to die just to fight with the Uchiha leader. Its behavior went above and beyond just a mere passion for a good fight, it was obsessive and disgusting. Madara was glad to hear that his shinobi fared well against such people.

"What did you expect? They're Kaguya. Name me another clan that is as fucked as they are."

"Never heard of these people."

He felt as if he was intruding on some conversation being held exclusively between them and he just happened to drop by. Madara was listening intently as they continued to chatter on between themselves.

"They're a clan from Kusagakure known for their unique kekkei genkai ability to mold their bone structures into weapons." Lady Chiho offered an explanation.

"The Grass Village? What would bring them all the way into the Fire Country? For a fight? A bit excessive don't you think?" Takayama asked, perplexed at such a possibility.

"I wouldn't underestimate their lust for blood. These people would go to extraordinary lengths just for-"

"Well, glad we could get that out of the way..." The Uchiha leader interrupted their small-talk. "Does anyone here have a valid explanation on how they managed to kill fifteen of our men?" This issue still bothered him. It was the sole reason as to why he even left the compound at all. Madara had hoped that he would find answers to this mysterious disappearance. As fate would have it though, he only returned with more questions, a deranged yet perceptive woman and a nasty scar under his right nipple. And to a good part of the complex destroyed.

 _It could have been worse._  He tried to remain optimistic for some reason.

"So, no. Hmph." He concluded. The only theory that everyone seemed to agree on was that they were killed for the purpose of only being discovered which would then lead Madara to discover the pendant. And well...everything seemed to fall into place afterwards. But that would have taken extraordinary planning and the Kaguya did not seem like a patient bunch. More importantly, _where the heck have these travelling Uchihas been for the last three months?_

A lot of questions remained unanswered even after defeating the perpetrators responsible. At the very least, one of them could have held answers but as it appears, they were not able to retrieve a corpse. Alive. Instead, the bodies were burnt at the far borders of their tiny village. While some were kept for further analysis. Which, unsurprisingly, turned up nothing.

 _"As of yet."_  Lady Chiho insisted that they were close to finding something.

 _Like an antidote?_ Madara bit his tongue on that one. It wasn't time for snarky remarks or contemptuous mocking on his part. Despite being such a... _dick_ , Madara also knew when it was time to shut his mouth. He could see how stressed the medics were, particularly that old crone, so it was much appreciated if he sucked up whatever insolent comments he had up his sleeves. Per Izuna's request, that is. Of course Madara did not give two shits about stress and whatnot, but it was something his brother emphasized on, rather carefully, before ushering him in.

"Like the antidote you found?"

It wasn't him. No. But someone else seemed to get how ridiculously long the medics took to perform a simple task. The head medic's ears were wide enough to intercept that snide observation. She turned her head towards the fellow elder who was responsible for those poorly chosen words and glared at him with all her might.  _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned._  That phrase echoed deeply in Madara's mind right then.

"Oh really?" Her raspy voice was shaking with anger. "Would you like to tell me how simple it is to find an antidote to a particular poison you've never encountered? Tell me? Go on. I'm listening." She challenged him. Of course, he kept his mouth shut, probably figuring it would save him whatever dignity that was left instead of answering and risking himself in looking more like a fool. Lady Chiho did not wait for his reply. She turned and faced the rest of the room.

"Well, since all of you still won't shut up about it, I'll tell you what we were able to find  _so far_  about the poison itself." She paused and took a deep breath to gather herself. After regaining composure, she faced Madara, her leader, and spoke.

"The poison was a mixture of plant extracts, particularly wolfsbane and flame lilies. There was also a small constituent of snake venom that is usually secreted by a known snake species found at the southern islands. Though these are commonly known toxins, I've never seen them prepared together. It was very distinctive. But that wasn't what stopped us from producing an antidote. In fact, antidotes for these toxins already exist."

"But..."  _There was always a but. It wouldn't be fair if everything was just easy, now would it?_

"There was also another component that we couldn't identify. A metal of some kind which- _as we have come to find out-_ is also abundantly present in the bone structures of the individuals that carried the kekkei genkei. I personally think that this metal-like element is what is responsible for their notable abilities." She finally finished. Madara let the information sink in. It was a lot and it certainly was not his field of expertise, therefore he had to trust her opinion, whether he liked it or not. And if she said that they couldn't even identify the unknown integrant, then how could they possibly develop an antidote?  _If that was the case, then-_

 _"_ So, you _couldn't_  find an antidote?" The same man who questioned her abilities, spoke again. Regretfully this time. From time to time, these people would surprise Madara by their sheer stupidity or their willful ignorance. Like this man was currently doing. Just as astounded as he was, Lady Chiho transformed her bewilderment into full-blown hostility. She pushed her chair down as she got up from her seat and smacked her hands on the table, crumbling the papers she held onto in the process.

 _"FOR THE LOVE OF-_  Is that all you understood from what I said? Of course you did! You imbecile of a man! Nothing but a stupid, lowly sup-species of the human race you fuck-. Do you even know what an antidote is? Do you? If you're so concerned about a damn antidote, let me lie and tell you that I have found one. A living human if you must know! Are you satisfied?" Her rant echoed throughout the room, her brutal words were amplified over and over, everyone was a bit flabbergasted at such an outburst. Much less from Lady Chiho, who was known to be the most composed of them all.

Madara couldn't blame her though, in fact, he could somewhat relate to what she was feeling. As soon as her rant ended, she calmed down. Sitting back and coughing to clear her throat, she passed a quick hand through her graying hair and apologized.

"Forgive me Madara-sama, that was uncalled for and not...quite lady-like of me." She bowed slightly. He didn't care. He had met much more vulgar women, this did not really faze him. As he was about to begin talking once more, the elder sitting opposite of him at the other end of the table beat him to it.

"Look, the important think is that Uchiha-sama is alive, details as to how his treatment went about is none of my business and shouldn't be any of yours. Which brings us to our next issue-"

"No." He said curtly. He didn't even want to hear it. He didn't know what it was but he knew that it was not something he wanted to think about right now.

"But, sir, you don't-" A young man intervened.

"Is it about how we're going to reconstruct the part of the complex that was demolished in my absence?" Madara asked knowing full well the answer.

"No." The councilman whispered.

"Well then, I don't want to hear it. _Clear?_ " He raised his voice so everyone who was about to suggest the same thing as this man would think twice before speaking.

"If you may, Lord Madara, I would like to suggest something." The old man chimed in. Madara motioned for him to continue but he should have known better. He could never get used to the blind man being...well, blind. However, Takayama took the silence as a sign for him to go on.

"I disagree with the idea of reconstructing the old quarters. It would be a waste of time and sources. If we are to relocate soon, then I see no point in rebuilding the out-dated neighborhood." Madara had already thought of that but-

"What about your home?" He asked. "Yes, and ours too?" A few other voices recapitulated what Madara was suggesting.

"Well, I'm sure we could all find someone to mooch on, don't you say? Besides, let's not kid ourselves, all of us already has one foot in the grave. It's only a matter of time really." Takayama laughed like there was no tomorrow. It was quite a sight, he had never seen the old man in such an over-joyed state; almost ecstatic. It seems that only Madara had found the joke funny as everyone else in the room looked either horrified, aggravated, offended or a mix of all three. They weren't ready to face reality like the eldest of them was. And that was why Madara had some respect for Eiji's father. Asides from his renowned skills, the man had a sense of dark humor like no other. In fact, this was perhaps his most tamest and flat out joke that Madara has ever heard from him. No wonder he wasn't liked by his fellow colleagues. And anyone that wasn't liked by the elders, was automatically on Madara's favorites list. Not that he would admit to having a favorites list. Never.

"I agree." Were Izuna's first two words in the whole duration of the meeting. Too bad they weren't his last. His older brother took this as a chance to proceed with Takayama's wise proposal.

"Very well then-" He began.

"Wait, how about the rest of us?" One of them objected. One, then two and three, four, five and six. A total of six old geezers.

"What about the rest of you?" He quirked a brow, curious as to how they could be so ignorant. They would rather waste their man-power, limited resources and even more time to restore some buildings that should have been destroyed a long time ago. Madara did not give them the opportunity to discuss this further.

"I'm sure each of you has a son or a daughter that is willing to take you in." _You know, if they haven't disowned you yet._ Anyone who had half a brain would understand this as a signal for them to lay this issue to rest. That was Madara's final words on the matter, and whatever Madara decides, Madara does. It was as simple as that. No buts or what ifs. None whatsoever.

Now that the important affairs were out of the way, he didn't see any excuse that would prevent him from cutting this meeting short. He may have been healing, for unknown reasons. Well, the correct words would be for inexplicable reasons. He knew how he was healing, just not the why. And surely Lady Chiho was more knowledgeable in this area than he was.  _Surely she would have an explanation._ But if she did, she would have just came out and said it during the meeting. It didn't matter to him at the moment. All he wanted was to sleep, His body was still aching even after the hot shower. He was still in pain and only wanted to rest. Although, he couldn't deny the fact that he was feeling much better than he did a few days ago.

"If that's all, this meeting is-"

"Actually, it isn't all."

 _Dammit! I was this close._ Normally, he would have just went on and ignored whoever had interrupted him. But this time, it wasn't just anyone. It was his brother.  _What did Izuna want now?_ Madara thought that they had talked about everything that needed to be talked about right that morning. If this was some sort of ambush Izuna was planning, Madara would make sure he paid for it later on. He shot his younger brother a glare that told him to hurry the fuck up.

"It has been brought to my attention..." There was a nervous cough. Definitely not a good sign. "That, uhm..." Izuna was really acting strange. He wasn't one to lose his words, especially to his elder brother. He could only imagine what those old cunts used to bribe him into doing this.

 _"Man, just take a wife and get this over with. Jeez."_ He rolled his eyes before sighing heavily. "Finally, got that off my chest. Ouf."

Madara was pretending that he had heard nothing. If he didn't hear it, it didn't exist. And with that...

"Meeting is dismissed." He said as he got up from his chair, purposely scraping the floor as a result of the anger building up inside of him. He was walking to the screen doors of the room, aware of his brother's weak voice. "I tried" he said without much sincerity,  _what a lame excuse of a justification._  However, no one else made a move to get up and leave.  _So, meeting is not dismissed after all._ He turned to face the detestable group. They were all a bunch of loathsome swines.

 _"Why are none of you leaving?"_ He uttered through clenched teeth. While he promised himself that he would not throw around the chairs and the tables like a mad man next time, he was finding it incredibly hard to follow through that commitment. They all looked at each other, afraid on whether to confront him or surrender to his clichéd intimidation tactics. They opted for the former option as it turned out. One of them tried to appeal to Madara's rationality, something he wasn't particularly known for.

"Madara-sama, I think you should sit down. This is a pressing matter that needs to be dealt with at last."

He thought he was feeling a few screws loosen as each second passed.

"With all due respect, you could have died." Said one of them. That had been a pretty obvious thought circulating amongst them, even in Madara's mind. But he wasn't dead and that was enough reason to stop thinking about it.

 _"And?"_ He was daring them to continue with this little fiasco. It wouldn't be the first time they tested his patience, it probably wasn't going to be the last either but  _it seems some people just don't learn._

"What do you think would happen to your clan if you did?" Another one added. It really was like an ambush. A trap even his own brother would not help him escape. That alone angered Madara more than anything. He often relied on his brother to assist him in slipping through these surprise snags, but this time was different. The elders were far more persistent and Izuna clearly could not give a fuck. Which could either mean that he, at some level, agreed with the old fools or that he really just didn't care. As for himself, he really did not think it through, for the first time, he managed to see past the present and got a glimpse of a possible future that hasn't happened. He wasn't one to dread over something that has yet to occur. He preferred to live in the moment, to focus on the present, instead. But things were changing  _and these people would not just shut up!_

"You need not worry your pretty little heads over that. If you ever find yourselves in need of a leader, you have one right over there." He nodded to his younger sibling's direction. Needless to say, he was being sarcastic though some have already taken his words seriously. Izuna was leaning his head in one of his palms, visibly unaffected by his brother's subtle insult. A few others had a hard time believing Madara would so casually endorse a juvenile airhead like Izuna to be the next leader after his death. One of them turned to Izuna's direction and vocalized what everyone in the room was thinking.

_"No offense Izuna-sama.."_

"Oh, none taken." Izuna replied nonchalantly. Madara shot him a dirty look telling him to either shut up or say something useful but then again, nothing really affected the second-in-command when he was bored out of his mind. He needed to settle this once and for all, or they might never leave him alone. Ever. Madara walked back towards the table, his chakra flaring out of control and his temper still at bay. Relatively. He was adamant on not letting them get to him.

_"Look you old crocks, give up on whatever it is you're trying to force out of me. Dead or alive, none of it matters. Getting me to wed as soon as you want will not miraculously result in the sudden appearance of a damn heir that you so-"_

"NO MADARA-SAMA!" Shouted the same young man who had interrupted him at the start of the assembly. Safe to say, it came as a shock to everyone at how blunt he was. And angry. Boy, was he angry. It even shocked Madara. Every pair of eyes in the room instantly roamed to the man in question, who was still seething in his own bubble. "That is no excuse! Every time, every damn time. At this rate, you'll die before an heir even attempts to appear. Whatever insecurities you think you have, set them aside and get it over with! For God's sake."

A minute had passed. And then two. And yet, the atmosphere only got tenser. Not a single soul was brave enough to take a breath, everyone was stiff as a wooden board. Said man seemed to regain some of his senses as he began to retreat ever so silently, only just comprehending the consequences of his little fit.  _An unexpected eruption from an unexpected man._ Madara himself calmed down a bit, his chakra was back to normal, though his mental state- not so much. Why were these people so desperate for him to get this over with? He had no intentions to settle down just yet but apparently, he didn't have much say in that matter right now.

"Uchiha-sama." Takayama caught his attention. The old man returned to his normally cheerless attitude, mimicking Madara's. "Surely you could see why we're so concerned. There has been much needless delay in this topic. At this point, we really do not care who you marry or why. The important thing is that you do."

Actually, he couldn't see.  _So what?_  He had been poisoned. Like many times before. For some reason, they were so stuck up with this notion that he could have easily died. But he didn't and he was alive, so what reason did they have to persist on this hypothetical idea that he could not father a child? However, what Madara heard and what Izuna heard were completely different things. Unlike the older sibling, Izuna took these words to heart. Something took a hold him as he suddenly jumped up from his seat, a wide grin replaced that numb and tiresome expression he had throughout the whole meeting.

"What wonderful news! I think Nii-san would-"

 _"Sit down!"_ Madara warned him. In truth, he was somewhat fearful of what his brother might do or say. A part of him was already panicking in spite of appearing otherwise. Izuna, being Izuna, did not listen and went on anyways as he clapped his hands together and shouted with that bogus over the top exuberant voice.

"How about we do a vote? Who here is in favor of seeing my elder brother walking down an aisle? Raise your hands. Oh, all of you? That's great." He did not leave time for anyone to properly vote but had he did, everyone in the room would have surely had both their hands raised. Madara, in his own little world, could not believe what was going on right before his very own eyes. His  _own_  brother publicly betraying him like that was so heart-rending that it occupied most of his mind. And with that, he was no longer able to think about anything, including the deal that was about to be made.

"From the looks of it, my brother has no choice but to finally agree! Marvelous! Speaking of which, this brings me to my next point. I will gladly take on the role of finding him the  _perfect_ wife. Oh wouldn't you look at that, I already have one. May I be so bold as to suggest who? Not that I actually need any of your approvals seeing that you don't really care as to who he marries, hmm?" Izuna was practically eating his own words, one after the other, some of the elders were having a hard time catching up but ultimately...

_Fuck._

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

"I'm sorry. Say what now?" Tobirama was having a difficult time understanding the invitation that they just received.

" _I repeat_ , you both are invited to Madara-sama's wedding." Hikaku said irritably, albeit a bit stunned himself. He had not expected that he would be the one uttering those words especially if those words were his leader's name and a wedding in the same phrase. What was even more disconcerting than it was amazing, was the fact that the wedding and Madara were somehow connected. It was never deemed possible by many of the Uchiha shinobi. In fact, most of Madara's people had given up on a prospect such as that. They figured he was just that one leader, who usually comes every few generations or so, that preferred to die alone. Without leaving any legacies behind. It was a rare occurrence, but it still happened. This fact did not go over the Senju's heads either. Particularly, Tobirama's. Who was having a hilarious fit over the thought of Madara being wed. Even so, he had to stop himself short before he went on laughing any further as he instantly recognized how ridiculously hypocritical he was.

If anything, he was mirroring Izuna's behavior not too long ago. There was an uncanny parallelism between both their reactions. Just as Izuna scoffed at the concept of Hashirama's marriage, Tobirama found himself doing the same towards Madara's own situation. Hashirama, on the other hand was over the moon as he read the formal letter over and over until he memorized the damn invite. He didn't trust his eyes and neither did Tobirama, that was why he had read it twice after him. In contrast to his younger brother, Hashirama did not see the freakish resemblances between the circumstances surrounding his own marriage and that of Madara's. If it really came down to it, Tobirama believed that the problem wasn't with the circumstances, but the real catch was with the men themselves. In his point of view, both were emotionally disturbed. With Hashirama having the psychological stability of a child's - _may God bless Mito's troubled soul_ \- and Madara...well, he was Madara. Tobirama was sure that the man was emotionally stunted at some level or another. It could not be helped. He did not mean to brag about such things, if anything, out of them three, he was the one with the least odds to settle down and start a family.

Tobirama took a minute to gather his thoughts. He was finally ready to ask the one question that was clearly avoided in the letter.

"So, who's the lucky bride?" He couldn't hide his smirk as much as he wanted to. But he really didn't. His tone was dripping with sarcasm which was duly noted by his Uchiha counterpart who was growing more and more aggravated. Tobirama and his brother along with Hikaku, were standing in an empty room that served as a temporary office space for spontaneously held meetings. Like this one. It wasn't really empty though. There was a long oblong wooden table at the center, with a couple of chairs surrounding it and a few kerosene lamps placed at the corners of the room. There was a red-glow to the room as the sanguine colored curtains hung over the windows.

"How would I know?" Hikaku retorted, obviously displeased by Tobirama's evident ridicule of his leader's upcoming nuptials. It was one thing for the Uchiha to joke among themselves about Madara's 'so-called hidden proclivities', it was another thing for a Senju to out-rightly mock him.

"What do you mean you don't know?  _How don't you know?_ " He was finding this hard to believe. How did they not know who the future matriarch of their clan was? There was something fishy about this. At this stage, Hikkaku resorted to a defensive stance.

"What's it to you, Senju? What do you care?" He replied almost viciously. It was like Hashirama had this automatic sensor on him because as soon as the atmosphere turned tense, even in the slightest, he was able to tear his eyes away from the piece of paper in his hands and joined in on their awkward conversation.

"Hey there fellas, how about we calm down?" He tried to laugh it off but no one was laughing with him. The Senju leader was more than enthralled as he accepted the invitation gratuitously. "We are quite delighted with an honored invitation such as that and we're more than happy to accept the offer. We'll be there in a week's time as you wish."

That was another thing that had bothered Tobirama. It was so soon and seemed like it was rushed. Very rushed.  _Now, what could have brought about something like that?_  Something must have happened. Something bad, though he couldn't say what exactly. Perhaps something related to those defectors Madara had come to ask about nearly two weeks ago. And retrieve the woman. _Speaking of which, I wonder how she's doing?_ A part of him still could not comprehend why he took her back. Tobirama was truly under the impression that they could actually keep her, despite how preposterous that sounded. But as it turns out, Madara had a weird sense of humor.

The Uchiha shinobi delivered what he came to deliver and went on his way, leaving behind a confounded Tobirama and a delirious Hashirama.

" _Holy sh-_  Do you believe this Tobirama?!" His elder brother was more or less  _just_   _about_ to jump out of his skin due to all the excitement coursing through him. While Tobirama stood there arms crossed, unmoving and quiet.

"I do not." He replied honestly. He didn't believe a thing Hikaku just said. Okay, so there may have been some truth to it, but there were much more questions than there were stated facts. And that was what had him skeptical. Starting with the fact that there was no mention of the bride-to-be.

_Who the hell could she be?_

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

"Uhm, no." I was in denial.  _Who wouldn't be?_  At some point, once you cry wolf enough times, no one will ever believe what you say. _Izuna._

 _"Suit yourself."_ He shrugged before walking off.  _He could be such a prick sometimes._ I thought Izuna and I were finally getting on the right track, but no. Just no. It was not possible.

It has been a week since Madara recovered and it seems like he was regaining more and more of his health back as each day went by, And his temper, too. _Man, he was just better off sleeping,_  I couldn't help but think. His shouts were giving me headaches. For some reason, he was more on edge these past few days. Unusually so. He was never this vocal about anything. I just assumed that it was some sort of after-effects of being poisoned. I don't blame him though. But I mean, it wouldn't have hurt him to tone it down a bit, would it?

Sometimes, I would wake up in the middle of the night to loud noises, like furniture scraping the floors or random punches to the walls. Maybe he was training? I tried to convince myself but I didn't really buy it. Something was clearly bothering him and I didn't know what. Was it because I stood up to him and gave him a piece of my mind? Or tried to at least. Did I hurt his ego or something? I still wasn't buying this theory, Madara was hardly the type to let a mere woman such as me tremble his not-so fragile ego. Besides, he had an abundance of it, I was sure my words did not affect him at all. Though, the meeting that had followed afterwards did. I couldn't imagine what must have went on in there to have him turn into a jerk. That wasn't to say that he had never been a jerk. No. He was just being more shittier than the norm.

What had also caught my attention was how hard- or not hard enough in some cases- he was trying to avoid me. All throughout last week. And that was not a short time. Every time I would encounter him in one of these hallways, he would oh-so casually change lanes.  _So much for being inconspicuous_. When I would be hanging out with Kagami, he would just come and take the boy away, for training I supposed, without a single 'hey there' or even his trademark grunt or a glare. He was ignoring me like I did not even exist. It was strange and definitely insulting. I remembered following him during one of those days.

That was basically it.

I was just following him, wondering when he would stop, turn around and tell me to fuck off. Surprisingly, he did not. He had just kept walking back towards one of his studies. Just walking. No indication that he saw me, heard me or even knew that I was behind him. This went on for quite some time. So, I had to goad him. I began asking why he was ignoring me. Still no answer.

"What's your deal?" I asked him, giving up the 'respectfully-nice' act. He must have been deaf as he still provided me with nothing. No sound came out of him and I was starting to lose patience. I even faked tripped so I could grab onto his yukata and giving myself an excuse to touch him, knowing well how much of a discomfort that would cause him. I went further and even stroked his long mane. _It was so soft and so dark._ My shameless self even attempted to smell it. And that was when I felt it. I felt him stiffen as I brought my nose near the back of his neck where a shit ton of his unruly hair rested. Still, he kept walking. Shocker, he did not cut off my hands. And that was when I knew something was wrong. He was purposely keeping his distance away from me while at the same time trying not to tip me off. _What an ass._

 _"_ What did I do this time? Did I hurt your ego?"  _Nothing._

"Or was it because I groped you?"  _Not a single beat._ "I thought you liked it? Me. Touching you. And stuff."

"Well, what is it?" His pace was getting faster so I sped up as well. Soon enough, we were in front of his study. He slid the rice paper doors open and entered. As I was about to follow him in, he shut them closed. Right in my face.  _Hmm.._

 _"You know what?! Kiss my ass!"_  I shouted angrily. I thought I heard him shout back  _"With pleasure!"_ and then a metallic sound of a sword unsheathing. Fortunately, I did not hang around much longer to see that katana slice through the doors. I was too much of a coward so I ran and ran and ran...until I was sure that I was far away.

Fast-forward a few days and nothing has changed. He was still avoiding me as if I were the plague. I long since gave up on trying to understand why. The bizarre thing was that it was no longer just him. Izuna was acting funny. Really funny. He wasn't himself. And a lot of the maids were also treading carefully whenever I would peak in on them. The only sane thing around here was Kagami. But I assumed that he wasn't in on whatever plan the rest were contriving. So, he had no reason to act peculiar.

However, one thing stood out the most behind all this craziness. Sora's absence was unnerving. It was plainly obvious as to what  _could_  have happened to her. All I needed was to remember Izuna's face right before he left to 'take care of some business'. That day, I knew deep down that I would never see her again. I just knew he was going to do something horrible and I wouldn't have been able to stop him. Since then, I had refused to think about it at all. Even Kagami rarely mentions her anymore.

_And now..._

Now, I was sitting near the koi pond, with that black cat sleeping soundlessly in my lap. It didn't see me as a threat anymore and neither did I, and ever since, we've been the best of friends or something like that. It was evening and the sun was ready to vacate its place to the moon and another beautiful night would befall us once more.  _It was supposed to be beautiful_  but Izuna's decision to remind me of his existence was off-putting.

"Hey." At least he greeted me, unlike a certain somebody.

"Hi." I replied, not really looking upwards. I knew it was him, I just didn't want to see his smug face. He said nothing else for the next minute or so.  _If he came here for something, he sure was taking his time in trying to get it._

 _"_ So, are you ready?" He asked.

"Ready for what?" I was too busy petting the cat to actually listen to him.

"Why for your marriage to Madara, silly."

_Huh._

_"Sure."_ I answered him, _let's play along and see where this takes us._ I attempted to telepathically speak with the napping cat.

"Oh shit, I never thought you'd take this so easy." He seemed genuinely surprised at my response.

 _"Yeah, neither did I."_ What kind of sick joke was this? I really couldn't tell if Izuna thought this was funny. But if we was stubborn on playing me, I guess I could just go along with it.  _But what if-_

 _No! Of course he wouldn't be saying the truth!_  But knowing Izuna's history of blurting out the most outrageous lies- and for God knows what reason, these shams somehow become reality, there was enough reason to doubt his little game.  _How did he do it though?_ How could he come up with such unbelievable lies and then execute them so brilliantly that you would never know it was him? I became convinced that this was a gift he had honed over the years, not just some dumb luck. No one is this lucky. I may have been convincing myself that they were lies, but soon enough, life would love to prove me wrong. His lies were so inextricably contorted to look like truths that they were in fact truths. To the naked eye, that is.

Just how many people had he duped up until now? And how come they didn't kill him as of yet? _Because if I find out that what he is saying is in the tiniest bit tru-_

"Don't you want to get ready or something?" He just wouldn't leave me alone.

"Uhm, no." I was in denial.

_"Suit yourself."_

Denial.

 _De-ni-al_. Blank.

* * *

_This was tough._  I was sweating heavily. The hole wasn't getting bigger. No matter how much I dug, it wasn't big enough. And it would never be big enough by time.  _"But no matter, I will keep on digging! I will not give up dammit!"_

I've been at it for days. Ever since Izuna planted that ridiculous story in my head. That I was about to marry Madara Uchiha. I had every right to  _not_  believe it, in fact, I even sneered at such an idea. And yet, life had it out for me. Apparently, and as it turned out, I  _was_  set to marry him.

 _When?_  In two days from now.  _Where?_  I wasn't told.  _To who?_  Well, that one was pretty obvious.  _How?_ I didn't even want to know. My guts, my heart and my brain were telling me that rat Izuna was responsible for this. I know I should at least have proof before accusing someone, as common law dictates, but fuck it.  _I didn't need proof._

_I will kill that fucker with my own bare hands, or so help me God-_

_"_ What do you think you're doing?" An ominous voice called out to me. However, I would not let it distract me from achieving my goal; which was to dig a hole wide enough and long enough that would take me to China.

And I really did not want to face Madara. That was pretty much the only reason. This was not the time or place to have a breakdown. Not in the middle of the damn night and in the middle of an exquisitely arranged garden that I was in the process of ruining. I had searched for the nearest shack where I could find any tools and as it was meant to be, I found a shovel. A large wooden handle resembling a spade, with rusted broad metal blades and upturned sides. It looked like it hadn't been used in a long time. Due to my panic, I stupidly chose the most evident place to be digging a hole. The forest would have been a much better option. Seclusion. That was what I needed the most right now.

But I have doing this for days. Three to be precise. I was actually surprised that Madara just took notice now.  _How considerate of him._

 _"_ What do _you_ think I'm doing?" I answered his question with one of my own because I knew just how bad he hates it. All the while, I kept digging and digging to no end. My arms were tired and numb, my head was aching and my vision was blurry.

"I think you need to sleep." He suggested calmly.  _Weird. That didn't sound like him._ I momentarily stopped what I was doing and turned around to see if it was indeed Madara. It was. He had this concerned expression on his face, one that I haven't seen before. His eyes were wide; trying to take in the unholy sight in front of him. He wasn't frowning or glowering. He actually looked calm, almost impassive but he was still tranquil. One of his arms rested inside his slightly unfastened kimono.

I managed to look away.

"I think I need to die." I said, sourly. Returning back to the task at hand. I pushed the shovel into the ground and pressed my foot down on it. Then, using all the force I could muster, tried to scoop up as much soil as I could and threw it onto the many heaps I had formed around me.

And that was how I spent the last three nights and this one. Until I dropped to my knees, dead tired and unable to do anything.

_This can't be happening!_

* * *

_Oh God, this was happening!_

Who were all these women surrounding me? Why were they prodding me? Why can't they stop?!

"Please, stop it! Don't touch me!" I said, trying not to shout and cause a scene. I was brought to a strange room where I was told to sit down in front of this enormously large mirror. I was wearing nothing but my night gown and this was utterly weird. Two of the women were playing with my hair. Which was a mess considering I just woke up on the wrong side of bed today. And yesterday. And the day before. And for the better part of the last week.

Another woman was touching me in strange places, as if trying to analyze the fat percentage of my body mass. A fourth woman was squeezing my cheeks and fondling my face. The last woman, who was a bit older than the other girls, was standing between me and the mirror, looking down on me.

"Hello. I'm Yuna. Lady Chiho instructed me to take care of you. Now take off your nightgown."

_That was fast. How about dinner first?_

_No! Go away!_

"Wait? Why?" I asked her. I was becoming increasingly alarmed.

"To get you cleaned up that's why." She then took out a razor sharp... _razor? It sure looked like it._ And some ointment or cream-like substance in a small glass jar. It only just occurred to me what she meant. At that thought, my thighs instinctively tightened together. "Now, take off your clothes and open wide." A perverse grin appeared on her face and I was horrified.

 _"NO! Give them to me. I'll do it! I swear!"_ I had no problem shouting now. I pushed away every person who was in contact with me and rushed towards that lady, Yuna. As soon as she extended her arms, I snatched the tools from her hands and hurried towards whatever room I could get into. Thankfully, I found myself in a bathroom. With a lock. I let myself fall down to the marble floor. I was finally able to take a breath without being harassed. I tried to gather my thoughts to no avail. Nothing made sense. All I knew was that I had a razor and some cream. Shaving. My favorite fucking pass-time.  _I better get started before that crazy woman bounces in here._

_..._

"See, that wasn't too hard, was it?" Yuna, also known as the creepy old woman from now on, was smiling when I exited the bathroom. Almost as if she was happy to see me.  _Probably happy to see that there wasn't a single hair on me._  Well, except for the mess on my head. And my eyebrows. Asides from that, I was clean as a whistle.

"Good, now let's get you ready."

...

_Calm down. Calm the fuck down, Mina. Take a deep breath and pull your shit together._

I was wheezing, trying to take in a breath; gasping for air. Why was it so difficult to breathe? And why was everything just so intense? The last few days seem like a dream, as if they have never happened. Which was staggering. There were times here when I felt like the days wouldn't pass by fast enough and then there were other times when I was convinced that the minutes were mere seconds in disguise. But this...this was different. There was something inside of me that was threatening to burst if I didn't get it under control.

And I had this strong feeling that it was my stomach if these people didn't stop trying to squeeze me into the damn kimono. Actually, the damn kimono wasn't the problem. It was the obi and they were insisting that I was a size zero and that I would easily be molded to fit the obi. Not the other way around. I held onto the frame of bedpost while they were slowly suffocating me.

 _"I ca- can't...breathe."_  I tried to call for help but no one was listening.

"Lady Yuna, I think this obi is too small. Maybe we should change it." The maid, who was currently trying to get out of this task, pleaded with her head maid. Or whatever that lady was.

"Nonsense. We will fit her into that kimono with  _that_  obi. We must. There isn't another one, either way."

 _She could have just said that since the start, jeez_. The next thing I knew, she was walking towards me, her long legs perfectly fitting her long strides. Her bony fingers went to the hems of the silk sash, fiddling with the multiple layers of the kimono in order to get the obi to make the round.

"You've got a stomach, that's why. Though it's barely there, so that's not really the problem." Her hands were... _feeling me? The fuck?_  "Your hips on the other hand..." I looked down and saw that she was now moving them to rest on my hips.

"They're a bit wide. Excellent for child bearing, a pain in tailoring clothes."

 _"Aieeeeee!"_  I shrieked as I felt a searing pain run through my midriff and abdomen.  _That bitch!_ She actually managed to tie the cursed obi. I would say a miracle but I was under the impression that the woman was a demon. On the downside, I really felt like I was about to vomit out my innards.  _On the bright side_ , I still couldn't breathe but the obi fit.

"Good girl. Now, you'll just have to suck in that little tummy of yours for the time being." Yuna patted my back as she tried to comfort me. I had this uncontrollable urge to punch her, but I was taught to never go around punching old ladies.  _Manners, they said. It's not nice, they side._  I gritted my teeth at the thought. Then, a strong hand had pulled me towards the mirror and-

_Oh?_

The kimono was a beautiful piece, too. The several inner layers were made of thin cotton material, so it wasn't that uncomfortable. It looked really expensive, as the outer layer was pure silk. As my hands felt through the material, it gave me a few goosebumps.  _It was so smooth._ But what really caught my attention was the complete color palette of this piece. It wasn't like anything I have worn nor seen before. The inner layers were an alternate between an off-whitish and light mulberry colors, which seemed to have complemented each other. The kimono itself was a multitude of shades, ranging from dusty pink and champagne to rose gold with a hint of glitter. Or it was probably just the lighting. It's decorations were amazing, it had me speechless for a moment. The concentric golden swirls and the embroidered creamy tulips were dazzling. It contrasted well with the random bursts of lilac and that plum burgundy hue. While the obi made me sick, its golden tone kinda went well with the whole ensemble.

 _But this wasn't right...none of this was right!_  Maybe, just maybe, in some strange, twisted and screwed up reality, I would have loved to wear this dress. But this wasn't the reality I wanted.  _What the heck was this anyways?_

 _"_ Oh, don't you just love how it looks?! I'm surprised it turned out this outstanding, taking into account that this was only made a week ago! Such a short notice, though I'd say we did a pretty good job, no? Now for the Uchikake."

"Wait? What?" There was another layer? You gotta be kidding me. I could barely stand straight with this many layers, each was getting heavier than the last.

"But first, we've got to do something about that hair of yours." Yuna said.

_No no no no no no._

* * *

I had imagined that  _not_  being able to breathe was hard enough but it was nothing compared to having to hear the sounds of my own heartbeats. That heavy thumping. They were so loud, it was hard to ignore. Not that I could if I wanted to. I could still feel every single pulse, every palpitating throb- they were like earthquakes, ready to shake me off my feet. I was already trembling and my knees were weak. By now, I would have just pissed myself but I really did not want to ruin this gorgeous kimono. And the uchikake, which they insisted that I wear. Something about tradition, cranes and good luck.  _That's right_. There was a decorated crane spanning the length of the outermost white layer. A few flowers adorned the scenic picture. According to Yuna, cranes were traditionally believed to live for a thousand years. _'They are a symbol of longevity and prosperity.'_

I couldn't have cared less for that information right then.

At least they managed to tame my hair. They did everything they could to get to look the way it does now. Washing with what I assumed was shampoo, drying, then washing again, combing it and then ironing it. Using literal iron handles heated over some flames. They didn't have the electric straighteners here, though I should have expected that. That was how my brown hair ended up in some sort of intricate loose bun with golden pins here and there, joining the few curls- that refused to be held down- together. They let a few strands fall to my sides, framing my face.

 _This was all good,_  I convinced myself. Because a part of me was still in denial and would forever be. That head maid or whatever her status was, tried to give me 'the talk.' It was actually much worse than the usual 'talk'. Or so I guessed because I sure as hell was not listening. In fact, I was not entirely sure what she was talking about. I picked up a few words here and there. Words like wedding night, nuptials, consummating the marriage. And just in case I had not understood what that meant, she elaborated by mentioning the need for sex. I kind of wished that I had been dumb so I couldn't understand a word she said. Although, I probably should have listened to her, but like I said, I was in denial. This wasn't happening. It couldn't be. Not in a million years.

Unfortunately, I was not left to pity myself much longer as Izuna appeared out of the blue after they finished playing doll with me. After inundating me in an unbelievable amount of make-up that I ended up washing it all off as I felt like I had been turned into a clown, not some 'bride'. And yet, they persisted. So, I ended up wearing make-up. Thankfully, they were more light-handed this time with their use of blush.

Then, Izuna.  _Just Izuna._  The guy needed no introduction. That was when my heart had sunk as I knew this was in fact real. Not in that sense, because, at the end of the day, none of this was real. I was, in all likelihood, dead. In my world. There was no time to reminisce about how my life turned to shit since coming here. That feeling of self-denial was soon pushed away and paved away to something more instinctive; something basic. Survival mode. The mode any human being falls back to as a last resort, when they feel infinitely trapped with no chance of escaping. You either do it or you don't. And I honestly did not see a way out of this. So, either I succumb to their lunacy or... _what?_  What would they do to me if I publicly reject him?  _Madara would have my head, I'm sure._

 _"_ Wow." Izuna expressed shock at the sight of me. I would probably be shocked too. This wasn't me. I didn't look like this, I felt like I was a completely different person. I don't necessarily think that this is a good thing. He didn't look too shabby himself. He was dressed up, as expected, in a situation like this. Though, I was not familiar with the type of outfit he was wearing. It looked just like a yukata, but much more elegant.

"Look at who we have here." His smug face would forever haunt me. This man was the source of all my suffering, if only he didn't exist...Oh, how life would be glorious. Fucking sublime, if I had to add. Seeing that I wasn't moving an inch closer to him, he came to me.

"Here." He handed me something. A headpiece.  _A bridal headpiece._ It was quite...something alright.

As I examined the branched tiara-like treasure, I saw one of the most detailed, the most magnificent and definitely the most lustrous jewelry pieces I have ever laid eyes upon. The rustic brass flower buds and gold-plated wiring that wrapped headpiece were blinding.  _But what was I supposed to do with this?_

"You should wear this."  _Uhm, no? I couldn't._ I tried to hand it back to him, but he wouldn't take it.

"It belonged to our mother. We couldn't find the veil though." He was practically whispering but the room had turned silent so everything he said was still amplified.

"No. I can't." I made myself clearer this time. I extended my hand, waiting for him to take it. He didn't, but Yuna did. She then placed it atop the bun, fixed it to the other pins so my hair would stay in place.

"No, please take it off." I urged them, _this didn't feel right._ It was their mother's for God's sake.

"Come on. Let's go." He took my hand and began guiding me out of this ridiculously large room. I took a look back at the maids and at the last glance at freedom.

"I.."

_Help!_

* * *

He was waiting for me at the end of the hall.

My heart was still beating erratically, each beat growing stronger and heavier. And forceful. So forceful that it was getting quite painful. I didn't think I could handle this.  _The panic, the stress, the unbelievably long corridor that had no end in sight._  I would have tripped and never gotten back up if I wasn't leaning on Izuna, placing all my weight on his arms. They should have went numb by now.

When Madara finally became aware of our impending presence, I wanted nothing more than a black hole to magically appear and suck me into oblivion. His gaze was enough to make me want to dash the other way but I couldn't. There was a reason Izuna locked his arms in mine and I was pretty sure it wasn't because he enjoyed being so close to me. He was only assuring that he was delivering me right into Madara's hands, that I wouldn't run away. Izuna was smart. Smart enough to land me into this stupid mess from the beginning.

Within a blink of an eye, I was standing right next to Madara. I couldn't understand how I got there so fast. This hallway should have never came to an end, what was wrong with this place? But deep down, I knew the problem wasn't with the damn infrastructure, rather something was wrong with me. My mind was going haywire, short-circuiting and I couldn't understand why. Izuna also seemed to have disappeared from the background, leaving this _extraordinarily tall man_  and I alone.

I couldn't help but admire his own black and white attire. It was similar to Izuna's but much more formal and appropriate for his position. It had the infamous Uchiha fan crest embroidered over the plain and dark haori.

There was this unbearable awkward silence that made me more self-conscious than ever. I had made sure that there was at least a two feet distance separating us. From the way he was moving, it didn't appear that he wanted that distance but I couldn't step back as he came forward. This kimono was too heavy. He brought forth a pendant.

"I believe this is yours." He said but I wasn't facing him. I refused to meet his eyes so I turned my head to the side. Seeing that I wasn't going to budge, he inched even closer until my head nearly collided with his muscled chest. I didn't dare move a single muscle in my body, I had no problem in becoming a statue as long as he got this over with. I heard a metal clasp and cold chains touch the base of my nape. He had put it on after all. His hands then retreated slowly as his thumbs gently grazed my skin. He took a few steps back, leaving me the space to breathe again.

"Don't worry. It's the real one."

I took a peak at him and saw that he was reaching out to me, his left palm ready to take in mine.

* * *

_Everything was so noisy._

_Everything._

_So much people._

Where did they all come from? And who were they? More importantly, where were we?

I've never been here before. I had to wonder if this was some secret guildhall that was off limits to me. Though, it must not have been that secretive if these people were allowed to waltz in so casually. Madara and I were sitting at the front, facing everyone sitting before us.  _This was one large meeting hall._

Befitting for the massive feast that was in play at the moment.

_So much food. So much people. Honestly, what the hell was this?_

My wedding it seems. People, whom I don't know and had never met, would keep pointing it out as if it was a joyous occasion.  _Joyous my ass_. I only nodded. I mean, what else could I say? If I had opened my mouth, I would have had no control over what came out. And it wasn't like I needed another life-altering event happening. It wasn't much of a life-altering than it was a life-ending experience. I already knew who would be the first in line to teach me a lesson or two if I didn't behave myself.

He was sitting next to me, quiet and day-dreaming from the looks of it. He wasn't paying attention to anything, just staring into absolute nothingness. On the same table as us was his little dick brother. I could just imagine bashing Izuna's face right through the table, cracking his skull in half, watching as blood oozes out of his lifeless body.  _So much blood. So intoxicating._

"I'd suggest you keep whatever violent thoughts you're having private."

Madara's strangely accurate words pulled me out of my daze.  _How on earth could he know?_  I glanced at him and found that he was still staring at an imaginary dot at the back of the room. A chill ran up my spine at the thought of him-

"You too." I retorted. If anything, his thoughts would be ten times more violent than mine. That was pretty scary.

"I'm trying." He looked at me as he said so. I got this sudden urge to just stand up and leave. The utter creepiness of his reply was intolerable. I really was about to stand up when someone stopped me.

"It's been such a long time since the Uchiha held such festivities." One of those elders stated. What were they even doing sitting here? In fact, what was Hashirama and his wife doing, too? And why wasn't Tobirama sitting here either? I had noticed him earlier on at the start of the ceremony but it looked like he disappeared. There were a lot of things that I noticed. Like how the Hyuuga were so notoriously silent. They were the group that always 'stuck out like sore thumbs' at any event. They're secretive personalities appeared in every aspect of their lives. Something that I had come to realize just within the first few minutes of meeting them. It was a pretty far-fetched assumption on my part.

"We're honestly just very delighted that this is happening. A lot of people really cannot wait for your children to arrive. I remember the same events happening perfectly exactly twenty-seven years ago with your father Madara-sama." Madara didn't respond. Vocally. He did, however, acknowledge the man's presence.

"Speaking of which." Another older gentleman added his unwelcomed opinion to this already disturbingly awkward conversation. "Ever thought of having children, Mina-sama?" This guy was directly hitting back at me. Did these elders really think I was dumb enough not to know where this conversation was heading from the beginning? For the first time that evening, I managed to pronounce more than two words.

"I have not."  _Three._  Not too bad, it shouldn't incriminate me as far as I know.

"Oh really?" They feigned a surprised reaction. Or maybe they actually were shocked. I didn't care. All I wanted was to leave with that bottle of sake right there. Madara held onto my hand under the table, already knowing what I was going to grab.  _Man, wasn't he on a roll?_ I knew that some married couples had this hack of always knowing what the other was thinking or what they were about to do, but that usually came after many years of living together. Not from the bare introductions. It was like Madara had a head start. And it wasn't fair. At all. I tried to plead with him only from eye contacts which equated to absolute shit.

"Yes. Children aren't really my concern. Now, if you'll excuse me..." I tried to pardon myself, gently yanking my hands away from Madara's and got up. Slowly. So, I don't do a double flip and fall right onto the table-filled food.  _How embarrassing that would be._

I bowed down slightly before turning to leave. I thought that I had caught a small smirk on Mito Uzumaki's face, but I could have just imagined it. As for Hashirama, he looked like he was in that fine stage between getting extremely drunk and well,  _not getting extremely drunk._

I didn't want to think about any of this as I made my way out of this confusing house. Everything I thought I knew about this main household was worth nothing. The halls here were like labyrinths, I could barely make my way through. Eventually, I found myself lost between endless doors and walls. Not for long though.

_"Fancy seeing you here."_

_Those words..._ It stung. Hearing them thrown back at me like that at this time and here out of all places. Tobirama sure knew when to strike hard.

"Yes, well, the hole that I dug wasn't large enough for me to crawl into and die." I didn't expect him to get the joke. No one would have understood it but me. So, was it really a joke? I turned to face him.  _Was he lost, too?_ I wondered. He was dressed quite elegantly. His white hakama and indigo blue haori were a nice shade. He wasn't even wearing his happuri, which was a bonus.

 _"_ And I thought I was the next in line. Apparently not." He grinned.  _Oh God._  Memories of that night came back to me.  _He just had to remind me, didn't he?_

 _"_ Why do you look so stricken? Should you not be happy?" He arched one of his pale eyebrows, visibly perplexed.

"Are you marrying Madara Uchiha?" I asked him.

"No."

"Well then, case closed." As I looked up at the white-haired charmer, I could only see more confusion dawn on his face. I really did not want to waste time explaining this whole mess to him. Instead, there was another thing he could help me with. I hurried to his side and tugged at his long sleeves.

"Will you be willing to help me get out of here?"

* * *

_Oh fuck._

_Fuck. Fuck. Fuck._

_That language though._

"Shut up!" I screamed. To no one in particular save for the voice inside my head.

_Oh God. What is wrong with me?_

_Everything._

I couldn't believe Tobirama rejected me. I had asked him for help and he just said no. Bluntly. And now I was stuck here in Madara's bathroom. The ceremony and wedding reception had ended around an hour ago. Tobirama took me back after my little 'malfunction'. He had this perception that I was ' _confused'_  and  _'did not know what I was saying'_  and I would be  _'better off staying here_ '. Even so, he never clarified by mentioning Madara's name, so I knew for sure what he was saying was utter bullshit. He just didn't want to get caught fleeing with Madara-sama's new wife.  _Now that I think about..._

That would have been bad.

Maybe it was a good thing Tobirama was in his sound mind. In spite of that, he didn't have to ignore me while dragging me along. He never even bothered to look into my eyes as he told me off. I didn't know why, but for some very questionable and surreal reasons, I felt that Tobirama was the only one who even had a clue to what really went on. He had to know that I hadn't entered this so-called sham of a marriage willingly. He just had to. I didn't understand why I expected so much from him, but I did. And one of the things I didn't expect, was for him to take me back to that wedding hall. We had arrived on time for the closing. Madara and Izuna as well as some Uchiha elders were waving people off, leading them out to wherever they came from. I sneaked my way into their group, but Madara had detected me. I was sure he would have demanded to know where I was. He didn't.

He looked eager on waving these guests out as if he couldn't stand this anymore than I did. The last to leave, naturally, were the Senju. By now, Hashirama was drunk out of his mind or he seemed like it anyways. I decided to keep my distance from him in case he spontaneously opted for vomiting on my kimono. Soon enough, all of them had left. Including Tobirama.

And I was left alone.

Not quite. I was surrounded by more Uchiha than I had preferred. A new maid came and escorted me out of there before I broke down completely. I was this close to screaming for my life.

What happened afterwards was no better. I was led through weird corridors left and right until I became positive that we had been walking around in circles. That is until we came to a stop. In front of large rice paper doors with beautifully inked animal figures and branches. She guided me inside stating that this was where our new quarters would be.  _Our._

I was too afraid to look around and see things I didn't want to. The young woman then left me to go retrieve something all the while gesturing me to enter the bathroom. And so I did.

I haven't left these four walls since. She on the other hand, came and went. Like most maids do around here. I didn't even take a glance at what she brought over. I was too busy thinking of fifty different ways to get out of here without getting caught. In all honesty, I only needed one way that would work. Out of the fifty I came up with, not a single one was plausible.

_Scratch that._

There just might be one tiny window out of here. I examined that minuscule air-space carefully. From the looks of it, there was a high chance that I wouldn't fit through. But there was always that small possibility. And I chose to take it rather than to stand here idly wondering when my life would end. This was  _a big_  bathroom, why the heck did it not deserve an equally big window? Probably for the same reason that I was attempting. I took a deep breath and set my horrible plan into motion. I began to undress. Taking off this kimono was immensely easier than putting it on. Layer after layer. Each was coming off effortlessly.

I kept the last two on for obvious reasons. But I made sure to fold each part as neatly as I could. Didn't want to make the maids' job harder than it already was.

_How thoughtful of you._

"Can't hear youuu..." I tried to whistle and get my mind off that psycho voice. My head was throbbing and the whistling was adding to  _my_  greater discomfort. After I finished folding the kimono and its countless other fabrics, I went towards the toilet and climbed upwards until I was standing over the marble-hard tank. The window was just a few centimeters above. I stood on my tip-toes as I tried to unlatch the stupid clasps. It was jammed.

I didn't give up. I only tried harder at the risk of of falling back on my head and die out. Another possible scenario, though it was not my favorite way to get out of here. Eventually, I managed to open the damn window. I was beginning to have doubts that I could even pass my head through. It was basically just a square, around forty inches by forty inches, wooden framed with rough glass panels.

_At least I could say I tried._

I jumped a little and then again until I was able to catch onto the lower frame. Using the mere strength of my biceps, I pushed myself upwards and stuck my head out. The chilly air of the night hit me like a bucket of ice cold water. _It was so refreshing._  I wanted more. That was what encouraged me to keep on pushing until I successfully got half of my body out the window.

"Urgh." Something was stuck. I tried to squirm through, in vain. I wouldn't budge. So, I looked back to try and figure out if the robe tangled with the wood.

"Dammit! I knew my fat ass wouldn't go through!"

_"What do you think you're doing?"_

I screamed. Loudly.  _That voice-_

"Shit. You scared me. What the hell is wrong with you?" I asked Madara. He didn't answer and only looked up at me skeptically. _Probably trying to put two and two together._

"I asked you first." He had changed into another kimono that appeared to be more comfortable. He was fast.

"Trying to get a breath of fresh air."

Which was pretty ironic. Half my upper body was suspended in the air outside while my ungracious ass hung proudly inside. _I tried._ This was the time to give up. I should have known I would never get away with it. I let my arms dangle as I sighed. What kind of stupid question was that though? What exactly did he think I was doing anyways?  _If you ask a stupid question, you deserve a stupid answer._  That had always been my motto. And I lived by it, even in the most idiotic of times. Like right now. Madara was a good foot underneath, staring up at me.

"Oh really?" He seemed amused by my failed attempt to escape. I would be amused too, if it hadn't been me who was trying to skedaddle.

"Yes." I answered him in the most serious tone I could compose.

"Why didn't you break the window this time?"

_Was that what he was concerned about? Me breaking more windows?_

"Oh, you know. I didn't want to get impaled by shards of glass. Just small stuff really." I wanted to face-palm myself so hard but I couldn't feel my face anymore. It was awfully freezing tonight.

"So you're stuck, huh?" His tone was getting lighter as if he was enjoying seeing me suffer.  _Sadistic bastard._

 _"Yes."_ I barely uttered the word and he was already gone. I began to panic thinking that he left there, hanging. I didn't need to panic for long. I felt a pair of warm hands clutch my upper thighs as they dragged me inside, hitting my head into the window frame along the way. I slid to the floor, rubbing my poor forehead.

"Couldn't you have been gentler? Ouf." I looked up at him and saw a completely different Madara. That playful demeanor he had just a second ago was gone and was replaced by something more...lascivious.  _Oh-oh._  His eyes were glazed over with something I wasn't sure of yet. I crawled back a little, trying to cover my exposed legs. There was this really dangerous vibe radiating off of him.

Then, he left. Just like that. He closed the door after him. He wasn't gone though, I could still hear him on the other side of the door, shuffling and pacing before going still. I gathered myself and stood up. If I had to face reality, then there really was no way out of this. I attempted the stupidest of escape routes and failed. I wasn't going to walk out the front door either. I began to pace as well, becoming increasingly aware of the circumstances. And what was likely going to happen. It was something that I have been trying to avoid for quite some time now. Long before I even met Madara. I settled down and chose to sit on the edge of the bathtub.

_Breathe in, breathe out._

_Come on._

I calmed myself down.

_Look there's nothing you can do anymore. Just get it over with. Face it, Mina._

I could tell him no, that I didn't want to have sex but I wasn't sure how he would take it. I couldn't guarantee that he would go batshit crazy and try to hurt me. Or he might end up accepting it and leaving me alone. But having grown up with a child molester like my uncle, it was hard to see the good in anyone. If Madara did decide to leave me alone, he will only come back later. And the dilemma would never end.  _Ever, ever, ever..._

_Just get it over with already for fuck's sake._

_"Urgghh."_  That excruciating pain in my head wouldn't go away. It felt as if someone was drilling a hole into my brain. Truthfully, I would rather take the shock now rather than later. I was the type of person who preferred hearing the bad news before the good news. That was just the way I am. At least if I do it now, it would keep him away for a while.

_Right?_

_Beats me._

I grabbed the nightgown the maid brought with her. I quickly changed into it before I went back on my own word. I had this bad habit of always changing my mind. It drove people crazy. Particularly Mary. I missed her deeply. I could hear her voice echoing in my mind. One phrase kept repeating.

_"If push comes to shove, fake it. Man, just fake it like your life depends on it."_

_Fake it. Understood._

I don't remember what exactly was the topic of the discussion, but it was surely something lewd. Unlike me, Mary was more open with her love life. That was because she had one. Now, how does one go about faking an orgasm?

_I guess I would have to try first, huh._

What was this? I was puzzled at what I was wearing. I even thought that I had put it on wrong, but I didn't. The nightgown was transparent. Nearly. I could-somewhat- see my own nipples through them. The fabric was so sleek and velvety, I could barely feel it on my own skin. It was light as a feather. And white as one too. Like a pearl. It was so simple yet so neat and alluring. It even had its own sash made of satin just as the hems of the sleeves. It was also extremely short. It barely covered my behind.

Darn it.

I might just as well walk in there naked, after all, he did see me naked before.

_No. No. Don't get carried away._

I took my last deep breath and tied the sash and went for the door. My right hand was ready to turn the knob but my brain wasn't.

_Just do it. Come on Mina! Don't be a coward._

I counted down from three and at two, I pushed the door wide open.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm just dead. Dead tired.
> 
> So, I think y'all know what's going to happen next lol. I just wanted to ask, who's POV do you want me to write it in? Personally, I'm leaning towards Madara. One, because I'm tired of writing in Mina's POV. Two, I'm not writing it in Izuna's POV because that would be straight up weird as fuck. Writing it in a third person POV that is not involved in the actions themselves is kinda eerie and funny hahaha.
> 
> Anyways, who's POV do you think I should write in?
> 
> *I just wanted to add something. I know in Mina's POV it seems kind of rushed. Purposely. Because I just feel that's how it would happen, you know? An unexpected shock like that would kinda just occur. Without her even realizing just how valuable time was. The mere action of waiting for the inevitable could have really strange consequences where time either passes too quick, or it doesn't pass by fast enough.
> 
> I figured, that during the wedding particularly, there should have been time lapses in her POV. Maybe not others, considering that they were just spectators. In the time lapses, I'm planning to fill in these gaps with other's POVs in the next chapter(s).
> 
> Anyways, yeah..
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Sorry if the chapter is a little too long! This will be the first and last time I ever write a 15k word chapter! Forgive me for any mistakes that slip through, kinda difficult to edit a chapter that long.)


	30. Fantasy Vs. Reality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me an insanely large amount of time to write a good part of this chapter. And I mean the damn lemon. Speaking of which, this is sorta my first real attempt at smut. And well, it may have or may not have been a disaster. Ultimately, that's up for you to decide. Hahaha. Pretty sure it's a disaster though.  
> For further clarification;  
> LEMON AHEAD!  
> If you're not into that kind of thing, I would suggest skipping Madara's first POV. You've been THOROUGHLY WARNED. Otherwise, enjoy and -  
> May the smut be with you.

 

_**Madara's POV** _

He was changing into something more comfortable when the door suddenly shot open with a bang.  _What on earth-?_

He turned around to face the source of the disturbance.

"Sorry about that." She laughed rather awkwardly. But Madara wasn't focusing on her words. Not really. He tried to look away but his conscious will was too weak to do so. He was already undressing her with his eyes, though she really wasn't wearing much to begin with.

Madara was caught off guard as he was putting on a shirt when she so kindly decided to make an entrance. Unknowingly, he let the shirt fall to the floor when he laid eyes on her.

He had never seen her...like that. He would be lying if he said he wasn't in the least bit excited. Because he was and the longer she stood there, the higher the risk of him throwing logic out the window and just...pouncing her. The only reason he was actually changing into some pants and a high collared shirt was that he had firmly believed that nothing was going to happen tonight. He had no intentions of staying in the room a second longer, there had been no reason to. If she was that desperate to get away from him by attempting the most moronic escape route,  _well-_  it spoke volumes.

And it stung him just a bit but he would never admit to feeling offended by her ridiculous actions.

But now...

_Don't drool you idiot._

His mouth was shut tightly, his jaws were clenched. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress that growing desire to just-

"Do you, uhm, want me to co-" He wanted her to do a lot of things.

She never continued her sentence, like she was at a loss for words. If anything, he was more speechless than she was. Be that as it may, she was unequivocally more nervous. Something that was beyond obvious from her constantly fidgeting fingers and her flushed face. Her hands made their way down to the hem of her nightgown which was exceptionally short. She tried desperately to stretch it out so that it would cover the rest of her thick thighs.

_Those thighs though_

_..._

_Control yourself!_

This was more difficult than he thought. This wasn't supposed to happen. None of this  _should_  have happened. He closed his eyes and bent down to grab the shirt hoping that when he straightens up, she would be gone. To disappear. Nowhere in sight. Nowhere near him. In spite of all that wishful thinking, it just wasn't meant to be. For the next thing he knew, she had rushed to the bed at his side and sat on the soft covers, kneeling in front of him.

She was that much closer and Madara's senses skyrocketed. He could see so much of her now. The silver moonlight shining through the large glass-paneled window radiated off of her making it seem as if she herself was emanating that lustrous glow. Her skin was paler than usual and her nipples were protruding; jutting out as if waiting to be freed from the restraints of the gown. He let out a defiant grunt, unable to hold himself back anymore. She was a bit startled by the sudden noise.

"Is something wrong?" She whispered before patting herself, searching for something out of place. Until she reached her hair, which was still tied in a complicated bun. Waves of caramel colored locks fell to her shoulders as she fiddled with the golden pins. She picked each one out. One by one, she placed them on the bed. Something was off about her. This was not the same person who was fooling with him out there.  _Was she humoring me?_ He had to wonder if she was only complying with what she thought were his wishes.

"Thank you. This was beautiful." She gestured to the jewelry headpiece he had chosen for her. He honestly did not know why he did, but he did know that it fit her.  _Impeccably._

 _"_ I-"

Madara didn't give her time to drag on. In one single stride, he was already on top of her, pinning her down to the bed and crashing his lips right into hers. They've always been getting up in each other's faces lately but never really touching. A part of him was glad that he could finally take a bite of those plump lips that were seemingly taunting him for as long as he could remember. He could feel her hesitating at first before finally caving in. She parted her lips giving him just enough space to slip his tongue through. He had expected protests from her, objections, even a challenge. But she didn't put up a fight. Instead, she willfully went along with this little tug of war between them. Her tongue was no match for him though. He couldn't help but wonder why she would always shy away.  _Was it her first time?_

He was overthinking this. His primal instincts wanted nothing more than to just forget anything and everything but her. And soon enough, that inherent desire, that fundamental appetite of wanting to take her right then was threatening to override whatever limited common-sense he had left.

_Fuck it._

His cock was aching badly and the only place he wanted to be right now was inside of her. But he knew he had to take it slow. He broke off the deep kiss and looked into her eyes. She snaked her arms lightly around his shoulders, resting them on his bare back. He had thrown the shirt elsewhere when he took her by surprise, in a hurry to hold her down. Restricting her before she went back on her word and decided to leave. He wasn't going to let this chance go. Madara let his hands trail over the smooth material and down her supple body until he found what he was aiming for.

He heard her gasp as he began stroking her, burying his head in the crook of her irresistibly soft neck. He brushed his lips along the sides of her flesh, planting subtle kisses before biting down lightly on the alabaster skin causing her to whimper. He let his mouth travel downwards until he reached her tender breasts; cupping them. Madara felt her hands tighten around his nape, her fingers clutching his arms all the while her body tensed as he slid a finger inside her. Just as he was about to thrust a second finger, her thighs slammed shut, effectively keeping his hand trapped between them. Though, he assumed that that was unintentional on her part. That fear in her eyes among other things. That image wouldn't stop haunting his mind. He knew something was wrong. He knew it but was completely willing to dismiss it, finding that it was easier to forget it provided that she acted along. But he didn't think he could brush it off any longer. He felt her muscles contract underneath him, her body stiffened.

_Of course she wasn't ready, what was I thinking?_

He straightened his head as he slowly slid his finger out, not wanting to cause her any more alarm.

"You're not ready." Whether it was to convince himself or just simply inform her, he wasn't entirely sure why he had said it. That was all it took before he released her and got up. He sighed, visibly frustrated at what was occurring. Especially since he had no control over it. He walked back towards where he had left his shirt, eager to get out of there. All for the wrong reasons.

"Really? I-" He heard her call out to him but he wasn't listening. He didn't want to listen.

_Did she not realize? She was not making this any better._

As he was picking up his shirt for the second time that night, he felt slender fingers caress his lower back all the way up to his shoulders. He found himself being guided back to the bed. She tried to usher him down; get him to sit. But he wouldn't. He stopped in his tracks, refusing to be led on any further. Seeing that he wouldn't budge, Mina took her seat back on the bed. He was about to turn and leave, with or without his shirt, but she caught his hands in her own and pulled him back.

"Why are you leaving?" She asked him innocently. He didn't answer. There was nothing to answer. The whole situation could explain itself, he didn't need to be vocal about it. Besides, a good amount of blood was not circulating in the right head at that moment. Madara really wasn't sure if he could speak when he was like this.

He tried to gently whisk her hands away but she was pretty insistent.  _She had to make this harder than it already was, why? Just why?_ He grunted, not because of her nails that were digging mercilessly into his wrists, no. Because he desperately needed to get out of here and get rid of that growing issue in his pants. He attempted to yank her away for the last time. Which was the wrong move. The harder he pulled back, the stronger her grip became. Madara knew he could easily overpower her, but he didn't want to use force in something as petty as this.

 _"You. Better. Let. Me. Go."_  He warned her. He wasn't kidding anymore. He needed to make a dash for it. Fast. Sensing that he wasn't into this little game, she let his hands go. He was about to turn and run for it except-

Her hands went to her waist, fingers untying the silky sash and exposing her body to him. He had seen her naked before, but for some reason,  _it felt so different this time._

"Don't you want me?"

_Of course I do._

And just like that, Madara found himself hauled to the bed, face first.

_Crap._

She knew what she was doing.

As soon as he turned to lay on his back, she sat atop him, straddling him. How he fell for such a cheap trick, he couldn't understand. The normally stoic Uchiha leader was finding it more and more difficult to get out of this...unscathed. He attempted to lift himself up but those thighs of hers were  _much more_  mighty than he had reckoned. All kinds of thoughts were coursing through his mind right that instant. So many ideas were flooding his already unsettled psyche.

Madara's breaths were becoming ragged and uneven as her hands tormented him, traced over every single muscle across his toned abdomen until settling on his lower jaw. She leaned downwards, bringing both her body and face closer to his. He was inadvertently grinding himself against her, not knowing when exactly he had begun doing that. Mina brushed his long, unruly bangs away from his face as she planted a small peck on his lips before withdrawing back; blushing furiously. But he didn't care. That kiss left him wanting more.

He grabbed the back of her head and dragged her back down, taking her into a deeper kiss. A hungry one. One that she couldn't so easily pull out of. Not that she was going to, she was much more assertive this time. Even so, Madara always won. As their tongues clashed together into another tug of war, Madara took this opportunity to grab hold of her ass. Tightly.

Then, using all the force in his upper body, he lifted himself just slightly before flipping them over. In a mere second, he had managed to swap their positions where he had the upper hand in this...debacle. Their lips never parted, even as they grappled around for dominance. His hand was still shamelessly clutching her bum as his other hand was working on getting his pants off. Which, at the moment, seemed like one of the hardest tasks he had ever had to endure in his life. His bulging erection was growing more and more painfully hard and the constraints of his pants was doing anything but helping.

When he was finally able to detach himself from her, for the sake of breathing and nothing else, he took the chance to rip the damn slacks off before going back to what he so hopelessly wanted and had been dreaming about for the past-

She smelled unbelievably good. It reminded him of those endless lavender fields he would visit with his mother when he was younger. It stirred up so many memories within him but above all, it thrilled him.

He nudged a knee between her thighs, spreading them apart as he shoved his hand between her legs. Madara felt her quiver once more as he thrust two fingers in all the while flicking her nub. In no time at all, he found her bucking her hips along with his rhythm. She put her arms around him, raking her fingers through his absurdly long black hair as she bit into his neck, drawing out a groan from him.

He felt like he would combust if they didn't just fuck now. But he needed to make sure that she was ready, otherwise, it would be uncomfortable for her.

 _"What ar- are.. you.."_  She was stuttering between each panting breath, her breasts bobbing up and down as she struggled to take in air.  _"Waiting for?"_

He heard her muffle out a moan as she dug her nails into his well-defined back. Madara's mind was in turmoil. He couldn't think. Couldn't Concentrate. Couldn't speak. Satisfied that she was wet enough, he couldn't wait any longer. He pulled her hips closer to his and prodded her entrance, testing her before thrusting his hardened cock right in. The sudden motion of entering her and feeling her slick folds engulf him was enough to send jolts of electric shock up his spine.

He grunted. The sight of her body covered in a thin sheen of sweat, the irresistible curve of her swollen lips, her wavy locks spread beneath her...  _And her perfect round breasts, her perky nipples..._ It only added to his pleasure. He had this uncontrollable urge to devour her. Every part of her.

Madara looked down at the brown haired beauty, momentarily wondering how exactly they ended up like this. _Just like the dream._  She was biting her lips viciously, so much so, that it had started bleeding, like she was holding back a scream. Her brows were furrowed and her eyes; wide in awe. The Uchiha held himself back, slowing down his pace until coming to a gradual stop allowing her to accommodate his full-

She tugged at his hair and lured him into a kiss while sprawling her legs apart. Madara didn't wait a moment longer. He pulled away from her lips, hitched her knees in his arms and spread them further as he delved deeper into her. The stamina that he was so renowned for was apparent with each unrestrained thrust. The pressure between their hips was growing tenser and the wetness of her heat, damper.

 _"Urgh."_ He couldn't bite back his moan anymore. Madara tried to keep his tempo steady but he was finding that increasingly difficult as she matched his own pace, arching her back and took him in fervently. She was tight. If she didn't loosen up, he wouldn't be able to plunge himself deeper. And deeper did he want to go. His thrusts were shallow and rushed, he couldn't completely insert himself in her. Not in this position. And there was still so much he wanted to do to her. _So much more._  With whatever brain capacity he still had and was miraculously functioning, he came up with an idea.

He pulled his throbbing cock out, still slick with her juices. She inhaled sharply at the sudden change.

 _"Why did you do that?"_ She asked him, softly. Mina tried to hook her legs around his waist but he pried them away.  _"Put it back in."_ She whispered.

He never thought he would hear those words out of her. Every fiber in his being halted, unable to move. He could only stare at her.  _Her eyes._

Her words had invigorated him. He let go of any weariness or reluctance and used his large firm hands to turn her. To flip her onto her stomach.

_"Huh?"_

That way he had a better view of her glorious ass.  _Perfect._

"Madara-" She turned her head and looked back at her  _husband._ He wasn't hearing her now. Nothing could get to him. He leaned forward and grabbed a pillow to place under her stomach. She wriggled and squirmed underneath him, intensifying that unbearable friction between them. Using his arm to balance himself over her, he moved the other hand to cup one of her ass cheeks, unwittingly causing her to spread her legs wider once more. And Madara was not one to let opportunities to slip by without taking full advantage of them. And so he did. Already kneeling and in position, he probed her entrance teasingly this time before completely ramming himself into her vagina.

_Oh Kami-_

_"Eeeep!"_ She squealed almost inaudibly.  _There it was._ That resistance that he had been expecting.  _She really was a virgin._ Her hands were clinging to the bed, the sheets rumpling between her fingers. He slowed down his pace and lowered himself on his elbows, his sturdy frame hovering over hers as he cradled her gently.

 _"Shh-"_ He wanted to comfort her, he really did. He just didn't know how to.

He laid his large hands on top of her small ones and interlocked his fingers with hers. The Uchiha brute, as she so eloquently once called him, was now grazing her neck, running his tongue over every inch of her bare skin. Convinced that her attention was distracted from the pain, he picked up his tempo and his hips began rolling rhythmically into her body. Soon enough, her quiet whimpers turned into provocative moans. Passionate ones. Just as he had imagined how she'd sound like. But this was far better.  _And far more real._ The sounds of wet flesh smacking against wet flesh, the squelching...everything. They filled his ears as his pounding became erratic and impulsive. Madara wasn't sure how much longer he could last. He neared his end a while ago but held back until she found herself first.

 _"Right-ugh-there."_ She moaned.

He felt as though he was on fire, sweating profusely. He was unable to silence his husky groans.

_"Yes, th-uh-there"_

He was this close to-

_"Mada-"_

He gave it a last push.

_"-ra."_

Something in the depth of his belly began to uncoil and everything around him seemed to have melted into obscurity. The room. The walls. The window. Everything. Everything but this woman. And him. It was only the two of them and Madara would have it no other way.

Rippling shock-waves tore through him. Wave after wave. He couldn't stop. Not until his legs were so weak he couldn't support himself. He nearly fell on her but caught himself in the last second. His arms were about to give out too as his left leg jerked uncontrollably.

 _"Urghh-"_ He grumbled. He rested his head on her upper back, heaving and gasping for air.

"Madara? Are you alright?" He may have heard her, but he wasn't listening. He was in that phase where he was still seeing nothing but white light, still reeling from the after effects of his own orgasm.  _He had never...come this much before_  and he felt incredibly self-conscious about it. The mess that splurted out of him was..well, a mess.

The sheets would have to be burned. Incinerated.

If he had to be honest, he never had sex like this either. Sex that actually made him think about his partner- he wasn't used to that. No. He had always viewed it as just another method of gratification.  _Sex was just sex, there was nothing more to it._  It was something he could have whenever he wanted, from whoever he wanted. But seldom did he ever consider his significant other. Because, at the end of the day, they were never that significant to begin with. Not to him.

"Madara?"

 _"Hm?"_ He barely had any energy left to properly articulate a single syllable.

"Can you get off me? You're heavy and my knees are hurting."

He had rolled off her the moment she uttered those words. Next thing he knew, she also let go and plopped to the bed. Relieved that the two hundred pounds of muscles was finally off her back. He saw that she had been supporting him all this time while he was lost in thought. Dazing off to absolutely nowhere. Madara was too tired to even attempt to pull up the covers. He set his head down on a pillow and turned to look at the woman he was sharing his bed with from now on. And his life.

_My life?_

He couldn't stop looking into her eyes.

She didn't glance away but met his gaze with an absent-minded stare. He was about to confess something but Mina stopped him. Surprised him actually. She inched closer and gave him a light peck on his lips. The same kiss that had begun all of this.

He was so entranced by the mere touch of her cherry-red lips, he hadn't noticed that she pulled the covers around her figure and got up to go to the bathroom. His mind was numb. He wasn't able to think clearly nor make sense of tonight. Or today for that matter.

* * *

_**Izuna's POV** _

_Damn._

He slowly backed away from the large screen doors and-ever so lightly- slid them closed. They weren't open, God no. There just happened to be the tiniest hole in one of the rice papers when Izuna had arrived. That wasn't true though. He may have perforated the thin material with the tip of his index finger. He turned to face his audience.

"It's been done. Now, pay up suckers." He exclaimed, like he had won a battle. And he did. In a sense.  _I just won a shit load of money that was for sure._ Everyone was giving him the stink eye. No. Not the stink eye. They were just skeptical. However, Izuna could not fathom why. They've been standing there with him for the past half hour or so.

Three elders and two of his shinobi put their profits on his wager. A bet Izuna just won.

"Izuna-sama, it's a bit coincidental that you so happen to win the very same bet you waged, don't you think?" Oh right, and there was that young fellow who stood up to Madara around a week or two ago. The one who shouted something like 'set aside your insecurities and get it the fuck over already'  _or something like that_ , in front of everyone. He had guts. He was even speaking up against Madara's kid brother. Izuna liked him.

"So you say. But what reason do I have to lie? All of you have been standing here with me for the past twenty minutes hour listening in on the spectacular show going on inside." He smirked, this was beyond exhilarating.  _If Madara ever found out about this..._

 _"_ Yeah, Izuna-sama, how do we know you didn't secretly have a hand in this?" Jiro, too, was getting suspicious.  _Everyone's growing some balls all of a sudden, huh?_ He observed. He sighed.  _Guess I have to set them straight, hmm._

"Well, for one." He looked directly at the youngest ninja present in the group. "I'm not  _in there."_  He pointed to the room behind him. "So, it's pretty clear I did not make _that_  happen." He was referring to the impressive performance his brother and his wife had put on, unknowing of their creepy presence outside.

"Actually, now that I think about it. Maybe I did make it happen..." He was purposely acting smug, rubbing it in their faces. None of this would have happened if i wasn't for him. And for that solely particular reason, this wager existed. Izuna knew the blushing bride and the dashing groom would hunt him down and slit his throat when they had the chance. He was actually collecting money from a bet he himself wasn't sure of. Everyone thought he truly had a hand on what happened within the bed chamber, but he really didn't. In fact, a part of him was almost certain that Madara would have never consummated the marriage that night. Not so much Madara as much as his new bride, Mina. His suspicions nearly came true as his elder brother had tried to exit the room but was held back. On more than one occasion. Izuna was quite surprised by her actions. And yet, he still gambled it. He placed his bet on the 'successful consummation' of the so-called marriage he had arranged with his own hands.

Izuna could very well understand why Jiro, Eiji and that young councilman were having reservations. They had every right to be dubious, as they were one of the few that had a faint clue on what really went on. The 'hostility' that was between Madara and Mina which, proven as of recently, wasn't quite the type of hostility they had in mind. What Izuna truly didn't understand though was why these three elders joined in on the bet. They knew exactly what was going on and had absolute faith in Madara doing the right thing. Izuna was sure that they knew this was going to happen, whether the groom or the bride liked it or not.  _And yet, these old geezers were here._  Which could only mean one thing in Izuna's mind. They wanted to make sure that the act was really performed.

 _That's just fucking perverted,_  Izuna thought. But was it anymore twisted than what he was doing?

"Look, I've heard enough." Eiji stated, rather irritated. So had he. Izuna took no pleasure in listening in on his brother plowing some woman. And it wasn't just some woman.  _It was Mina._  Someone he knew. Someone he began seeing as more of a human than a deranged animal. It terrified him. So much so that a chill ran up his spine. He visibly cringed at the images he should have lived the rest of his life peacefully without seeing. He brought this upon himself though. He shouldn't have been here in the first place. Goosebumps left him wishing that he had never started this.

"What's wrong, Izuna-sama? You look like you've just been traumatized." Noted an elder. He was clearly being sarcastic. If word gets out that he was spying on his brother, Madara, on his wedding night no less, he'd be labelled a depraved pervert more than these people could ever be named. Izuna shook his head slightly, trying to get rid of such thoughts along with the various sounds he heard that night. Sounds he never heard before.

"Here." Eiji handed him the money they agreed upon. Jiro followed and then the councilor. "What are you going to do about your Senju friend?" He reminded him.

 _Hashirama_.

The thought of the Senju leader owing him money was laughable. Even Izuna found it hilarious. But then again, Hashirama did instigate this whole thing. The basic idea of this wager was based off Hashirama's drunken stupor.

Izuna's mind wandered off to a peculiar moment during the wedding that happened earlier that night.

He had been minding his own business and simultaneously avoiding his elder brother and Mina. For good reasons. Both of them have not spoken to him since  _a very long time_. Which could only mean one thing; they were  _not_  happy. And Izuna might very well end up paying the price of their pent-up anger. Something he really did not want to do, so he kept to himself throughout most of the wedding. Or tried to. But something just had to happen.

Hashirama was walking towards him, mumbling or jumbling about something Izuna couldn't make out. His brother's rival was so incoherent, Izuna thought he might have been drunk. Though, from the looks of it, he wasn't.  _He might as well have been._

 _"Izuna!"_ The brown-haired man shouted to him, trying to catch his attention. They were between a small crowd so however loud Hashirama wanted to be, it wasn't loud enough for Madara to hear.

"Hashirama-dono." He bowed down, out of respect due to the difference in their statuses. He barely straightened himself when he felt a tough pat to his back.

"How are you holding up?" Hashirama asked him but Izuna was confused. So, he chose the most generic answer one could.

"I'm quite fine. How about you?" He played along for the sake of the conversation. Madara may not have been listening but he could very well see the both of them at the back of the room. Chattering. When Izuna caught his eyes, he found Madara already glaring at him. The first sign that this was not a good... _sign?_ He really needed to finish this gabfest before the groom decided to bud in.

"Well, I'm delighted, what else! You on the other hand..."

"What about me?" He was growing more perplexed. But apparently so was Hashirama.

"I was under the impression that the..." He coughed. "..bride was your fiancée. Am I wrong?"

_Oh fuck._

Everything came back to him. How did Hashirama still remember this? And why wasn't he letting it go?

 _"Oh-"_ Izuna didn't have a comeback. Nor an answer. What was he supposed to say?

"Did Madara...?" The Senju was insinuating something but for the love of everything that existed on this earth, Izuna just could not get what he was suggesting.

...

Until he did. A smirk appeared on his face.

_"Oh yes, Nii-san did."_

"Oh. Wow. I'm sorry about that. I honestly did not think Madara was that type of person. To do that to you-" Hashirama tried to laugh it off.

"I don't blame them though. It just wasn't meant to be." A really bad idea was beginning to brew in his mind.

"I see." The Senju leader looked contemplative as if trying to figure out the best way to comfort the young Uchiha. "Maybe if I talk to him-"

"You could. But-"

"Yes?"

 _"Want to place a bet, Hashirama-sama?"_ He saw a gleam shine brightly in his eyes and that was when Izuna knew he had him.

Back to the present, he couldn't help but think what he had just done. Then again, the money that Hashirama now owed him was more than enough to make Izuna disappear. Forever. That prospect was beyond tempting. He could leave and never come back. Or until the storm has passed and his fallen victims forgot about him.  _What to do, what to do?_

 _"_ Don't worry about him, I'll handle it." He told the others. Who still did not believe him.

"How? The guy is like  _a really bad_  compulsive gambler. Really bad." Jiro was worried and he was right to be. Adding that little vice to Hashirama's natural open personality, you get a person who cannot keep their mouth shut.

"If the damn Senju so much lets a single word slip, I wouldn't want to know what would happen to us." An elder pointed out. Another good point. These elders would probably get the worst end of the stick. And Madara would enjoy it. As for Eiji, Jiro and Izuna...

"I say we scatter before he comes out and beheads us all. Sounds good?" He told them, and without another word, everyone left as silently as they came. They had stood there far too long and it was a wonder how Madara didn't hear them all this time.

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

_Come on, come on, come on!_

I was rubbing furiously, trying to get myself clean.  _Trying_ to wipe it off but his cum was still dribbling down my inner thighs. I just wanted it out of me.  _Out._  Why was that so hard? Getting pregnant was the last thing I wanted right now.

"Come on, come on."

I was kneeling in the bathtub and facing the faucet. Using the water and a sponge I had found, I continued to rub and rub and rub...I didn't care if I was getting sore down there, I just wanted everything he busted into me  _out._

 _"_ Out-out-out-out. Urgh! Dammit."

There was so much of it, it didn't matter if I took a bath from now until tomorrow, it was impossible to get every damn drop out. Frustration and resentment overwhelmed me.

"Couldn't he have busted his nut anywhere else! Fuck!" I've been at it for the past ten minutes and managed to clean away some of this sticky-

"Huh?" Some of it got on my hand and that curious part of me was just dumbfounded at the sight of it. What you learn in biology and what happens in reality are incredibly different, even if both really mean the same things. That was something I just recently learned. To biology it was as simple as 'insert erected penis into vagina. Said penis ejaculates in said vagina and semen is released."

_As. Simple. As. That._

But what really happens behind bedroom doors were another story. Biology had merely scraped the surface of this other fascinating yet a tad horrifying world known as sex. I felt like I had been lied to. What I learned in biology class and what just happened are so contrasting. Schools always talked about preparing us for the real world, but that was utter bullshit.  _School never prepared me for this._  Neither did my mother.

_The heck are you doing Stupid? Wash your damn hands Mina!_

I shuddered at the feeling of his spunk slipping between my fingers. The real me finally returning to her senses.

"Urgh!" I quickly turned on the faucet and drowned my hands in water. Faster. I had to be faster. Otherwise, he could suspect something was wrong and could enter in one me. I shook my head. _That wasn't it_. He was probably already asleep.

The thought of being pregnant scared me to death. I wasn't ready. I was only eighteen.

_Nineteen, actually._

_No._ I was eighteen for now. Even if my birthday is in a month. I'm still eighteen, Goddamit!

_Alright! Chill. Damn._

I was going crazy. I had to be. That voice in my head wasn't going away and no matter how many times I ignored it, it was always there. Had there been an asylum here, I would have already booked myself a room. I just needed help. Help to get out of this insane world.

These people must have really thought that I was an idiot or stupid in some way or another. I understood full well the purpose of this marriage, I just never thought it would be... _me_. I scoffed at the idea of carrying Madara's child. Or any child for that matter. It was clear that they didn't have birth control pills. And even if they had some sort of concoction that they used, I was certain that they would not have given it to me. Anything that prevented me from  _not_  getting pregnant.  _Well, if they were looking for a walking incubator, then the joke's on them._  The women in my family had a long history of developing pre-eclampsia during pregnancy. Particularly, on my mother's side. Heck, even she had difficult pregnancies. Which baffled me. How she was able to give birth to three children went beyond me. Notwithstanding the countless miscarriages she had before finally birthing my older brother _. Who was dead._

Memories of my family. My former life. Everything was rushing back to me. I looked up at the shower head and wondered how my life might have turned out if my big brother was still alive.  _Alex._

_My dear dead brother Alex._

"Save me a place up there, would you?" I spoke to no one in particular. It was depressing thinking about it.

 _Maybe I really was losing my mind._  I rested my back on the edge of the tub and returned to rubbing his semen off of me. It wasn't as painful as some people made it out to be. Not nearly as unbearable as the element of surprise he used on me. He could have at least warned me before sticking it in like that. Speaking of which, he should have also warned me about how big his dick was. Or wasn't it? I wasn't sure about the average length and girth of an average penis. It wasn't something I researched on in my free time.

Surprisingly, it didn't feel all that bad either. If I was going to be truthful, if felt quite good. Strangely good. Embarrassment filled me as I remembered exactly what we had done. That weird tingling sensation crept up my back again. I could even feel it in my cheeks and right from the roots of my scalp down to the tips of my toes. That intense burning heat flashed through me like when he thrust his-

" _Oh_."

I tried to control my shaking hands and my irregular breaths. Embarrassment wasn't the only thing I felt. A bit of humiliation and shame, too. I didn't know how vocal I should have been. I figured staying silent would have made it more awkward than it already was, so I decided to just wing it. Maybe I had overdone it and he got crept out. Or maybe he knew that I was faking it? But if he did, Madara would have just gotten up and left, making it an even more uncomfortable scene. But he didn't. Seeing that I was pretty lost in that department, my dumb ass chose to go for it. Never knew I was capable of such sounds. Never tried. Though, I knew ' _ah yeah, right there!_ ' and repeatedly moaning a partner's name were universal codes for ' _fuck me harder!_ '. Not exactly what I had meant back there, but they just came out of me. My brain had shut down and I couldn't think of anything else to say. 'Put it back in' was just retarded. I had no idea where that came from and a part of me still didn't.

_Should have just watched more porn._

I could have learned a thing or two about any of this.  _Or maybe not._

And yet throughout all this madness, I hadn't orgasmed. I just couldn't.  _At least, I didn't think I did._  I wouldn't know. I hadn't experienced it before. Was there something wrong with me? From what I had heard, it wasn't all that uncommon for woman not to climax from the start. No one orgasms from their 'first-time', can they?

 _What a strange coping mechanism_.

_Coping?_

_Yes. After you suffer something traumatic, your inner conscious would retreat to somewhere where it considers safe. Where you wouldn't be hurt. Your so-called jokes and random thoughts just happen to be that place. Heck, even this conversation is your own warped way of trying to escape a reality you deem harsh._

_Who the heck are you?!_

_"Get out of my head!"_ I shook my head desperately. Why wouldn't this voice just shut up already? I became still once I felt that I had become dizzy. And my head hurt. Badly. I took a few breaths to calm myself. I sat there for a few minutes. Motionless. When I was sure that the voice was gone- for now- and that my thoughts were safe. When I believed that my thoughts now belonged to me and  _only_  me. Only then could I start pondering.

 _After I suffer something traumatic, huh?_  I've been through much worse than this and I was still alive.  _Why?_  I had no idea; but here I am, stuck in an imaginary world, squatting in a bath tub trying to rub some guy's cum off of me. I didn't think it could get much worse than this. Unfortunately, every time I - or anyone else for that matter- would think that, something worse does indeed happen. It wouldn't be life if it didn't.

Whatever happened tonight, I tried to convince myself, that it couldn't have been worse than what I had to suffer growing up. Because, at the end of the day, this was not real. It couldn't be.  _It. Just. Wasn't. Real._

Unlike being molested by my uncle as a child. Now that was pretty real. All these years, I thought that I had gotten over it. As it turned out, I did not.

I wouldn't call it denial, it was simply my version of the truth and I will refuse to acknowledge anything else anyone might tell me. I didn't need to hear their opinions. I've managed to suppress it all my life and I was happy doing so. Living in a bubble I unconsciously created as a defense mechanism fitted me perfectly. _It wouldn't hurt adding one more lie in there, would it?_

I turned the faucet back on and then the shower head and soon, water began trickling down. It was refreshing as I felt my muscles relax for the first time today. I let out a long, deep sigh.

"Why won't this confusing night end already?"

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

He woke up to an empty bed. She wasn't there. Though her side of the bed was made, he couldn't tell if she wad woken up earlier than him or hadn't even slept there in the first place. He remembered falling into a deep slumber the moment she entered the bathroom. That was his last memory of the night.

...

It was an unnaturally bleak day. Yesterday had been a cloudless and sunny, an exception in this time of year. He took his time in getting ready, sensing that there was no need to rush. Nothing needed his attention. Nothing urgent. Nothing paramount. Except for the abominable amount of paperwork that had stock-piled over the last week. And the week before. For a very long time, he had ignored one of his duties as a leader. He didn't view it as an obligation but a burden. Signing papers weren't among his favorite things to do.

And yet, here he was; in his study, in front of a desk and scribbling through papers ten at a time carefully reading the contents as fast as he possibly could. If he didn't, his life would pass him by and then, _poof_ , he would find himself dead while half of these documents are left untouched. Madara found some unexpected comfort in this horrid task.

_Was she avoiding me?_

Like he had been doing to her the week before. Was this her way of punishing him? Letting him get that  _close_  to her only to end up pushing him back? He couldn't stop thinking about her. He couldn't stop thinking about yesterday either. His hands may have been writing on their own, but his mind was somewhere else. Reliving each moment. It was hard not to.

It all started with his younger brother and his big mouth. Izuna was certainly more gifted than he was when it came to taking advantage of a situation and twisting it, affecting everyone but himself. If Madara had to look deep down, he could say that he still had control over the issue no matter what nonsense his brother spat. He would have never found himself in this predicament had he dealt with Izuna from the start. Whether that be through a simple brawl or by impaling his own flesh and blood, Madara had no qualms about it. Except, he didn't do anything. He let himself be dragged through this mess; unconsciously yet still willingly. That was mainly why he had kept his distance from her the last couple of days. He wasn't sure on how to approach her and tell her that-

Well, he let others do it.

Although, he still wasn't ready to deal with  _why_  he let himself be dragged. While the answer was plainly clear, he just didn't want to know. What he was interested in knowing was why she had been digging a hole in the middle of the garden during the nights. He figured that it was purely her method of confronting the news. It was odd but intriguing. A little disturbing, too. It made him wonder exactly how stable she was. He had seen red flags before, but that list seemed to be growing.

Next thing he knew, or recalled to be precise, was seeing her walking down the hall towards him.

_She was..._

_beautiful._

How she made something so simple appear so breathtaking was astonishing. His thoughts went back to that eventful night of Hashirama's own wedding. He wondered if that was exactly how his friend had seen his wife-to-be. Madara remembered scoffing at the idea, especially seeing Hashirama being  _so entranced_ by Mito. He didn't understand it back then. Unlike now. When he looked at her, she was a different person. Though underneath it all, he knew she was still in there, suppressing what was probably the urge to scream. Above all, she was radiating. Shining. In his eyes anyways. While he was just  _there._ He was anything but gleaming. He was the complete opposite, always stuck in the dark.

He felt utterly unfit to be walking besides her.

Even during the private service. It was only him, her and the monk. And she stood quiet. He had a hard time believing that she agreed to any of this. She probably didn't. A part of him knew that. That same part was also too selfish. Too selfish to do anything about it because it had wanted this.

_Wanted it._

_How could I?_

He would never admit it. Not to anyone. Not even to himself. His anger had built up from then on. The wedding itself wasn't large. They hadn't invited much guests either. It was a closed ceremony. Madara wasn't one to enjoy outlandish and overcrowded weddings. This was the only aspect of the whole ordeal that he had a hand in. Other than that, he wasn't allowed to come near the proposal.

_My own damn wedding._

He didn't know whether he should feel grateful or insulted.

She was making him nervous. Just sitting next to her was nerve-wracking. The two hours couldn't have passed by faster. And when they did, he could have never imagined in a million years what would have happened next.

The experiences of last night would not leave his mind. The sight of her busty figure. Her velvety pale skin. The curls of her hair. The feeling of her heart beating against his chest. The beauty spots adorning her body. Right from the small dot underneath her plump lip and down to her belly and hips where many were aligned across her abdomen in such a seemingly random fashion. Even the scars. Everything was ingrained in his mind. Nothing escaped his vision. Like the light gash to her pelvis. He didn't even want to think on how she could have gotten it.

And then to see her covered in sweat, trapped beneath him and moaning his name.

 _"Urgh. Fuck."_ He cursed through clenched teeth and threw the papers in his hands to the sides as he stood abruptly. He had to stop thinking about it or else.

He had enough. Madara was on his way out of the study, finally prepared to deal with something he should have done before any of this occurred. He was out in the hallways of the new wing and saw a maid had been passing through, cleaning. He called out to her.

"Hey, woman." Satisfied that he had gotten her attention, he proceeded. "Where's Izuna?" He demanded. His brother was nowhere to be seen since yesterday night. Boy, did Madara have something to give him. And it was no longer just a piece of his mind. After gathering enough anger, he was ready to explode at his younger sibling. He planned on venting. Hard.

The maid bowed down before speaking.

"Uchiha-sama, Izuna-sama had asked me to relay to you a message. That he would be leaving the compound for the time being."

_"What?!"_

"He left for the settlement earlier this morning."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. _That coward!_ That anger was slowly turning into full blown rage. He clenched his fist, struggling for control. His temper won and he ended up banging it against the wall. He sighed, letting it all out. As a leader, he shouldn't be going around scaring his people. Like right this instant. The maid took a few steps back, clearly in fear. He had two options, either to go running after his brother, hunting him down like a wild animal or he could stay put and let his prey come to him.

"Where's the woman?" He asked her, gentler this time. But she seemed confused. " _My wife_." He clarified.

"Oh." She finally got the hint. "She's in the other wing with Kagami."

_Great._

She couldn't stay in one place. It was already mid-afternoon and he was supposed to take her out today. Show her around. Things he should have done  _before_  he took her to bed. Well, one thing led to another and this was where he found himself. Confused and angry.

"Very well. You may leave." He excused her before heading off.

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

He barely reached the door when he heard loud shrieks from inside. His brother.

He mentally prepared himself for the chaos going on. Turning the knob, he opened the door to a scene that had become increasingly often nowadays. Mito was having a fit. Again. And she was taking it out on her dear husband. By now, Tobirama was becoming familiar with this little theatrical. Which meant that he knew exactly that Uzumaki Mito would not beat her 'little Hashi' to a pulp unless for very specific good reason.

 _I wonder what Hashirama did this time_.

 _"You idiot!"_ Mito was certainly not sparing her lungs. She shouted as she repeatedly slapped his brother's chest. She was significantly shorter than him and Tobirama, she couldn't reach their height. But that didn't stop her from giving Hashirama a good back-handed slap to the face. She tugged on his long brown hair- which gave her a competitive advantage over the man in this case- bringing him down to eye-level where she was free to thwack him all she liked.

"I'm ssooorry!" Hashirama cried out for her to let go of his straight forelocks. All the while, Tobirama watched on as the incident unfolded right before his eyes. He preferred to stay out of these little quarrels, so he stood patiently by the door, waiting this out. The longest argument they ever had lasted an hour where his older brother ran around trying to hide from Mito. There was no chance of that happening now. He guessed that this would take around ten minutes, more or less.

"Hashirama! How could you?! Argh!" She really was losing it.  _Whatever he's done, it must be pretty bad this time._ "You there." She turned to face the sole spectator of this train-wreck of a marriage. Currently in the works. "Aren't you going to help me beat some sense into your foolish brother?"

"No. I think you've got it under control." Tobirama only came to get Hashirama's signature on some papers. Might as well use his brother while he was still here. He honestly couldn't understand why they decided to stay. Yes, it would have been a long way back to their compound from the night before. Yes, it was much easier to stop midway and stay the night at the settlement. No, Tobirama did not appreciate the headache he had to wake up to.

"Oh really? I would think that you would want to hear the catastrophe this man has done this time." Her emerald eyes were no longer green. They were red. Red with fury and passion. The passion to scalp his brother. To skin him alive. It was amazing how women could convey such thoughts from their mere eye contact. It was captivating as much as it was horrifying. It freaked him out. Seeing Mito like this always had him walk the other direction whenever he was in close range from her. Meanwhile, his brother was losing chunks of his hair as her grip became deadly.

"Please, honey. Calm down. Do not stress yourself. This is not good for the baby." Hashirama tried pleading with her in vain.

_"I'm pregnant, not fragile! You imbecile!"_

_This is getting serious. Maybe I should intervene._

She was blazing, her chakra flaring while her hands ready to whip Hashirama back to where he came from.

_On second thought-_

"Come on. Tell him Hashi. Tell him what you've done." Mito Uzumaki was grinning. Not the playful kind. No, the one that foretold an even more sinister event to occur.

"No no no no." The fear in Hashirama's eyes was real. Very real.

" _Your brother owes fifteen thousand ry_ _ōs to Uchiha Izuna on a bet!"_

_..._

Tobirama wasn't sure if he heard correctly. He finally stepped into the room as Mito released her husband from her clutch. The Senju leader was no match for them when it came down to... _this._  He was ultimately trapped by both his own brother and his wife. Tobirama was much worse. Tobirama was merciless. Hashirama feared him more when it came to his excessive gambling.

"You  _what?"_ Tobirama narrowed his eyes. This was unbelievable. It really was. But his older brother's silence indicated something. Something he had hoped wasn't true.

"Tell me you that did not bet with the devil!?" He repeated. "The devil!" This was mind blowing. So much so Tobirama's brain couldn't handle it. By now, Mito has taken a safe distance away from the upcoming outburst.

"Look, Tobi, listen eh-" Hashirama was beginning to step back slowly. "It's not what you think!"  _Too late._  He grabbed hold of his brother's collar and dragged him back to where he was.

"Oh really? Tell me what I think!" Steam was blowing out of his ears as his face gradually turned to the same color as his markings. "TELL ME!" Was his brother retarded?  _How could he do this? To gamble like that? And with an Uchiha no less? Uchiha Izuna out of all people!_

"Wait until you hear what he bet on." He heard Mito proclaim from somewhere back. She wasn't making this easier for Hashirama. At all. And maybe that was a good thing. It was about time the Senju head dropped this costly habit.

"I don't care what he bet on! I only care about the state of mind he must have been in to do something as reckless as that."  _He must have been drunk._  That was the only logical explanation he could arrive at. Tobirama hadn't been watching him all night. It wasn't his job to babysit his elder brother. But from the way things looked now, he might have to from now on. He had expected to hand this ridiculous task over to the Uzumaki once she married his sibling. The fact that she didn't even realize the wager his brother placed... _Hashirama was getting sneakier._

_What did he bet on anyways?_

"I swear Tobirama! It's not that bad-"

"Not that bad? HOW THE HECK DO YOU PLAN ON PAYING FIFTEEN THOUSAND RYOS!?"

"I'm not the only one! Ask Touka! I swear! Touka's in on this too!" Tobirama lifted his brother and threw him over the desk, breaking it in half.

"Touka? YOU DRAGGED TOUKA INTO THIS!?" This was too much. Too much for him to handle. He felt as if he would explode. Hashirama got up, smoothing out his rumbled clothes. Laughing as if this was nothing.

"Believe me, it's not that bad." He tried reassuring his white haired brother who was now more bloody-red than he was white.

"Betting on whether your best friend would sleep with his bride on their wedding night is pretty bad Hashirama."

...

"What?" Tobirama was in shock. Or maybe he wasn't. He couldn't tell. For some reason, he had become calm and still. His flaming rage had subsided into something more docile. More tame. But he couldn't say what it was.

The man who was responsible for blowing all his money on random gambling houses sighed. Ready to confess as it seemed.

"Yes. I may have bet on whether Madara would -uhm- sleep with-"

"And?" Tobirama found himself awaiting an answer he already knew.

" What do you think? Yes, I lost. "

"Oh."  _What a weird thought._ "How do you know, though?"

"Izuna's here." Hashirama was perplexed by his brother's startling change in behavior. "Brother, are you alright?"

"NO. OF COURSE I'M NOT ALRIGHT!" Tobirama regained the momentum that he had lost for a second. He was about to pounce the older doofus that was his brother and throw him out of the window if he could. But Hashirama, already sensing that Tobirama's temper was only beginning to unwind, took advantage of his dazed state and ran out the door.

"Come back here Hashirama!" He called out to him but the door had slammed shut in his face. "Dammit!"

"What are we going to do about this?" Mito asked him, much more composed than he was at the moment. There was only one way to handle this.

"I'll take care of it." That was the last thing he said before walking out of that awfully cramped room.

...

 _"Will you be willing to help me get out of here?"_ Mina had asked him. Less than twenty-four hours ago. And he had said no. For reasons that were painfully obvious. However, he was beginning to regret that decision.

He couldn't believe it the second he stepped onto their grounds. The Uchiha complex was quite big. But something had happened for a quarter of it was destroyed. Burned to the ground. Tobirama knew something had pushed Madara into accepting this fate he so vocally despised. That 'something' was becoming apparently clear the more he walked through the complex. That wasn't the only thing that had caught his attention.

The rumors never stopped. His ears would always pick up strange comments here and there. Most of them revolved around the same topic. Each remark speculated on who the bride-to-be was and each was more ludicrous than the last. It seemed that the Uchiha people didn't even know who the woman was.

 _"Have you heard? Madara-sama's finally marrying."_  A civilian woman in the crowd was saying.

 _"Yes! Can you believe it? Who is she anyways?"_  Her friend responded.

_"She's not Uchiha that's for sure."_

_"I heard that she's not even a shinobi. And that she has big ears and a loud mouth."_

_"Nonsense. I heard that she is heartless. I mean, that must be true. To marry Madara-sama, that takes quite a lot of tolerance and-"_

_"Shh. How dare you say that! No, well I was told that she would always hang with that Kagami child."_

_"The boy Madara-sama took in?"_

His ears had heard enough by that point. And even when he had seen her. _Seen Mina._  In a wedding kimono. Next to Madara. With a ring on her finger. He couldn't believe it. He _didn't want to_  believe it.

 _It was...wrong._ _Everything was wrong._ That wasn't how it was supposed to go. What was Madara thinking? More importantly, what the hell was she thinking? Tobirama didn't want to get closer to her. To them. He chose to sit anywhere that was not near their table. _Anywhere._  In fact, he did not feel like sitting. He had wanted to leave the instant he came. But he had promised his clan head that he would accompany him. Wandering around, he analyzed everything and anything in his path. The one thing that had stood out from the rest was the bride and groom's tense body language when comparing it to Izuna's. Yet, it was more apparent in Mina's behavior than Madara's. He had asked a maid what exactly was going on between them. He heard some very interesting things.

"Well, it's sort of known around here that Madara-sama's wife and his brother-uhm, how do I say this- do not get along very well."

"Oh really?" He raised a brow, her answer piqued his interest.

"Yes. In fact, we've seen them fight a number of times. Though, there's a rumor going around that-" She cut herself short, figuring that she was saying more than she should be saying.

"Oh please. Continue." He wasn't being nice and she could tell that from the tone of his voice. She began fidgeting with her fingers and bit her lips.

"We've seen her going about digging holes in the gardens."

"Why?"

"She reportedly said that they will serve as Izuna-sama's graves when she kills him and rips him apart. If you'll excuse me now." The young servant gave a light bow before returning to her duties; serving other tables. It amused him a lot. The image of Mina ripping Uchiha Izuna's body into bits. He'd be damned if he did not end up being as her back-up. He would even want to join in on the action, too.

When he ran into her later that night, despite knowing the obvious, he couldn't hold back his snide remarks. And then she would ask him to help her get away. He would say no. She would beg him to change his mind, he doesn't. The memory repeated on and on and on until that guilty feeling nagged at him all night.

 _I should have just said yes_.

But the consequences were far too great. That was the reason that he refused from the beginning. He certainly didn't need a raging, possessive Madara hunting him down, risking ending the treaty and consequently putting everything he's been working for on the line.

He still kept his distance at the end. In hopes of restraining himself from doing anything reckless. Because he, too, was prone to doing stupid things. Though, not stupid enough to gamble away fifteen thousand ryōs to a dickhead.  _Dammit Hashirama!_

The thought of his brother falling to Izuna's tricks struck a nerve.  _How could he bet on something like that? And how did he lose?_ For once, Tobirama understood the stance Hashirama had taken and if anything, he would have expected him to win. The fact that he didn't meant that-  _Stop thinking about it._

It made him angry. So much so that he found himself shaking. In the middle of the street where he was walking. People who would see him in this state would move hurriedly out of his way, afraid to step on another raw nerve. Tobirama found his feet taking him towards Touka's stationed post. He had to make absolutely sure that Hashirama did indeed fuck up. He did not really need to verify his rendition of events, he just needed to hear the rest of the story from his cousin.  _Who surly could not have participated in something as idiotic as this._ Now that, he was not so certain of.

_Why would Touka do this?_

_"_ Excuse me."

He felt a light tap to his shoulders. He turned around angrily to find a short woman with beautiful brown hair that was cropped to her shoulders. Honey brown eyes wide open, staring up at him.

"Tobirama-sama?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't judge me. I'm already judging myself enough for writing this hahaha.  
> I would feel ashamed, but that ship sailed a long time ago. Taking with it my pride and dignity. xD


	31. Snow

_**Mina's POV** _

"Hey, I've got something to show you!" I told him.

"Mina-chan, is this your way of changing the subject?" Kagami retorted.

"No."  _Maybe._

_"_ Then why aren't you answering me?"

"I thought I did."

"No, you didn't."  _Why can't he let this go already?_

"Here, come." I took his hands and dragged him towards the pond. "What is it that you want to show me so bad?" He asked.

"Wait and see, I think you'll like it." I knelt to the floor as he did the same. I took a deep breath. I had been practicing for a while. Ever since that fall with Tobirama, I couldn't help but wonder what other...powers I had. It sounded strange. Powers. It was so ethereal to me, I had a hard time grasping it. Unlike these people, we weren't born with abilities. We were just...normal. Plain normal. And there was nothing wrong with that.

Which was why I felt that all of this was extraordinary. Extraordinarily weird. I didn't understand it and I didn't think Tobirama did either.

"Come on, what is it?"

"Aie aie, wait I'm getting to it." I took another breath and focused. The most logical conclusion I could arrive at, as logical as one can get about any of this, was that it was- in a sense -telekinetic. Which was obviously nonsense, but I learned that I shouldn't be quick to judge things in this world. I hovered my hands over the surface of the water, testing it. Sometimes, when I would be alone, I would practice on a jug of water.

_So far, not so good._  I was never able to raise it above a few inches. But it was different this time. I needed it to work. A part of me wanted to show off to Kagami, but most of all I just wanted to see if this led to anything. Anything at all.

As expected, water droplets began rising into the air; one by one, almost floating. More and more water followed until a globe was nearly formed.

"Ha!" I exclaimed. The water felt cold against my clammy hands. It was translucently clear, nearly sparkling in the faint daylight. The water was blue. The calming kind, the kind that soothes you into a deep slumber. Like the sky of a fateful summer evening. Though, the day was anything but. In fact, it was the complete opposite. The skies overhead looked angry and were ready to burst. It was shallow and grey; void of any color or life for that matter.

"Hey! How did you do that?!" Kagami's voice pulled me out of my daze. "Huh?"

"Are you a water-style user?" He was growing curiouser and curiouser by the second. The look in his eyes was that of fascination. He observed the ball of rippling water with a wonder of a child. But then again, he was a child.

"I'm not...really sure." I answered him truthfully. Because I didn't know. There was no use in lying and even if I did, I wouldn't have been able to come up with a convincing one on the spot. "Here, bring your hands." I nodded for him to take the same stance, ushering him to help me out as if the water was too heavy for me to carry. He put his hands underneath it, setting it beside mine.

"It feels kind of nice." He said.

"I know, eh?"  _This was kinda fun._ Maybe if I could add a little breeze to it...

I blew out a sigh. A forceful one. That equated to a sudden gush of wind, not powerful enough to send Kagami flying to the other side of the garden, but cold enough to turn the water into ice almost instantly. And as such, the boy retreated his hands just as fast.

"Ouch, that stung!" That much was true. It was so incredibly cold, it actually burnt. And it was indeed growing heavy. But I couldn't let it fall and shatter, I was too obsessed with saving face. After all, I did start this.

"Look I just made a snowball!"

"That's not snow. That's a damn ice ball!"

"Yo kid, watch your language."

"You say way worse things all the time!"  _Touché._

"What do you two think you're doing?" A dark presence interrupted our little spat. We both turned our heads to see none other than Madara. He always had a knack for interrupting the worst times. I let the ball drop to the ground, releasing that hefty load was a relief. It shattered into hundreds of pieces, each smaller than the other. They were like the tiniest of specks on a canvas, immediately melting when they made contact with the ground.

_What do you think?_

I kept quiet. I really didn't want to waste energy on speaking to him. For some reason, talking to him drained all the energy out of me. The thought of even speaking tired me. Asides from the obvious, I saw no point in answering his question.

"Good afternoon, Madara-sama." In a flash of a second, the small Uchiha boy was already on his two feet, bowing down to his leader. His leader on the other hand, acting stoic and all, paid no attention to him. Nor to anything. I wasn't even entirely sure if Madara was actually awake or was standing there listless and unresponsive.

"Hey Kagami, we should get going now." I wanted to take him to the library, hoping to finally find a bookworm inside of him. To awaken that inner bibliophile, if there was one. And then I wouldn't be so alone anymore. I stood up and grabbed his hands gently, ready to walk off with him, completely ignoring Madara in the process unknowingly.

"Where are you going?" He asked.  _God, questions. It was always questions._

_"_ To the library." I answered, at last taking a good look at him. It didn't look like he slept at all. That wasn't right. At least he had the chance to close his eyes, I couldn't sleep at all. And yet, he always managed to look like he hadn't slept in centuries. But this time, I saw that he opted for a change. Apart from his usual dark attire that consisted of a high-collared, long sleeved mantle that splits down the lower half and a simple light-brown obi and a belt. With the clan crest on his back, his midnight blue pants and bandages around his shins, he looked typical to the Madara Uchiha I spent nights endlessly ogling with my eyes, underneath my bed sheets.

_Ahh, the good old days._

The days that had me devouring the manga; chapter by chapter, volume after volume. Occasionally undressing the characters with my eyes as a horny pubescent teenager. Never imagined that I would end up marrying one in some sick, convoluted ceremony. Yet, here I am.  _Fuck._

But something was different about him this time. Instead of leaving his hair fall freely, he tied it up at the back loosely. His ungraceful bangs still covering half of the right side of his face. _Some things just don't change, huh._ He looked like those impossibly handsome librarians with those impossibly sculpted features described in those cheesy erotica novels. All that was missing was a pair of funky glasses. Speaking of librarians... I tugged at Kagami's arm, signaling him to get going, but he seemed torn between listening to me or waiting for Madara's orders.

"Well then, I'll come along." He offered. Which wasn't an offer as much as it was a command.  _Why does he have to bud in?!_

_"_ Uhm, no." I uttered. It was simple. He wasn't invited and under no circumstances did he have the right to invite himself. The last thing I wanted was to be alone together with him. Again. I just wanted a break. A break from everything. Suddenly, the prospect of my depressing life back home seemed all that much better. Thrilling, actually. Compared to this, that is.

"Uhm, yes." He countered. His voice was impassive as much as his appearance was.

"No." I continued.

"Yes."

All the meanwhile, the kid was staring back and forth at the both of us. I could understand why. Kagami may have been the child out of us three, but he certainly wasn't the one acting like it. Instead of being adults, we were the ones acting like stubborn children, throwing the blame back to back.

"Come on, let's go." I had enough, I was adamant on not letting him get to me, however it was too late. I already felt exhausted from the mere exchange of two words with my 'husband'. Now, Kagami wasn't budging. He stood there, just like Madara, mulling over the choices he had. I glared at him.  _Don't you dare, ki-_

"Sorry, Mina-chan. I just remembered I had something to do. Bye." He waved us off before bolting out of there, escaping what was probably an oncoming storm.  _Oh how I washed to be in his place right now!_

_"No! Wait, come back Kagami!"_ I reached out, attempting to catch him but it was too late. The boy was fast, he had already the balcony of the house on the other side. Dammit. I sighed, exasperated.

"So much for scaring the kid away. Good job." I muttered under my breath, I didn't think Madara would have heard me. But he did.

"Me? Maybe if you weren't pampering and coddling the living light out of him, then perhaps he wouldn't be so eager to run from you." I turned around to look this demon right in his goddamn eyes.

"Beg your pardon? As opposed to throwing knives at the boy and trying to set him aflame,  _because_   _that_  wouldn't have done the trick?"  _What was he thinking?_ That was just it. I didn't think he was.

"I don't know how you do so where you come from, but training is an integral part to the upbringing of a shinobi. You either do or you don't." He was serious. Dead serious. Sure, all of this would have made sense. To the likes of him and the people here.

_"Where I come from,"_ I made sure to place emphasis on those words in the case that they manage to slip through his ears, "You'd be charged with child abuse and attempted murder. You'd get a life sentence and perhaps even the death penalty. You'd also have an outraged public and hungry sharks in the form of lawyers coming after your ass." I was aware that I was venturing way off into hypothetical land, but the mere thought of such a scenario was equally funny as it was exhilarating. Of course, he did not get the point I was trying to get across but he did catch onto the hint of sarcasm in my voice. A sign he probably took as not to take me seriously. I couldn't care less, I just wanted to get away from him. Find some place, anywhere really, and lay down. Take a nap and maybe never wake up. That would be perfect, but no one ever got what they wished for in this life. I rubbed my temples, trying to clear my mind of the headache that wouldn't leave me in peace since yesterday.

I heard him take a deep breath before exhaling loudly.

"Are you done?" He asked, his voice edging on that tone that clearly indicated his growing annoyance at me.

"Yes." Forcing myself to calm down, I mentally prepared for what was about to happen. I wasn't sure what Madara wanted.  _Why was he even here?_ To make my life a living hell more than it already was? To annoy me? To get under my skin?

_More like get into your pants._

_Really not funny._

_Shit._

For one, I wasn't wearing pants. Second, he couldn't possibly want to-? Not again? And why so soon?  _That probably wasn't it. No._  I'd rather drown myself in this pond had it been possible.

"Let's go." That was all he said before turning and heading back the same way he came from.

"To where?" I wanted to make sure that he wasn't leading me on.

"To the library. Did you not just say you wanted to go there?" He faced me, his eyebrows raised in irritation.

_Yes. Alone._

"I changed my mind." I said unconvincingly. He didn't buy it. I didn't care.

"I'm sure you did. Now, let's go." He repeated.

"No. I'm tired."

"I thought you changed your mind?"

"I did. It's a very boring walk there."

"Which is it?" He crossed his arms before counting down. "Are you tired, lazy or had a change of heart?"

_He just had to go cherry picking all my excuses, didn't he?_

"I don't know. Pick one." I shrugged. This really was tiresome. "I'd like to be alone now. Please." Might as well come out with it. I had to be clear in my statements, something that I learned recently. He was on his feet, motionless. Trying to figure out exactly what must be going on in my mind. Good luck to him, even I didn't know what was going on. I was fully aware that the way I was acting did not particularly coincide with the way I acted yesterday. Partly the reason why I wanted to be alone. I felt very...confused. All over the place. My mind was in a disarray and the exhaustion was killing me. Everything was beginning to settle and the consequences of my actions were becoming all too real. I really should have thought things through.

I was buried so deep in thought I hadn't realized that it had started raining. No. _Drizzling?_  No. I felt small flakes trickling downwards. I looked up and saw flickering white spots falling down ever so slowly. One ended up landing on the bridge of my nose, I could see it clearly from there. It was a snowflake. As soon as it touched my nose, it melted. Just as the shattered pieces of the ice-ball did. I brought up my finger to try and catch another one. More and more snowflakes were appearing. The sky, it was no longer grey but white.  _It finally burst._

I couldn't help but smile. I loved winter. I loved the snow. I loved the chilly atmosphere. I loved the breeze. I loved the hailstorms. Everything. I loved everything about it. And yet, a painful emotion tugged at my heart. Something strange and nauseating, it made me want to scream. Though, I was self-conscious enough to keep the ever-mounting chaos inside the corners of my mind. The last memory I had of this scene wasn't beautiful like the rest of my memories of this season were. It was anything but beautiful. It brought me back to that awful night in the forest on my way back home from school. The memories were clear as daylight. Not a single detail was hazed. This had been the last thing I saw before coming here. The last memory I had of my world. Homesickness had become a very familiar feeling to me. But this was by far the worst feeling, the absolute worst. I wanted to cry. I wanted to shout at the top of my lungs. But above all, I wanted someone to tell me I was going to be alright because I sure as hell did not feel like it.

But no one was going to help me. No one was going to hold me. No one to reassure me.

I didn't know for how long I had been standing there, but when I looked up expecting to see Madara, he wasn't there. It appeared that he had left. Miraculously. Maybe he did listen to my request. I doubted it, something worthy must have caught his attention by now. I was alone. Just like I wanted. Or thought that I did.

_Maybe I wasn't alone._

I looked down at the swirling wind in the palms of my hand, snowflakes spiraling in an orderly fashion. Like a mini-tornado. It was oddly comforting. So much so that I found myself dazing off to those hypnotic twists and turns of the wind, to the infinite round and round whirling of the soft white crystals. It was never-ending.

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

"I'm Inoue. Yamanaka Inoue. It's a pleasure to finally meet you." She said, a large smile splayed across her face. Her familiar presence irked him. Her wide brown eyes, short cropped hair pinned back by a red dahlia, the slight bent of her nose, her slim figure; she reminded him of Mina. He could have sworn up and down that she must have been her twin if he didn't know better or the fact that she didn't have a twin. And if he hadn't picked out every subtle difference there was in under thirty seconds. He had a discerning eye.

Her auburn hair might have been cut short, but it was straight. Her eyes may have been brown, but they were a much lighter shade. There was a light scar near her slightly angular chin, while Mina's was more rounded.

It was irritating him. It was always the little things. The little things that were out of place when everything else was in order. It was maddening. He had this urge to always rearrange them so they could fit perfectly, almost synchronous. Although, it would be considerably harder to rearrange someone's facial features without permanently deforming them.

Her hands were extended, waiting for him to shake it, he presumed. However, he did not spare her his well renowned scowl. He crossed his arms and waited patiently for her to say what she wanted.

_What did this woman want anyways? More importantly, what are the Yamanaka doing here?_

"Yes?"

Seeing that he wasn't about to take her hands anytime soon, she retreated them. It was obvious that he wasn't in a good mood. No wonder everyone was avoiding him. She was the only one stupid enough to get near him. She swallowed up whatever hurt pride she had and continued with the facade.

"Here, I believe you dropped this, Tobirama-sama."

This time, she extended her hand, exposing a no longer empty palm. Tobirama saw a kunai right at the center of her palms. His eyes widened to a slight extent, though it was wide enough for her to notice.

"I saw it fall from your pouch while you were walking." She tried to explain herself. He had been working on developing his teleportation technique, instead of constantly placing formulas everywhere he went, this kunai would have served as an intermediate. However, it was still a work in progress.  _How could I have been so careless as to let it drop so easily?_

"Thanks." He grabbed it from her hands and placed it back where it belonged. As he was about to turn and leave, he was stopped. Bony fingers wrapped around his muscular arm, it surprised him.

"I thought, uhm, perhaps we could talk for a while?" She stated, clearly uncomfortable by the own situation she landed herself in.

"Let go." He told her, hoping that she was sane enough to listen to his words. He didn't want to raise his voice. Again. Much less in the vacant streets that everyone seemed to avoid right now. Truth be told, he wasn't entirely sure what had gotten him to stay this long. He could have been up in Touka's face at the moment, not this woman's. Instead, he chose to walk this path when he could have instantly teleported himself there. This walk served nothing more than to calm his state of mind. Which some brown-haired woman persisted on rattling it.

She let go and took a step back, that same smile on her face. His rather rough demeanor did not throw her off her act, not in the slightest.

"Sorry about that." Her voice was overly cheery. Now that he was free to go, something else unexpectedly halted his track. It wasn't rain. No, that would have been too good to be true. It was the start of another tough winter.

_Snow._

There were snowflakes everywhere in the sky, dancing in circles before they found their way to the solid ground. The tiny white spots blended in perfectly with his own pale hair. Too perfectly, if you asked him. Though he could still feel each flake melting right at the surface of his scalp and down to the edge of his chin. He didn't think his mood would get any more sour than it already was. He was wrong.

_Wonderful. Just wonderful._

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

"I don't understand why you dragged me into this." Eiji said with a hint of annoyance, and a bit of distaste, but mostly of disgust.

"Please, don't act like you didn't enjoy it. Besides, we got each other's backs this way." Izuna retorted, pleased with himself as he patted the older gentleman's back.

"If anything, this is going to make us look more suspicious."

"You're right. It's only a matter of time before they find out." It was the truth. It wouldn't take Madara long to figure it out, at least he thought so. There were two possible scenarios going on in Izuna's head at the moment. One; was that Madara was already on his way to tear his head away from his body and two; his brother was still back at the compound, enjoying the merits of his new life as a married man. The latter option seemed quite improbable to Izuna, which only left him with an image of a raging Madara blazing through the forests on his way here.  _But then, he would have been here already, no?_

"Isn't that comforting." His company was a real pessimist alright. He should have chosen someone more upbeat. Though, now looking back at his options, Eiji seemed the most sensible of all the choices.

"Would you stop being such a buzzkill? Think of this as a mission to escorting the Uchiha leader's brother on his mighty lord's behalf. Is that better?" Izuna tried to lighten the mood a bit, occasionally making fun of his brother seemed to lift the tense atmosphere around some of his shinobi. As he came to learn.

"But he didn't." The man stopped in his tracks, weary of this idiot's intentions.

"All the better!" He exclaimed.

"Are you kidding me?!" Eiji grabbed Izuna's collar, ready to stomp him to the ground, put him in his place if need be.

"Hey, just calm yourself. If I go down, you go down. Eh?" He couldn't hide his smirk anymore. "If you were so against it, you shouldn't have placed your bet in the first place, don't you think?"

"You little twerp, I don't care if you're his brother or the second-in-command-"

"See, that's why I like you Eiji-"

"Shut up. Don't interrupt me." Izuna's grin only grew wider as the grip on his collar grew tighter.

"Besides, that wasn't what I was talking about. You thought it wise to ambush the man at his doorstep and claim to the world the fifteen thousand ryōs he owes you? Do you  _want_  to get caught?"

"Maybe." He brushed off his hands as they got closer to the borders. The snow had stopped by now. It wasn't heavy, it was only a small dribble, though it was enough to bathe them. He wasn't planning on leaving just yet.

"As long as we're here, we should take a look around, no?" He said to no one in particular. He would take his time sifting through things here, seeing that he didn't really do anything to contribute to this settlement.  _Madara would surely appreciate this._  He's being proactive about this just like his elder brother had wanted. No harm was being done. At first glance that is. Anyone that knew Izuna Uchiha would say otherwise. And that included Izuna himself. Sometimes, he would surprise his own self by the things he came up with.

But enough said about him, there were infinite things to discover in this land. Starting with that bothersome howling he'd been hearing.

"You do hear that, right?" He asked the other Uchiha.

"Yes."

"I'm going to check it out." He decided solely. Before Eiji could protest, Izuna's feet were already dragging him out the large-gated borders and towards the faint noise. Outside these walls, the forests were thick. Impenetrable even. It was nearly impossible to see anything through them, even on a sunny day. And on a day like this, the beginning of a new harsh season, they would have no chance in detecting anything without the use of chakra or their sharingan. But they were not out in pursue of some bandits. They were just searching for the source of the sounds. Well, he was. Eiji, on the other hand, seemed reluctant to go but as it turned out, he had to stick to this 'baby-sitting job' which was unknowingly handed over to him by no one other than the child in question himself.

The woodland seemed ominously quiet to their ears. They paused, now that even the sounds of their own footfalls were silent, all that could be heard was the dying cries of an animal and reverberations of the leaves in the gusty wind that seemed to have eclipsed the afternoon warmth. Looking up as he walked, Izuna found himself transfixed by the myriad of fluttering leaves- still miraculously holding onto their bare trunks- that danced in the high branches, practically forming a living roof above him. He was calmed, soothed, almost hypnotized- dare he say- by the view but the longer he stared, the more the leaves began looking like eyes staring back down at him and the boughs seemed to draw closer, ready to devour him but not quite. Walking down this path reminded him of a caged animal. Bound by the endless chains of ossified branches, boughs and twigs.

It unsettled him. And apparently, so was his older mate. The path they walked on was intertwined with thick tree roots, the kind that would cause serious harm should someone so incidentally fall over. Izuna was on high alert, not knowing what to expect. This same track led to a hidden pathway, tucked away safely in the depths of the forest. After today's snow turned to rain on some account, the dirt turned into dark mud; their footprints imprinting deeply into the softness of the earth.

As they walked further into the heart of the woods, the sound they've been hearing nearly a mile back was growing weaker, although it should have been getting stronger. It was as if they had taken the wrong turn and were walking into the opposite direction of the noise they've been following. But as such, it was not the case. And Izuna was sure about it. He still sensed chakra- even if it was in trace amounts- radiating from the direction they were heading towards. Eiji's grip went instantly to the handle of his katana. Izuna followed suit. Both their footsteps became lighter as the intensity of the chakra became stronger.

_One..._

This was no time to play hide and seek, he knew that, but something was nagging him at the back of his mind. A few steps later...

_Two..._

They were inching further and further away from the settlement and thereby advancing more and more out of their territories. Carrying with them the risk of being attacked, but hardly anyone ever lived in these dense areas. Or so he tried to convince himself.

_Three..._

The two men found themselves in a small clearing, not much different from the path they were taking. Small shrubs peeked out of the long forgotten land every now and then. Though the landscape was not what caught Izuna's attention. It was this hound. Almost half his height, its fur darker than midnight and its claws were nowhere near as sharp as its bloody canines. Raw flesh stuck to its fangs, its unfortunate prey still laid on the ground with its entrails nearly gone and splayed across the terrain. This was no ordinary dog, that much he knew.  _A ninken_. Even so, it had an odd behavior for one, the dog appeared to be ready to tear their bodies in half, but it didn't. In fact, it was taking its retreat, slowly yet steady all the while bearing its sharp-edged teeth. From the looks of it, the hound was clearly hurt. A diagonal gash at his right hind leg. _Hum, where is it's master?_

Whoever they were, they must not have been far off.

The hound suddenly scurried back into the forest, retreating deeper and deeper. There was no reason for him to follow. It was just a dog. But he couldn't help it. Before he darted off after the mysterious creature, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face a fairly irritated Eiji, who still managed to appear passive through all of this.

"You know your curiosity will be the death of you."

_Ahhh..._

That was something to think about. While it was meant to ward off the young Uchiha, this was nothing more than encouragement to Izuna's ears. He had no qualms about dying at such a fate. In fact, he saw no better way to leave this world than at the hands of the unknown. Or in battle. Whichever came first. But now, his curious nature took a hold of him. The mysteries of this world went far beyond his imagination and that was partly why he was always up to unearthing any and every oddity thrown his way. He was a curious fellow, but very few knew that.

Izuna only smirked at his warning.

"Well, I'm going anyways."

Gathering enough chakra at his feet, he leaped to a tree branch and jumped from one to another, each jump more powerful than the last. His was speeding up. Soon enough, another pair of feet were following right behind. Just because Izuna always had that eagerness to uncovering something, anything, it did not mean that he would go in unprepared. He was curious, not dumb. His sharingans were activated, his sword unsheathed but not completely drawn. There was no indication that he was stumbling in on some foreign territory. As far as his knowledge extended, this area belonged to no one in particular. It wasn't even claimed by a feudal lord. Even so, something was off.

From a distance, the only sounds he heard were of silent white streams cascading over the rocky outcrops. As both he and Eiji drew nearer, the noise increased steadily until they were only a few hundred meters away. They could no longer talk to each other over the deafening roar of the water. They would have to shout in order to hear one another. Still, they drew closer and closer until they were in the plume of water vapor that hung over the gaping pool and only minutes later, did they find themselves wet as they would have been in any rainstorm. Though, it really wasn't helped by the fact that they were indeed drenched in rainwater prior to ending up here. Nevertheless, their obsidian black hair clung to their heads and framed their faces. The fog around the waterfall was thick.

It was not the gentle sort of waterfall one might expect to see in a calming dream. It was not the kind one would envisage as a pitch-perfect image of paradise. It was, in reality, far from it. This waterfall, like many that adorned the Fire Country, was the kind where torrents of water poured over rocks hard enough to crack someone's skull and mash their brains on the way down, then swirl in a bottomless pool deep enough to drown said person, if they survived the fall in the first place. From the bottom it was awe inspiring, from the top it was brutal and terrifying. Izuna had no doubt about it.

The murkiness of the brume would not deter him. His glowing sharingans analyzed everything within their surroundings. And only then did he realize that they weren't alone.  _No._  There were at least three, no- two other humans and three canines. One of which they had already encountered.

"Watch your back." He warned Eiji.

"As long as you watch yours."

Despite their words, they had each other's backs. As literal as one could be about that statement. Both their swords were completely drawn out by now, their backs to each other, each Uchiha scanned his 180 degree of vision. They were aware of the others' presence, but were they aware of them? If so, they made no move to conceal themselves, run or even attack. Instead, they just stood there. Near the shore of the rippling water, bent over... _drinking?_

Was that what he was seeing?

"Don't." He heard Eiji's voice.

"I wasn't." He assured him. Izuna was not an idiot, but he had a feeling that everyone seemed to think that. He was not stupid enough to instigate an attack on an unknown enemy- potentially an ally, although those were getting quite rare nowadays- without the means to even see them properly. But that was soon fading. Along with the mist, things were clearing up.

Three ninkens; the injured black-furred hound and a brown-skinned eye-patched one were huddled together near the edge of the waterfall while the third was scouring for something. Still unaware- or rather ignoring their presence. Their handlers, however, were more than aware of the intruding Uchihas. Both were women. They both stopped in their tracks when the Izuna and Eiji appeared out of the blue. To them. They had always been there but since the fog was beginning to lift, their appearance was rather sudden.

"Identify yourselves." He demanded them, raising his katana to meet the crouched woman face-first. She looked...almost feral. Her spiky hair- muck spikier than Madara's which astonished him for some reason- and the red stripes painted across her cheeks vertically were distinguishable signs. She was wearing nothing but bandages across her chest and some rugged slacks. The bridge of her nose was in contact with his sword's edge. He could see the shock in her face when he suddenly appeared before her. A few steps back stood his partner who sighed quite heavily as if contesting to his actions. Izuna saw no wrong-doing being made, he did not initiate an attack like Eiji had assumed. Rather, his older mentor seemed quite tired. Tired enough to sheath his sword?

_I don't think so._

But Eiji did. As if he had already analyzed the situation and concluded that these women were no longer threats. Meanwhile, his eyes had never left the woman's own, though they couldn't possibly be considered eyes. They were more like vertical black slits than anything else; similar to a cat's. Or some snakes in that regard.

"We're Inuzuka." Her overly raspy voice came as a surprise to him, he had never heard a woman's voice that sounded anywhere near that hoarse tone of hers. Her partner, or so he assumed, said nothing. She stood near a tree, leashing the grey hound. With difficulty might he add. The dog was being rattled by their unexpected presence, its barking was incessant. Possibly for interrupting its little search hunt.  _If that was the case, what was it searching for?_

"This is not your territory. What could you possibly be doing here?" Izuna's voice was expressionless yet held an icy tone colder than whatever the weather could rain down upon them.

_"It isn't yours either."_  He heard a whisper come out that other woman. Before he could glare at her, her own clanswomen beat him to it. She was still crouching, not that she could move considering that his sword was planted straight to her face. Though, that did not prevent her from staring daggers at her friend. It wasn't hard catching onto that inconspicuous look.

"We mean you no harm. We were only out hunting." Her eyes returned back to him, she raised her hands and placed them gingerly on the sharp weapon. She needn't press down further before the well-defined blade cut the superficial layer of her skin. Blood began trailing down, slowly forming the smallest of puddles on the ground. Although, she did not seem fazed by it. Not in the least. Izuna could not tell if this woman was still a threat or not. On one hand, they did not attack them as of yet. On the other hand, they still had every right to. This land belonged to neither clan, who also happened to be on opposite sides of the battlefields on more than one occasion.

Slowly yet steadily, he began lowering his katana. She took this opportunity to rise to her feet gradually, not wanting to tick him off. He was taking his chance. At least two of their hounds were injured. The second woman looked more run down than the dogs themselves and her chakra levels were abnormally low. While the older lady standing before him was doing everything but grabbing her weapons which were sprawled everywhere alongside her pouch's contents.  _Paper bombs, kunais, metal strings and some sealing formulas._

Some of the many things he had seen upon first glance. It was interesting to say the least. These people were not out hunting.  _It appears that they were in some sort of battle._

Izuna was slightly shocked at how tall the woman was. Taller than he was for sure. Though, he did not let that intimidate him. He pushed those thoughts away from his mind as he pushed the tip of his blade into the rudimentary soil beneath him. He was not ready to sheath it just yet. Sensing that he wasn't buying her ruse, she opted for faking a smile.

While it was meant to reassure him, it only unnerved him even more.

"We mean you no harm." She repeated again, attempting to sound more friendlier as she raised her hands in surrender. Izuna wasn't convinced but what reason did he have to hold her? In fact, what reason did he have to confront them? Even had they not been hunting, whatever battle they were in was certainly none of his business. Which was disturbing. Something was not right. He would have to report this back. Meanwhile, the other Uchiha present seemed more than happy to let this slide.

_The Inuzuka, huh?_

He'd have to remember that. Encasing his sword back into its sheath, he pretended not to see them gather their materials as they hurried to leave. The pair of women were soon on their way out of the forest, riding atop their hounds in order to escape as fast as they could, leaving behind small traces of blood.

_"Never believed the Uchiha and the Senju were actually building a settlement together."_ Their voices grew fainter and fainter until they were no longer within hearing range.

"Hunting, my ass. Did you get that?" Were the only words that came out of Izuna's mouth the moment he was satisfied that they were out of ear-shot. He turned to his partner and crime and saw that he had succeeded in grabbing one of the sealing formulas which were transcribed onto some sort of parchment paper. Eiji was playing with the thin paper, rolling it ever so slightly between his fingers.

"Yes." He answered curtly. "They're sealing formulas."

"I figured that much. Anything else?" He asked. If there was an expert in fuinjutsu present at that moment, it surely wasn't him. Naturally, he kept staring at one who was waiting for a response.

"It's an identifier. It identifies chakra signatures it comes in contact with and process it." There was more to it, Izuna knew that.

"This one, however, is not." Eiji pulled out another similar looking paper from behind his back. From where Izuna was standing, the only difference he could see were the kanji letters. The first paper read 'signature' while the second one was-

_"Seal?"_  He read off the characters. Nothing seemed off about it.

"Yes. This one does not process chakra, it absorbs said user into a different dimension."

"It appears to be used, though." Again, his observations were based on nothing but...well, his observations. Unlike Madara, Izuna took pride in the fact that he still retained a good portion of his eye sight, even if his elder brother would never admit it.

"Correct. But there is clearly nothing nor anyone sealed away."

_Clearly?_ Far from it. But he would play along.

"And?"

"I don't know." Eiji confessed.

"You don't know?" Izuna retorted, more cynical than he would have liked to appear. His shinobi paid no heed to his unnecessary comment.

"I have been hearing rumors about the Inuzuka wandering around." He revealed apathetically. He wasn't taking notice of his surroundings. All his focus rested on the two thin sheets resting in the palms of his hands.

This was the first Izuna has heard of such rumors.

"Oh really, now?"

_Another thing to think about._

"What do you think that dog was searching for anyways?"

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

"When did it arrive?" He asked the messenger. Madara was interrupted from his little get-together with his  _wife_ when he was informed of the arrival of a notification. She didn't even realize that he had left seeing that she was too fixated on the damn snow. She was acting strange but he expected nothing less from her.

"This afternoon, Madara-sama." Replied the man. The eagle was one of the most reliable sources to convey messages, aside from actual shinobi of course. Who sometimes proved to be less trust-worthy than the mere animals themselves. Humans were traitors, liars, renegades. Qualities Madara never found in majestic birds like the eagle. Or his personal favorite, the falcon. He was a bit disappointed that he could not spend more time lately in training with his bird.

Anyhow, he had to care of the message at hand.

He was handed a sealed scroll. His shinobi could not open it but from its appearance, it seemed like the Hyuga were the ones behind of this missive.

"Hmpf." He grunted.  _What did they want?_

He felt as if he had just seen them yesterday. He did. He decided that he would open it in the safety of his own study. Before he left on his way, he patted the eagle on its bald head. He always had a way with them, though he could not say the say the same about his shinobi. Which was evidenced by the multiple scratches to his face. These ferociously beautiful birds dominated the sky just as they, humans, dominated the earth. But unlike the flying creatures, the human race served nothing more than to defile, lay waste and corrupt what was once a magnificent earth. Because that was who they were. There were no living creatures nearly as barbaric as they were human.

_Seeking peace, yet yearning for war at the same time. Those two realms had always belonged solely to mankind._ _What a shame._

As he was leaving, the bird spread its wings as broad as it was black, its head; white as the clouds it glides in between. Talons were sharp as its beak, ready to claw its way into its victim's flesh. Witnessed first-hand by the poor man.

* * *

It was nightfall already.

And Madara was still in his study, trying to make sense of the letter. That wasn't true. He was trying to figure out how- no, why- they would want to meet. There was no justification that he could find, nothing that he could scrape from the top of his head. It was not mentioned in the letter, for obvious reasons. Besides, they were just here less than twenty-four hours ago and they made no mention of organizing a meeting on a later date. No allusions. No hinting at. While the Hyuga were notoriously secretive in their affairs, there were certain aspects Madara could not understand. Protecting the Byakugan was their top priority, that was clear enough to him. Keeping the Byakugan within the Hyuga clan reminded him of how hard his clan had tried to keep their own dojutsu within their own people for many generations. However, unlike the Hyuga, the Uchiha were, on some level, less restrictive than they had been years ago.

_Times change._  He persuaded himself.

_Still, what the heck did they want?_

Trade negotiations? Lands? Bartering? What was it? As far as he knew, the Uchiha broke no agreements between the two clans. Unless they thought otherwise. In that case, he had no choice than to accept their meeting proposal.

_Three weeks._

It was enough time to prepare.

 

 


	32. Dahlia

**_Inoue's POV_ **

"Talk about a serious downer. Why did no one warn me?" It was quite an encounter. She did not imagine the younger of the infamous Senju brothers would be so...downbeat, melancholic and a lugubrious dickhead.

"We did." Her brothers said in unison. They claim they did, but for some unknown, illogical and completely not-her-fault kind of reason, she did not receive the memo. She most likely did but chose to ignore it rather than bear it in mind. What could she say? Her curiosity got the better of her. They were here for a reason and she thought of nothing more entertaining than to get to know people here. Particularly, one Senju Tobirama.

Inoue and her brothers decided to accompany their father on this spontaneous journey. Asides from the other Yamanaka shinobi that accompanied the Yamanaka clan head as a delegation, these three were, more or less, authorized to come along. She would be lying if she said none of this was her idea. Because it was and she hooked her brothers onto the notion like fishes snared onto fish hooks. She was the fisherman and they were the poor fishies. She was far from the role model she should be to her younger brothers, but as the saying goes,  _you don't get to choose your family._

How her father was falling for this cheap trick disguised as a potential harmonious village filled with so much hope and more nauseating concepts, well, it made her stomach flip more than once. Inoue, always considered the prodigious daughter of her father-with a mischievous side she hides expertly- was one of the few who were outspokenly against this idea her father seemed to have pulled out of his arse. More like a dream, if she had to be politically correct. Still, to her, there was no point to this meeting with Hashirama Senju.

She was perfectly fine with the way things were back home. How they always were. In fact, her clan had already formed a three way alliance which was in its own accord a peace treaty, long before this train-wreck of a settlement. Even if it wasn't publicly declared like the peace treaty between the tree-hugging Senju idiots and the barbaric, blood-thirsty Uchiha. This was one matter she was vehemently opposing her father in. The Nara and the Akimichi were their closest allies, there was virtually no other people they trusted.  _That wasn't right._  There was virtually no other person  _she_  could trust.

But her father's insistence on expanding their territories, and thereby expanding their influence- which she refuted as something completely unguaranteed- but his opinion far outweighed the one his young, naive daughter held dear. And right in those moments, her father was meeting with one of the most powerful men of the shinobi world discussing Kami knows what. Hashirama Senju was nowhere near the level of his younger brother's snarkiness attitude, according to rumors that is. She wouldn't know.

"Pfft." She huffed and puffed, trying to release all that built-up exasperation. She pursed her lips, crossed her arms and raised an elbow as she began biting her nails. It was an ugly habit she could never get rid of, no matter how much and how hard she tried.

"So what is he like?" The youngest of her siblings demanded.

"What?" She was still clinging to another train of thought before he had interrupted her.

"Senju Tobirama." He clarified.  _Oh right._  What was there to say about such a man. The rumors were really not that far off. Before she could even answer, her other brother already tugged his way through the conversation. "Is he truly a bastard?" He asked.

_Wait, what?_

"Ho-How would I know?!" She was slightly shocked as much as she was slightly curious. It wasn't like she would have asked him whether his mother slept around or not. And if she did, were the men albino? How many? When? How? All these questions would have surely crossed the line and Inoue did not come here tonight to get herself killed. Though, her brothers did raise some interesting questions. Apart from the obvious, it was hard to believe Butsuma Senju would have willingly raised the kid. She imagined that  _the_  Senju Butsuma wouldn't have taken well to raising another man's child. Tales of his conquests, victories, brutal war tactics among other unsavory things ran rampant back in the day, like wildfires raging through forests.

But he was dead now.

She looked around at the beginning of the new establishments. Everything here was still incomplete. And incomplete meant uncertainty. _Just how long would this sham of a peace treaty between the Senju and Uchiha last?_

That was another reason she tried to warn her father against. In the case that this 'alliance' between Senju and Uchiha was to come undone, she did not want her clan to be caught in the crossfires between those two war-mongers. And  _when_  the alliance does come to end, they should expect a war to soon follow. That was how it went. How it always went and how it will always go.

But then again, there was always the possibility that it might last. Just like the two sides of a coin, there was a fifty percent chance of a head, fifty percent for a tail. This situation was no different, except for the stakes placed here were not silly bets but actual heads. Several. Many. Whatever the number of shinobi were.

"Urgh." She grunted. So many thoughts were flooding her mind, it was tiring. She scratched her head, inadvertently picking apart the flower pinning her bangs back.  _Dammit._  The petals fell, one after another, to the ground. Its red color soon turned murky just like the mud. Dahlias were her favorite flowers. She loved their smell and their colors, and it always reminded her of the good memories she had as a child. Her brown hair fell to her shoulders as the pin broke. There was no use in picking it up, it had already fused with the wet ground.

Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head just then.

She lowered her arms and started walking into the other direction, leaving behind her younger brothers who seemed perplexed by their sister's reactions. They looked at each other, wondering if she was up to her old tricks again.

"What do you think you're doing this time?" They asked.

They weren't following her as she expected, so she stopped walking and turned around to face them. She placed her hands on her hips, ready to scold them though that was not her intention.

"What do you think, kiddos?!" Inoue said cheerfully. "Because  _I_  was just thinking, being guests here and all, I would think it's our duty to leave  _a lasting impression_  on our dear hosts, yes?" She flashed them her trademark smirk that always signaled something catastrophic was about to happen.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

"I don't suppose my brother has returned, has he?" He demanded of no one in particular. They were seated in the council room.

It has been six days since the wedding. Five days since Izuna disappeared, hiding his ass away from Madara and the others. Five days since the arrival of that missive from the Hyuga. And now-

"We've received word that Hashirama Senju would like another gathering with you Madara-sama."

And suddenly, it was as if everyone wanted to meet. It didn't make sense to him.

"Why?" He asked, almost skeptical of the response.

"He did not specify. Only said that there were more progress on the settlement issue than first thought and that he could not-  _would not-_ proceed without, and I quote, 'your dearly valued opinion' End quote."

Madara could feel his eyebrows twitch involuntarily.

_That really does sound like Hashirama._

He never anticipated it to be this hard. To maintain peace. It had never been done before, not since a very long time. It was much easier to wage war than it was to  _attempt_  to uphold peace. Much, much harder. Though, he supposed, it was the price to pay in order to keep his people alive.

 _"Setting that issue aside,"_  He began, completely ignoring Hashirama's plea for the time being, "Any development on border patrol?"

Now that was something he wanted to talk about. Ever since the orchestrated attack on their land, they tightened border security, or whatever had been left of the border by then, and implemented new measures to try and widen their search. There was that growing concern within the compound that they would be under attack again. But no such thing happened.

_As of yet._

Madara wasn't sure whether to expect the Kaguya to return with another onslaught once more or not. From the looks of it and from the lack of reports, it was pretty indefinite. A retaliation against them was a favored proposal among his ninjas and the elders at first, but to travel to the land of Grass- which was currently an unstable region where war still raged amidst lesser clans- the vote to strike back at the Kaguya was nulled when it was finally agreed upon that it would have had a disastrous effect. Setting foot in Kusagakure would have most likely prompted them into wars they had no part in, whether they wanted to or not, they would have found themselves in endless fighting between other clans. That in itself managed to convince most of them. In addition to the fact that they still lacked sources. The Uchiha were still recovering from the countless battles they had, one after the other, their sources became scarce. Their shinobi became scarce. They suffered the loss of many great warriors on their side over the years, as much as they hated to admit that. And with that, they still never fully recuperated the number of men they lost. _It would have been unwise to jump into another war, unprepared._

"None. No reports either. There hasn't been any intrusions on either sides. None of the guards have seen any unknown passerby's or attempted break-ins. Those tasked with searching the areas surrounding the Honshu forests- eight miles in each direction- have reported of no suspicious activity." The councilman counted down each outline in a monotone voice, eventually stopping to take a breath from the same daily announcement-turned-ritual Madara assigned him. He repeated the same thing for the past three weeks, it was evident that there was no significant development despite 'clearing' the incident. But to Madara, nothing was settled. To further his point, there was no harm in being extra-cautious. Though, he did not make a fuss about it considering that he was doing it either ways.

"But that isn't the problem, Madara-sama." The councilman spoke again, regaining some of his composure. "The curfew placed is straining the civilian's livelihood." He was referring to the guideline his leader set which basically alienated his people from the rest of civilization. That was one way to put it. If Madara's opinion was asked - it was, and when all's said and done, his opinion was the only one that mattered- he thought only of the safety of his clansmen. And he made that clear through one of the numerous measures he laid.

 _"The front gates are not to be opened unless under my command, no one goes in or out without my permission. Understood?"_ The Uchiha clan head remembered instilling those very words into the skulls of the front guards. He instilled them deep within their minds, it was hard to forget. And to top it off, he made them recite it. One by one. And those that went against his orders were warned against doing so. Otherwise, grave consequences awaited them. That had been enough to set them straight. Even if Madara had no idea how he would punish them as he hadn't come up with a plan. He preferred letting things go until their time arrived. Only then, would they be dealt with accordingly. Whatever that encompassed.

"Trade has completely halted. No one said anything at first as they found it reasonable. But this is the third week now and people are fed up."

Gypsies were known to roam these areas. Even merchants from the nearby town of Imaicho would pass by. These were known traders and the core of the Uchihas' livelihood when they were not dependent on larger trade deals with other clans. But since the attack and the borders closing, not a single gypsy came through the doors to the compound. Everything rolled down-hill from there on. The marketplace was no longer the lively nor vibrant place it once was. No one dared to come out of their houses. Everything went quiet. Only recently did people start to lose patience. They no longer found a threat looming above their heads. They wanted their lives back, they wanted peace. They wanted to see the so-called bride who so mysteriously refused to reveal herself until now. Some even began to negate that such a wedding happened.

All these issues, Madara was aware of them. Yet, he continued on with the measures he placed. The gates never opened unless by his command. The 'bride' still hasn't stepped a foot outside the main household. And Madara never forced her to. There were some things he would not budge on and then there were other things he could not give two fucks about. Until it was time to.

This was one of those times.

"What about the stockpiles?" He asked the council member.

"Uhm, what about them?" The man seemed confused.

"Are they up to capacity?" Madara urged himself to calm down, he shouldn't have undermined their stupidity. "Will they suffice for the upcoming winter?" He added, just in case the first line did not get through.

"Yes, they should. But still-"

"But what? As far as I'm concerned, there's another pair of shipments coming up, no? Our negotiations haven't fallen through. Trading will continue as follows. Gates will not be opened. Clear?"

He was planning to revisit those negotiations with the Hyuga upon their arrival, it has been a long time since he signed those agreements. They deserved to be re-considered. Besides, their lands were still providing. And will continue to until the last crop is due to be heaped. He saw no problems with the restrictions he imposed. That was the last of this matter and everyone knew that. No one spoke of it afterwards.

He would have called the meeting over but he knew there was more to come. Though, surprisingly, they weren't coming for him.

"Lady Mina, don't you have a say in any of this?" One of the elders directed this none-too-subtle comment at his wife. Who so happened to be kneeling behind him on his right side. The left side was empty. Madara did not need to look behind to know that she was already fuming. She was already seething long before this meeting began. She wasn't answering. They wouldn't shut up. Which made for a very tense first-introductions.

"Well..." That same elder prodded for an answer but she wasn't giving him one.  _This is ridiculous._ After what appeared to be eternity passing by, she finally decided to make her voice heard.

_"What are you all looking at?"_

...

He should have expected that. Her icy tone was a welcoming gift on her behalf. It was insulting but it could have been worse.  _It could always be worse,_ he thought to himself. She made no attempt to hide the disdain from her voice. Whether it was directed at him or at the group of elderly dickwads, it didn't matter. She was pissed. And she made that very clear despite her calm appearance.

"You are the matriarch-" Whoever decided to plainly state the obvious was a bigger idiot than the one who couldn't catch on to logic. However, his idiocy was not permitted to express itself any longer. She interrupted him, weighing in her own opinion on that subject matter like it was up for debate.

"No, sadly, you're mistaken.  _Your matriarch_ is long gone. She disappeared off to la-la land like a coward, leaving all of you behind at the mercy of this man's wrath." Her mockery exceeded his expectations. It exceeded everyone's. Some were appalled, some were confused, some were still trying to figure out what she meant and some were on the brink of laughter but were exhaustively controlling themselves; people like Madara.

She was staring at the empty seat to his left and that was what gave up the clue. Izuna's absence didn't go over anyone's head. His lack of presence was painfully evident. And Mina made sure to point it out even further. Speaking of which, Madara nearly forgot about his plan to seek out his brother and make him pay for everything. It didn't escape his mind for long, knowing that his brother was the source of the excruciatingly painful place he was in right now. Not just figuratively.

_Maybe it was a bad idea to bring her along._

He was starting to seriously regret ever dragging her to this place. But as traditions had it, it was customary for the clan's matriarch to attend clan meetings. Madara had hoped that the elders would have forgotten about such things but his luck seemed to have ran out long ago. These geezers may have been old, senile and cynical but their memory was extraordinarily sharper than his. Time did not appear to have affected those tiny brains of theirs. He, on the other hand, was struggling to remember everything that happened yesterday night. And that was partly due to having drunk two sake bottles.

...

He was wandering the halls of his own home, finding himself lost and cast adrift in a land that was supposedly his. He was drunk, though not quite. His first sake bottle of the night wasn't even half done. Yet, he made sure to find time to finish it later.

_What am I doing?_

What  _was_  he doing? That thought kept repeating and repeating and repeating until his mind could take no more. It was nightfall once again. He could have swore that it was still yesterday. Time had not passed, not even by a second. He was in the same precise place, with the same confused thoughts and the same exact sake bottle. He's been doing the same thing. That was why time never seemed to pass. To him, everything was one and one only. Things were beginning to merge together, he was having difficulty in differentiating between the days. Albeit, that could have been his drunk mind talking.

The silver moon was high up in the sky giving off the only light, apart from the dirty tungsten bulbs that illuminated the endless corridors with its orange glow and whose rays died inches from where he stood. He had been staring aimlessly at the sky all day, watching as midnight gradually swallowed the light of day, draining it of whatever colors it still reflected into dull grey and slowly to utter blackness. Absolute darkness save for the smattering of luminous stars scattered across the so-called heavens. And the moon, the largest and brightest of them all. As night came, everything seemed to be forgotten but the long trance of nightmares or dreams that haunted a person's sleep, day after day, night after night.

Madara couldn't decide if this was his nightmare or his dream.  _Was there a difference?_  He didn't think so. He only knew that this 'dream' he was floating through was becoming more bitter as each day passed. How did one stop nightmares? He had been living in one all his life but since growing up in constant war, he was accustomed to it. In fact, battlefields were the only places where he felt like he truly belonged.

_But this...this new life-_

He wasn't equipped to handle it the way he should be. Or rather, the way society dictated.

She said that she wanted to be left alone. He listened and so he let her be. Then, why was he feeling this strange...regret? Contrition? Remorse? He was never really good at labeling his emotions. Here he was, stumbling-no, he wasn't that far gone just yet- he was leaning on the wooden walls for support as he walked sleeplessly down the hallways. He was like a phantom haunting the lonely aisles of this spacious house. He wasn't entirely sure where he was going, he was only following where his feet were taking him. The same place where they had been taking him for the past six days.

As he walked further into the depths of this strange-looking home, the floor boards creaked even louder, killing the deadly silence that reigned throughout the night. His incoherent mumbling was inaudible to his ears. No one was awake but him. All doors were closed and locked. Madara couldn't help but wonder if anyone was truly sleeping.

_Or were they just closing the doors to keep me out?_

That thought only darkened his mood. Did his people fear their own clan leader that much? It annoyed him that no one else was awake to keep him company. Not his shinobi, heck; not even the maids. Though, they would have probably ended up giving him a different kind of company. And Izuna-

_Izuna._

The mere mention of his brother's name made his blood boil. It wasn't enough that he did this to Madara, but he even took the liberty to hide like a coward. That angered Madara more than anything.

Suddenly, he found himself standing in front of two largely decorated rice-paper doors. Bamboos, leaves and animals adorned the thin sheets of sandy paper. It looked awfully familiar.

_That's right..._

He could feel his heart bat loudly against his chest, growing heavy with each beat it took. It was somewhat painful but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He shrugged it off as the effect of him being drunk. As always.

It had been five nights since he entered this room. Ever since then, he had been sleeping in his study. Or on the floor. Sometimes, he wouldn't sleep at all. Training was his only companionship as of late. He liked it. Because it didn't act like a deranged woman who couldn't get her shit straight.  _Yes, that was it. That had to be the reason._ It was tough at first but he got used to waking up in a pile of scrolls on his desk with his head buried in between them all.

The thought of having to lay his head down on that cold, hard wooden desk again, for the sixth consecutive night, made his head ache. Madara then took another gulp out of the bottle, the intense burning feeling of the liquid running down his throat comforted him. After nearly finishing the bottle in one sip, he swung it heavily to the side almost shattering it against the wall. He didn't know how much time had passed since arriving there, but he guessed that it hadn't been long. The lights inside were still on. This was his routine. Every night he would find his desperate feet dragging him here and his drunken mind would never let him leave before the lights were switched off.

_What the hell is wrong with her? That damn woman, can't make up her fucking mind. Is that a-_

_hole?_

He wouldn't have seen it if he hadn't been glaring at that wretched doorway, the _thing_ that separated  _him_  from  _her._  It would have been an easy task tearing it down and barging in there but, somewhere deep in his mind, he knew it probably wouldn't have ended well. He thought it to be some black paint or ink that splashed during the painting of the rice papers. However, as he drew closer, his suspicions were proven to be true.  _Strange,_  he hadn't noticed it before. It seemed clearer now as the light contrasted with the dark hallway. He bent forward, just slightly, to examine it further. It was as small as the tip of his pinkie.

_Pinkie. What a weird word-_

_"_ What do you think you're doing?"

That voice. It sent shivers up his spine. And not the good kind. There was a part of him that was somewhat afraid to look up at her. In spite of that, he willed himself to straighten up, taking his sweet time. She slid the doors far apart that the hole was no longer in sight. He was grateful at her sudden outburst, otherwise, if she had caught him peeking through- which was  _completely and most definitely_  not his intentions- it would have been hard to explain. Besides, he was not up for explaining his actions. He rarely did, there was no reason to start now, even if she would have taken it the wrong way. Now that he managed to make himself more presentable, he was the one to look down on her.

_Was she always this small?_

It boggled him that he was more than a head taller than her. Had he always been that tall? Or had she always been that short? Those were the questions that had him scratching his head. Madara was beginning to lose grip on his consciousness.

"Hmphf." He grumbled, not really knowing what to say. She was still the same. It was as if he was expecting her to change or anticipating an entirely different person. He wasn't sure which was right or wrong. Maybe it was neither. Her hair was slightly longer, her features more sharper. Though, he fathomed that must have been in response to his unexpected presence than a permanent characteristic. She was frowning.

"Is there something I could help you with?" She asked derisively, crossing her arms.

 _There's a lot you could help me with._ The words wouldn't flow out, no, they just couldn't. His speech was barely a slur, but still a slur nonetheless. Madara didn't answer her, instead, he went to slug down whatever was left in his precious bottle. She, on the other hand, stood there, looking at him fixedly as if trying to predict what his next step was. Mina decided not to wait for his next move, she was about to glide the doors shut once more.

"Well, if there's nothing you want-"

"Oh, hold on there." He used his arm to stop her mid-way. He stepped forward an inch, blocking the doors from sliding closed. She took a step back. The smell of sake radiated off of him like the light-rays that radiated from the sun. There was no denying it.

"You're drunk." She stated, unsurprised.

"Yes- yes I am." He inched closer, and she stepped backwards, their movements were much like a synchronized dance. For someone who was elected- more or less claimed- for the clan leadership position, he should have been exceptionally good at lying. But for some unknown reason, he was having great difficulty in coming up with one on the spot.

"Get out, Madara." She stopped moving and stood her ground.  _Finally grew a pair, have we?_ On second thought, Madara preferred his women ball-less. He wasn't into that kind of thing, but he did admire the gutsy ones every now and then. And Mina proved on more than one occasion just about how ballsy she could be.

"Look, if you have nothing to say, the door is that way." She repeated, insinuating what was clearly obvious, trying to make sure her message crossed his mind. It did, he only ignored it once an excuse popped up.

"Actually-" He nearly stumbled to the floor as his foot got caught in the rug. Thankfully, he caught onto the bedpost before falling to his knees; to his embarrassment.

"You are to-" He tried to find the right words to break it to her. "To be present at tomorrow's clan meeting with the elders." It wasn't a lie, there really was a meeting. And now that he thought about it, it was one of her duties as the matriarch to attend the council.

"No." She said curtly.

_Well, that was fast._

"No-oh?"

"No."

"You're going to be there tomorrow, whether you like it or not." If truth be told, he wasn't fully aware of half the words he was saying. Even when he was drunk, his superiority complex took over for him. His uncanny habit to ordering people around took shape more so when he was barely functioning. "It's your duty, remember?" He tried to soften up. The last thing he wanted was to-

"Oh really?" She feigned astonishment.

"Yes." He retorted. He couldn't help but occasionally eye the bed, having side-glances every now and then. The bed looked _really_  inviting. If he could just-

"I thought my job was to spit you out a child or two?" Her rhetoric comment did not pass over him this time. Not at all.  _Hmm..._  he thought it was only appropriate to respond accordingly.

"Yes. That too." He managed to say with all the nonchalance he could muster, knowing very well that it would hit a nerve. And he was right. He saw that she had clutched her hands tightly; her knuckles turning white as she clenched her teeth. Jaw taut, her closed eyes did nothing to sooth the anger brewing inside of her. Madara could even see a vein protruding from beneath her skin, right at her temples. She was exercising great self-control, that was evident enough. As he successfully pulled his eyes off of her, they instantly turned to the second most loving thing in the room; this mighty bed was ready to devour him whole.

Madara's sleep-deprived brain was already having a hard time coping with the lack of rest and with the amount of alcohol he was chugging down his body.  _Speaking of alcohol-_

His jet-black eyes widened at the sight of the two sake bottles placed on the night-table to the right side of the bed.  _Well well, looks like I'm not the only one drinking._ A small grin appeared on his face. Considering his state; the disheveled mess that was his hair, the heavy eye-bags, the wrinkled, half-opened kimono, it was safe to assume that a grin did nothing to improve his image. If anything, it made him look more psychotic than he could have imagine.

"Give me that." He suddenly felt a tug at his hands as she snatched the bottle away from him. His reflexes were significantly slower while hers were exceptionally fast. Before he even had time to react, she was attempting to gobble down the whole bottle, without exception. Seeing that there was nothing left in it, she threw it to the side with a bang.

"Dammit!" Mina cussed.

"While you have  _that-_ " He nodded towards that cracked bottle on the ground, "I'll be taking this." He was by the night table, grabbing both bottles. From the looks of it, she already had her way with one of them. _Interesting,_  she seemed much more composed when she opened the doors and met him. He tossed the empty one to the bed and took the full one. He was ready to get off her back, deciding it was better if he just left before he fell to the bed, never to wake up.

"Come back here, Madara Uchiha!" He heard her shout long before he reached the doorway.

"Yes?" He turned to face her, his eyebrows hitched and his eyes wide with amusement. That smug grin still plastered on his face.

"Give that back." She lowered her voice down, refusing to let him get the better of her.

"Oh you mean this?" He swung the bottle in front of her eyes like one would when they dangled a toy in front of a baby. "Now, why could you possibly want this at this time of night?" Madara jokingly teased her as he saw more and more veins were popping out.

_"I'm married to you! What do you think?"_

_Ouch._  Madara pretended not to have heard that subtle insult. Despite that, he still felt this slight burn to his ego. Being told that drinking was one's method of coping because they couldn't stand being married to you was, well- not very flattering. At this point, he couldn't care less. All he wanted was a place to sleep that did not involve having this woman within the same quarters. He couldn't guarantee what he would do if she was.

"Deal with it." He told her simply.

"Oh yeah? Deal with this, you cunt-" He barely dodged the flying bottle thrown in his direction. It ended up completely shattering into pieces against the wall. Madara couldn't hold back his laughter anymore. Life suddenly took on such an amusing turn when he was drunk. Everything was utterly fascinating and entertaining.  _Mina was utterly_  fascinating and entertaining. The fact that he had begun laughing meant that he was nearing that phase when he was soon to pass out. He was completely gone under the influence now. But that wasn't going to stop him from devouring the second bottle. Alone and away from her before she tried to steal it back. Her behavior was becoming more and more erratic, that much was obvious. Now that he looked closer, he could see that her eyes were relatively blood-shot. Her nightgown just as crumbled. Her breasts bouncing with every movement she took.

It was good to see that he wasn't the only one losing his mind over this, thought it may be for totally different reasons. He grunted as he felt his consciousness slipping through. He needed to get out of this room before he crashed. And with that, he began walking again. She didn't try to stop him this time. Only shouted to get out. Madara had never met anyone more indecisive than she was. There was virtually no telling what she really wanted.

So, he let her be. Again. Walking down the long corridors was the last memory he had of that night. He woke up in a stack of unsigned papers, ink writings glued to his face. Confusion clouded his mind as he began piecing together the events of last night. He sat upright, rubbing the back of his strained neck. Another downside of sleeping in this position continuously, he would always wake up with a tense neck. The unbelievable headache brewing in his head wasn't making it any better.

_"Urgh."_

He wiped the dried saliva off his mouth with the back of his hand. Opening his eyes just slightly, just so the sun wouldn't burn them, he saw that documents and papers were sprawled over the floor and other surfaces in his study. And a sake bottle scattered to pieces everywhere.

"What the hell happened here?"

...

The rest of the morning passed by relatively quick. For the next thing he knew, he was in the meeting room, kneeling on a cushion and speaking with the elders. His wife decided to show her face as well. At some point in time, he couldn't recall when exactly but supposed it had happened when his mind was still sober- he ordered Yuna to tend to Mina and prepare her for the meeting.

And ta-da. Here she was, mocking his brother's absence and sticking hypothetical sticks up these people's asses. Madara didn't care, as long as this council ended in a 'peaceful' manner, he didn't mind. She looked stunning this morning but her gloomy face certainly put a damper on the mood.

"Pardon me ma'am, but as Madara-sama's wife, you also have a say in these matters." One of the elders said, curios of her reaction.

"Tell me, since when does  _Madara-sama_  ever listen to anyone else's opinions but his own?" The way she said his name was disturbingly scornful. Her satire never seemed to get old. It only put a smile on his face. He wasn't sure if it was still the effect of yesterday's drinking or that he was genuinely amused. It shocked some of his councilmen, seeing their stoic leader appear so delighted with someone out-rightly mocking him has never happened before. Was he about to snap? Or was he not? That was the question.

No one dared to make another comment regarding her. While it was clear that she was not in her best mood, they thought it would be better to just leave her alone. And leave her alone they did. They quickly changed the subject and moved onto other pressing matters.

* * *

_**Mina's POV** _

_Finally._

I couldn't have gotten out of here fast enough. Three hours? Or was it two? I couldn't tell.

Fresh air was a blessing nowadays. The moment he pronounced the three words, 'meeting is dismissed', I hurriedly stood to my feet and left without a word. It faintly reminded me of the times I couldn't wait to get out of class. Once the bell rung, I was already half way through the door impatiently. _School was better than this. Infinitely better._

Whereas I could never have closed my ears during a lecture, it appeared to be much easier doing so here. I successfully managed to ignore some of these bigots' comments while others, not so much. As a result, they also managed to ignore my presence most of the time. I never really understood why I was here asides from a drunken message from Madara.

I had no intentions of ever going especially after what happened last night. I woke up with a nasty headache that was already holding me back. As if that wasn't enough, I had to open my eyes to a very abnormal presence. Yuna made herself comfortable by inviting herself in.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty." She had said in her unusually husky voice. Her graying hair was pulled back into a tight bun while a few strands were left to frame her thinning face.

I groaned through the pillow sheets, not wanting to get up. Ignoring her being there was the easiest thing to do, so I turned my head to the other side of the pillow. And she insisted on following. It appeared that I could not have escaped her. "Come on, you have to get ready for the council."

"No!" I shot up from the bed, dislocating some of my joints. "Fuck!" It hurt. It really hurt badly. My muscles tensed and it was as if everything stiffened at the same time. The memories of last night came back to me. Madara had decided to pay a visit, drunk out of his mind.  _More drunk than I was, that was for sure._ Something about a meeting, there was screaming- probably from me- there was bottles breaking and more shouting. That pretty much summed up the night.  _Eventful, wasn't it?_

It was odd that he chose to make himself known this time. He has been doing this ever since we tied the knot. He'd always sleep elsewhere- which was sort of a relief to me- anywhere but here. But then, I would find him wandering the house at night, searching for something. Madara would always end up by standing there, outside the door. It was as if he wanted to enter but decided not to. It was the same thing every night. I would always hear his footsteps nearing and I would open the lights, sitting here on the bed, I would see his shadow swaying in the darkness.  _He was drunk._ And then he would leave after the lights were switched off, off to God knows where.

Night after night, this would happen. Until yesterday when he got a little too close to the door and I had had enough. I opened the doors and confronted him. And what happened afterwards was history.

Yuna persisted that I dress up. I had to look my best, apparently. I didn't care, my mind was too focused on the pain running through my limbs. It was hard enough to walk, but my arms had it the worst. I couldn't even raise them. If she wanted me to look my best, she was more than welcome to do it herself. And she did. The woman seriously had no boundaries whatsoever. After being satisfied that I was up to par with her expectations, she shipped me off to the council room like a mail-ordered bride. Or a doll, if there was a difference.

Spending hours in that boring environment made me want to sleep. But I pushed through. When it was done, I rewarded my own patience by darting out of there while simultaneously trying not to trip over the teal-colored kimono.

_Man, they had awfully beautiful kimonos._

I didn't know where I was walking, I just wanted to get out of this cramped house. Strolling past several doors and many corridors, I found my way out through large screen doors. But from the looks of it, it was the back door. I recognized it. It was the same door I used to sneak out from, with Azami. The same path I took to go to the library. As I stepped out, I was greeted with a rush of cold air blowing in my direction. The wind was picking up as the sun dwindled in the afternoon light. The air was chilly and the days seemed to be getting colder. However, there hasn't been a single snowflake since the instantaneous snowdrops a few days ago.

I had two choices, to either follow the path I normally took towards the library or take the opposite direction.

_Hmm..._

_Opposite direction it is._

I was intrigued with finding out what laid behind the main house. It was built at the center of the compound, though more towards the back borders. It was surrounded by the various-sized Uchiha houses. _It really was like a mini-village._

I started walking down the road that opposed the house. The ground became more and more muddy as I trudged along the path. There were no houses on this end, only fields. The grass was no longer green, but a golden shade of yellow. The trees were bare and the only visible infrastructure was this shrine, three hundred yards north of Madara's home. I looked back and I was still within a good distance away from the house.  _Just in case._

Just in case I got kidnapped and murdered.

_Meh, that doesn't sound too bad._

I trekked on, getting closer to the shrine. In my field of vision, a man appeared. He was sitting on this bench, silently and motionless. _Maybe he was there for the shrine?_ Though, there seemed to be a great distance between him and the shrine itself. He had long white hair that passed his hips. He was leaning on a wooden cane, supporting himself. _I wonder if he has a long beard, too._

I ventured towards the bench and the nearer I got, my speculations were beginning to wane.

"Hi." I introduced myself, knowing very well the old man couldn't see me. I may have been standing right behind him but I was sure he had already sensed me coming a mile away.

"Hello there, child." He spoke in a low voice which was barely audible.

"Do you mind?" I asked. He shook his head and patted down the seat next to him. I took my place and sat on the stone-cold bench. This Takayama man, I would always find him in the strangest of places at the most random times. This occasion was no exception. I had half expected him to be at the meeting, seeing that he was probably the eldest of all of them and that perhaps he had some wisdom to shine upon their dull thickened heads. I was wrong. He must have been sitting here for a long time as his face was slowly turning to that red shade that always accompanied the cold. His nose was hit the hardest though. And I was guessing mine was too, I was always quick to redden when the temperature was slightly below average. Hence, why everyone dubbed me 'Mina the red-nosed reindeer'.

 _"You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen_  
_Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen_  
_But do you recall_  
_The most famous reindeer of all?_

 _Mina the Red-Nosed Reindeer_  
_Had a very shiny nose_  
_And if you ever saw it_  
_You would even say it glows."_

Well, the rest of the song continued as usual. They would joke that my nose would light up the foggy night, like a flashlight.  _It would- supposedly- get so bright that even cars would skid past us!_  Skid past us, my ass. It was funny at first but then it got old. Fast. But they didn't think so and for many years to come, I was always known as Santa's tenth reindeer.

_"Mina, with your nose so bright_

_Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"_

Oh how things have changed.

"How was the meeting?" His throaty voice still astonished me even after all this time. His knowledge of the meeting didn't surprise me one bit.

"Good...I guess?" I wasn't entirely sure how well it went. Actually, probably not well at all.

"So, not well, I gather." Takayama would have been an excellent psychic back in my world. I could just imagine how much money he'd make ripping people off.

"Pretty much." I admitted.

"Did they hassle you?" He seemed curious enough.

"Define hassle."

We remained silent for quite some time. No one said anything. Mainly because there was nothing to say. My gaze shifted to the wide pond in front of us. Unlike the one that was build in Madara's back garden, this one was more natural. The crevice that held in the water was of hardened mud, not lime stone. S this was what separated him from the shrine. The water wasn't frozen. In fact, it was transparently clear and I could see the variety of different colored and sized fish. It was like a mosaic of vividly painted glass tiles, resulting in a colorful and variegated pattern. I glanced back at him and saw that he was carrying a small bag with what appeared to be... _food?_

They looked like small bread crumbs and boy did they look delicious at that moment. I haven't eaten anything since the morning and my stomach was raging. I was up to eating anything at this point, even the fishes. But I feared that I may have appeared a little too savage in front of Takayama. So, I held myself back until I returned to the house and then, I would raid their kitchens like a raccoon would raid the garbage cans at night.

Now that I think about it, that really wasn't a good analogy. But I was desperately hungry.

"So you feed the fishes?" I attempted to start up the conversation once more.

"I do." He sprinkled some of the weird looking food into the water and most of the creatures swam towards the sinking bread. They gathered around the crumbs like a flock. "Sometimes, I would feed the ducks though they are gone during the cold seasons."

"Oh." I turned my gaze away from him and stared at the immense shrine in front of me.

"You know, these waters never freeze, even during the harshest of winters." He bent down and slipped his hand into the water. I did the same, wanting to verify what he said for myself. I slipped my palm into the pond and the water was anything but cold. It was...warm. And nice.  _Why?_

I straightened up after he did, mimicking his every movement. I was sure that he knew exactly what I was thinking but refused to answer it himself. I couldn't help but stare at this beautiful temple.

"Does it have anything to do with that?" I didn't need to point to the shrine so he could understand. Not that he could see, but he always had a knack for knowing things.

"My, you catch on quick." I saw a small smile tug at the corners of his lips.

There were these two gates that signaled the entrance to the shrine itself. Its bases and cornered edges were painted in black while the rest of the beams were painted crimson red. They looked like they were made of wood. One was larger than the other, encompassing it. What were they called again? Their architectural style is so vastly different from the Western Gothic, I was sure this design had a name. Its unique characterization were mostly found in the oriental parts of the world, mainly in Japan, China and parts of Korea. Or so the history books said.

"Those are the  _Torii_  gates." He pointed towards the same gateways I was just gawking at. "They mark the approach and entrance to a shrine."  _Figured that much._ There was a long white streamer hung between the ends of the tallest gate. It had the Uchiha symbol painted in all its glory.

"The Naka shrine." He spoke with great admiration in his voice. Something akin to pride. "Our shrine is the home of our patron deity. It has been here for a very long time." _Yeah, no kidding._  It looked like it had been around for centuries, seen the good and the bad of its people. Generation after generation, it stood there, untouched yet beginning to fade away to the insignificance of time.

He continued to point, this time to a pair of sculpted foxes found on each side of the entrance, right behind the gates.

"The  _Komainu_. They are the guardian protectors of this site. They were the first sculpted animals on this land."

"Huh..." The complexity of the shrine was amazing. This was no different from the magnificently towering cathedrals built across Europe or the intricacies of the details carved onto mosques. The perplexity in all three types of architectural layouts was a common trait which went to show just how complex human beings were in every aspects of their lives, no matter the era and no matter the area. I have never been to any sites such as that. Not until now. And I was not disappointed. Takayama went on to point out every single majestic feature of this shrine.

"The  _Shimenawa_." He was referring to the thick, strawed ropes hung over the shorter torii gate, with it, hung even more smaller paper strips cut in a zig-zag pattern. "And the  _shide_ , they mark the boundaries to something sacred. However, if you look closely, what else can your eyes see?" I felt like we were playing a game of iSpy. But I liked it, though I really wasn't seeing anything.

"I see...nothing."

"Be patient." He urged on.

I narrowed my eyes and stood up trying to get a better view. _There it was._  If it hadn't been for a sudden flash of sunlight, I didn't think I would have seen it. That sunlight may have only lasted a second and was already long gone, but I couldn't un-see it. They were paper slips, just like the rest. But they appeared more crystalline-like, no wonder they reflected off the light and shone. They were tied ever so subtly next to the shide and around the beams themselves. In fact, they were tied around basically everywhere, particularly trees.

"There it is!" I exclaimed like a little girl who just found Waldo in a series of never-ending 'parades. I was never actually good at finding him.

"Those are the  _Omikuji_. They have been said to contain predictions of great luck or of great misfortune."

"So, they're fortune-telling paper slips?" I asked, a bit thrilled.

"If you could call it that, then yes." He answered.

_This must have been their version of fortune cookies. Interesting._

I sat back down after calming down. I realized that the bench wasn't just a singular structure. It was attached to some sort of stage or a gazebo. But not the iconic ones. No, this was based more into the architecture of this area. It was held by wooden frames, reinforcing the triangular roof that provided protection from any rain or snow. It's sharp edges were gold plated as more ropes hung around the sides. I couldn't understand how this escaped my attention before. While I was too busy analyzing everything else, Takayama got up and began to cross the pond. Surprisingly enough, he had already reached the gates. The pond may have been wide, but it sure wasn't long. I circled it and found myself next to him. He was walking up the steps ever so slowly. I noticed that he was struggling with lifting his cane while stepping upwards at the same time.

"Here. Let me." I gently grabbed his walking stick and wrapped my arm in his.

"Thank you." He sounded grateful. This was the most I have ever heard out of this man. The rest of the walk was silent. Soon enough, we came to a stop in front of a trough. The fountain gushed water in a constant stream, just like a water fall. The water flowed through- what I supposed was a pipe- the mouth of a chipped dragon head. He placed the palms of his hands under the stream and washed his face gently. I did the same, remembering what exactly this was. It was sort of like a purification trough. It's purpose was to purify the one entering the shrine of his or her impurities. He then took a ladle and continued to rinse.

Reading did wonders. I never would have known any of this if I wasn't such an avid reader. I was thankful that I had enough knowledge to pass by in this world. Just barely. But still, I didn't feel completely helpless. I was tailing him like a little child, as he always called me. My head kept turning to the side as I couldn't resist checking out the shrine in its glory. The main hall was much larger upon closer inspection. Its unique rooftop was of the same color as the kimono I was wearing, some of its shingles were broken down and rusted. The once taupe-colored walls were now a rotting shade of black. Its tiles were cracked in every possible corner and the bells; tarnished and immobile for what could have been years. The only thing that was unnatural in this picturesque setting was the front door. It appeared to be relatively new and its bloody-red paint screamed 'look at me!", as if trying to catch any attention.

I nearly bumped into Takayama without realizing that he had stopped in his tracks.

"Huh? What is that?" I asked as I looked over his shoulders. There was this rectangular wooden box. And it was huge, really huge. It had these little tiny wooden plates, like those mail boxes and each placing had a paper stuck in it.  _Almost._

 _"My Ema."_ He whispered.

"Your what?"

I waited another minute before he uttered another word.

"My wife. It was her idea to add this Ema to our shrine. It was my nickname for her."

"Oh, that's nice?" I wasn't sure of what I was supposed to say.  _Was I supposed to comfort him? Or congratulate him? Or what exactly?_  It seemed awfully personal for him to start speaking about his wife now, out of all times. I had always been awkward in personal situations, so this really didn't shock me.

"Hardly anyone ever comes here anymore. Not unless they seek shelter or demand something of the gods. That is why none of these wishes could ever be answered."  _Was that what they were? Wishes? The writings on those crumbled sheets of papers were these people's yearnings?_ No wonder there was not a space empty. Well, almost. After the attack on the compound, everyone must have feared for their lives as they sought shelter here.

"It's a very beautiful place. I can't understand why people would stop visiting." I professed. It really was a divine sight. And a calming one at that. There was no reason for someone not to meditate here. I simply couldn't imagine how it would look like in the spring.

"It truly is, isn't it?" He contemplated.

Another rush of tranquility took over. Though this one lasted for much, much longer.

* * *

Everyday, I would find my way there. To the shrine. And everyday, I would see him sitting in the same exact place feeding the fishes. I would join in sometimes and feed the fishes too. And sometimes, I'd sneak a bite. Only to end up spitting the damn crumbs to the floor.

"They're for the fishes." He would comment.

"I know." I would respond.

Every early morning, the same conversation would ensue.

"These old bread crumbs are food for the fishes." He'd say again.

"I swear, I know." I'd reassure him. But then again, I would come the next day and swallow up a mouthful of stale bread down my throat. I know it was wrong, but I would do it anyways. Even when I wasn't hungry, something in my brain clicks and orders me to taste it. I didn't know what was wrong with me, all I knew was that I had to eat rotten crumbs otherwise, my day wouldn't pass by well.

Takayama always gave me that strange look as if I was deranged. I probably was but I didn't need someone else to judge me right now. Judging myself was enough. This did not include the times when I felt like I wanted to smell his beard.  _No._  Not that I wanted to,  _I had to._ But in this matter, I utilized every ounce of self-restraint I had at my disposal. So, we always ended up sitting in silence admiring the landscapes. Other times, he would say a joke and I would crack up like a fool. His jokes were not half bad. Those mornings were the brightest moments of my days.

And so days and days pass, one after another. Until a week has gone by, and then two.

There was something strange going on inside the house. Maids. A shit load of them. They were everywhere.  _Everywhere._ It was like an epidemic, they swarmed the the place by a surprise, gradually over the course of two weeks. They were tweaking furniture, here and there and organizing the tiniest details. Notwithstanding the major repainting job they did in the span of two days. The damn house looked much livelier than it should have been. This did not look like a place that housed Uchiha Madara.  _Why wasn't he stopping them? Did he want his house to be this bright?_  That didn't seem like him.

I asked around what and why they were doing this, none gave an answer that was in the slightest bit helpful.

_"I'm afraid I don't know."_

_"I apologize, Mina-sama. We have no clue."_

_"Sorry, we don't know."_

We. Don't. Know. Three words I have come to hate so viciously. They were doing all of this without reason. While it made sense- somewhat- that they were paid to work without knowing why- maids weren't expected to know why their masters did anything as so it seems- but this was ridiculous. Giving the house a fix-up spontaneously was not something to brush off easily.

"What's ridiculous?" Yuna asked me, appearing out of nowhere. I was standing at the entrance of the large hall that hosted my wedding. Large flat tables were set down throughout the large room in a peculiar arrangement. Tatami mats were being replaced. Vases, flowers, curtainns, drapes...it was exactly like recreating the ceremony night, however; it much more toned down.

"This. All of this. What's going on anyways?"

"A Hyuga delegation is set to arrive tomorrow for a meeting with Madara-sama." She, out of all people, said something important. What a miracle. "That's all I know."

"Its' more than anyone here knows." I said, grumpy. I crossed my arms unconsciously as I turned to face the creepy woman.

"I expect you to be ready for tomorrow."

_Oh for Christ sake, not this again._

_"_ What are you going to do this time? Shave me yourself?" Remembering how rough she could be, I wouldn't put anything past this demonic woman.

"Don't push it, little girl. I might just do it." Her bluntness and informality never ceased to surprise me. Never. While I did appreciate a good ol' abbreviation, heck' even a cuss word every now and then would suffice, but there was something seriously wrong with her. Her eyes gleamed with that wickedness. Something more wicked than the sharingan itself.  _What did the guys call it? Come on, think-_

Oh yes, crazy eyes. This woman had the craziest of them all.  _Should just get away while I still can._

I began walking into the other direction, back towards the room I have been sleeping in the last three weeks. Yuna was still on my tail.

I suddenly stopped and took a good look at her.

"Oh my God, what do you want?!" I exclaimed with the most exasperated tone I could fake and waved my hands in such an overly-dramatic expression, I'm pretty sure it was anything but believable. I just wanted her to stop following me but I was failing miserably at getting her to. She coughed right before speaking.

"You need to eat."

"No, I don't." How would she know what I wanted. More importantly, when did she get hold of that tray in her hands? Had she been holding it all this time and I hadn't noticed? That was weird. I would have never  _not_  noticed food. Especially if it was as appealing as the one she was carrying. I was practically salivating inside my mouth. It was a good thing I had my mouth shut, or else my drool would have flooded this corridor.

"Yes, you need to. And I'm here to help with that." Her smile crept the living hell out of me.

"Never. Over my dead body!" I shouted back before running away from that witch. Fleeing from a disturbed old lady in a house of a renowned sociopath was not exactly my pitch-perfect dream.  _But what was one supposed to do in this world?!_

* * *

I woke up to a burning pain in my abdomen. It was scorching as if I was being set on fire. It was tearing me apart from inside.

_Oh no._

_Those damn cramps._

They were not usually this unbearable. It had never been this painful; never this gut-wrenching.

 _"Urgh. Fuuu-ck."_ I flipped on my stomach, hoping that the pain would subside, even if just for a second. The amazing phenomenon that was the field of medicine in my world was a miracle to us normal, simple folks. Analgesics were definitely not a common thing here. And I despised that fact with every fiber of my body. Period cramps were the worst.

Just as I figured, I was bleeding. I didn't need to see it to know. I felt liquid tickling down my inner thighs. It wasn't just trickling, I felt a rush spilling down uncontrollably.

"This isn't right." My mind was still groggy with sleep but I still managed to strip myself away from the bed. As I did so, the amount of blood that I saw pulled me out of my haze. It was like a bloody murder had happened while I slept. I've been sleeping in a pool of my own blood covering the white linen. Panic started to creep into my mind. Alarm, anxiousness and fear tugged at my heart. My breathing became heavy and labored as I felt my heart quickened its pace.

_Something was seriously wrong._

I quickly grabbed as much of the sheets as I could and covered myself as I darted to the bathroom.

...

So much blood.

The sweat beads were streaming down my face as I squeezed my eyes shut. I whimpered. The contractions were painful at first as my body tried to expel the clots. I laid down in the bathtub and spread my legs. When I had entered the bathroom, I went straight to the sink, attempting to wash the blood soaked bed sheets. Which was useless, as I rubbed more and more, the remnants of the blood stained the rest of the white cloth. And soon, everything turned pinkish-red. My hands were shaking with terror as I failed pathetically. The longer I stood, the bloodier the floor got, too. That was when I turned off the faucet and jumped into the tub. I threw the sheets away. Everything seemed to shine under the lighting of the bathroom. Blood glinted a deep red, sweat glimmered and my heart flickered with terror.

It wasn't just blood gushing anymore. There were clots. Large, dark clots. I was afraid that they would clog the tub.

I opened the tap and water came flooding down, washing away the blood with it. But it didn't matter, more blood would always follow, forming a cascade of violent, perturbing shades of red. Like a deep contrast against the white porcelain tub.

_"Dammit."_

As the pain lulled, the clots kept spurting out all the while fatigue consumed me. The intense agony was only momentary but the blood seemed infinite.

The unexpected-ness of all of this was what caught me off guard. I was beginning to calm down when I sensed my eyes closing and my consciousness giving up.

_I didn't even know I was-_

 


	33. Conflictions

_**Madara's POV** _

_"Where's my wife?"_ He demanded. The poor, unfortunate maid that was given the task to serve the table- which was seated by the two clan heads- had to answer that somewhat embarrassing question. Madara had a hard time believing that she would so casually decide to miss greeting the Hyuga delegation. He didn't care if she was only there for show or if she talked their ears off,  _she should have been here._ This wasn't one of those times in which she could act so carelessly and utterly amateurish.

_Unforgivable._

Honestly, what was she thinking? The Uchiha leader may have been playing a little too lax with her. He didn't know what he had done wrong. He gave her space like she so kindly asked. He gave her time. He let her have her privacy. And this was how she repaid him? It was safe to say that Uchiha Madara was not particularly happy with his wife. The least she could have done was show her pretty face around here. He waited patiently since the arrival of the Hyuga envoy, coming up with excuses for her absence. Maybe she was still getting ready. Maybe she was unprepared and was taking her time. Maybe she forgot something back in her room and went to retrieve it.

His excuses were becoming more and more unbelievable as he tried to justify her non-attendance. She must have known how important this meeting was but wanted to piss him off for some unknown reason only she could comprehend. Playing hookey seemed to be her favorite sport. It had been two hours and she still didn't show. A third then a fourth hour had gone by and still, there was not scent of her anywhere. The Hyuga had asked of her presence at one point in time and he had no idea what to say other than she would be arriving soon. They didn't press the issue any further. But enough was enough.

He took advantage of the situation by asking the maid passing by their table. He, more or less, attempted to whisper gently, wanting to know her whereabouts.

"Mina-sama hasn't been feeling well all day, Madara-sama." The young girl bowed down before refilling the jugs with more sake.

_Not feeling well?_

Knowing her, he had expected her to come up with a more elaborate lie. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if she was still hanging out at the shrine with the old man, as she had been doing so for the past two weeks. Every morning, he caught them doing the same thing. Sitting near the bond, probably feeding the fishes and then make their daily round around the shrine. That was how she usually spent her mornings. Her afternoons were mostly dedicated to Kagami. Other than that, Madara didn't know how she spent the rest of her time. But it was getting late, it was difficult imagining her walking outside in the dark. Furthermore, it wasn't like his shinobi would have allowed her to step a foot outside his home right now. So, she must have still been inside the house. Not to mention the fact that Takayama himself was present at the meeting and in that case, she would have had no reason to still linger around the Naka shrine. Speaking of Takayama, he seemed to be engrossed in a very passionate and animated conversation with one of the Hyuga elders. Their elderly appearance complimented each other very well. There was just something about old people, they could strike up a conversation with each other in no time and end up getting absorbed in their own tales with no clue to their surroundings. Whether it was an elderly thing or just Takayama, it was intriguing either ways.

 _"Not feeling well?"_ He tried his best to remain calm despite the circumstances and the growing frustration he was feeling. Irritation at everything. At everyone.  _At her. "Where is she?"_ He asked again, hoping his question would be thoroughly answered this time. His menacing tone should have been enough to convince her.

"I thi- she's in her room, Lord Madara." The maid was visibly sweating at the sudden change in the atmosphere around the table. While the rest of the hall seemed relatively slackened, it was a different story from where he was sitting. His counterpart pretended not to hear anything and let the Uchiha head deal with whatever issues he was having.

"If you'll excuse me." Madara said, careful to hide the aggressiveness from his voice.

With each step he took, the ire within him seemed to transform into something closer to rage. There was this turbulent commotion going on inside of his head, his mind was in turmoil. He couldn't even compose a single thought without another violent one clouding his judgement. Inch by inch, he was slowly finding his way back to the room that haunted his days and nights for the past month.

Not a moment later, he found himself standing in front of the doorway. All sorts of proper etiquette and good behavior protocols were thrown out the window; there was no need for knocking. He didn't bother with calling her out either. He slid the door open roughly, ready to snap at her. However, she was nowhere to be found. For a second there, his mind went blank. Not a thought ran through, though; it was soon to be replaced with renewed anger.  _What was she doing? Playing hide and seek? Did she expect me to go running after her?_ He already wasted too much time up until now and they haven't even gotten down to the core of the meeting. This little problem was only a hindrance. A hindrance he would soon get rid of.

_There you are._

The lights in the bathroom were on.

Maybe she was attempting to escape through the window again. He sighed, _I thought we went through this already._

Something must have possessed him this time as he opted for knocking first. He didn't want to stumble in on something he shouldn't be seeing, or rather something he hasn't seen as of yet. Maybe all manners weren't lost after all. As his eyes roamed the room, they all but took notice to the huge dark stain that smeared the bed.

"Are you in there?" He asked yet he didn't receive an answer. He tried again as he knocked, this time with a more serious undertone.

"Get out-"

 _"Madara?"_ He heard a low squeaky voice in response. That didn't sound like her. As he was about to turn the knob,  _"Yes, I'm here."._

 _Her voice._ It was off. Something was up. Madara instantly noticed that crack in her voice, the nervousness and...fear. She was scared. He didn't even take a second to think about it, he turned the knob and pushed the door.

It didn't budge.

 _Locked. Why would she-?_ Something was wrong. He tried again and fumbled with the knob as he banged against the wooden door repeatedly, each knock more powerful than the last.

 _"Wait, Madara! Do-don'-don't come in! Sto-stop it! Please!"_ It wasn't just nervousness and fear now, hysteria and panic gripped her.

Wooden planks went gliding over the surface of the bathroom floor, shingles were unhinged and Madara's foot was the first to step into the sordid room. Even when he was fully inside, his eyes still couldn't take in the sight before him. His brain refused to comprehend what exactly he was seeing. They darted from one corner of the room to the other. And all he could see were blood-stained sheets, small puddles of water splashed everywhere across the sink and around the tub. The horrible smell of vomit and-

_Just what was that smell?_

He followed the trail the sheets left behind until his eyes rested on her. She seemed so...helpless. And vulnerable. Unprotected, and most of all, fragile. He was afraid that a mere touch of his would have had her in shattered pieces between his hands. She looked more like an empty illusion than a living being made of flesh and blood as she stared ahead with glassy eyes. This wasn't her. It couldn't be, could it?

_Mina-_

_"G-go away!"_ She swung her head the other way, pulling her gaze away from his. Madara didn't listen and approached her with as much caution as he could. He didn't want to slip to the ground and make matters worse than they were. As he drew nearer, the inner surface of the bathtub came into view. The amount of blood draining through wasn't normal. He could tell that she had already lost a lot, _why didn't she call for help?_

_What happened to her?_

The more he looked, the more details he took in and the likelier the fresh images of that night would become etched into his mind. She had sprawled her legs apart as she pulled the nightgown over her waist. It only took a glance to figure out what  _was_  happening. Or at he very least, it was a guess. It was more like a faint idea. He wasn't sure. All he knew that she needed a medic. He was about to turn on his heels and quickly fetch one of his medical nins but he heard her groan. He looked back at her and saw that she had closed her legs and wrapped her arms tightly around her knees as if holding onto a life support.

 _"Dammit."_  He heard her curse under her breath as her body gave a light twitch. More and more blood ran down the drain in an endless stream, infusing with water as it dyed the tub a pale tinge of red. He wasn't sure if he should be leaving her alone right now.  _What if she-?_

He got closer to the edge of the tub and crouched down at her side. His sudden movement startled her out of her trance.

 _"Huh?"_ She raised her head again only to meet a pair of intense dark eyes. Madara didn't know what he was doing. What was even doing here in the first place? Perhaps he should have just stayed seated at the table. It was too late to regret anything now. She was sweating profusely, her disheveled hair daubed her pale skin. Her breathing became more rapid, more shallow as they came out as gasps. Unwittingly, his hand reached out to her, his fingers barely brushing her flushed cheeks before instantly recoiling from his touch. That fear that was so evident in her voice not even five minutes ago was much more apparent in her eyes as they widened in horror. It was as if she was afraid of him, like he would hurt her.

But he wouldn't. So, why was she looking at him like that? He only wanted to help, though he wasn't entirely sure how to. Still, that anger that had relented before barging in here seemed to reignite.

He pulled himself together as he stood up, that toughened pretense he was so adapted to portraying returned, his stern and rigid exterior he used to exercise his authority came back to him after a fleeting moment of letting his guard down. It was something he had vowed to never let happen, ever again.

Madara was barely a step out of the bedroom when he saw two of his guard shinobi switching shifts. He had placed them at each end of the hallway as another protective measure, so she, if no one else, would have been saf-

"Get the head medic here now!" He shouted back at them, catching their attention. The one that was supposed to make the round already began walking the other direction, heading for the medic's office. "And get rid of this damn bed." He added as he made his way back to the grand hall.

_Burn it for all I care._

* * *

His footsteps were heavy, they echoed loudly through the halls. Just from the sounds of his steps alone, one could only imagine the absolute authority Madara Uchiha conveyed. It wasn't unnatural for a leader to have his clansmen kneeling at his every word. But Madara's influence went beyond that, his shinobi were like putty in his hands, each piece malleable; easily manipulated by the lone tips of his fingers. The Hyuga appreciated someone with that much command over his subordinates. The Uchiha's distinctive power in controlling their own was...rather special. The Hyuga were not that much different from them in that aspect. There was a reason the branch house existed.

"I apologize for the wait." Madara announced apathetically once he entered the much more secluded council room. This was where the actual meeting would occur. Anything else were mere formalities, now that they were out of the way-

"No need. We hope Lady-sama is recuperating well." The Hyuga head replied in the most formal tone required of a leader.

"She's...fine." He couldn't help but pause between those words. In truth, he didn't know much about how she was doing at that moment. All he knew was that there was this small, insignificant part of his brain nagging the hell out of him, that same part needed to know what was going on back there. Did the medic arrive? Was she being treated? Was she...alright?

 _Focus, you fool!_ He scolded himself as he took his seat at the head of the table.

"So, what is it you want?" His bluntness was well known and the Hyuga took no offense to it. That was just the way he was. Madara saw no point in beating around the bushes, he just wanted to get down to business and get this over with. The same dread he felt at the start of any normal clan meeting, he was feeling it right now. Though, for completely different reasons.

"We would like to discuss new agreements regarding our trade deals."

...

"Are you saying you have traveled this far  _just_  for trade negotiations?" He tried to comprehend the real reason behind their visit. One; these negotiation could have waited till the start of a new season as trading was already limited during winter. Two; the travel between respective compounds was worth a day's travel, if this was truly their intentions, then what coincidence it was. The Uchiha just so happened to be interested in renewing trade deals as well.  _But what if-?_

He had to put that thought away for the time being, this was no time to start doubting one of their allies right now.

"Yes."

Their short and precise answers were another trait of their unambiguous nature, another thing they had in common with the Uchiha. But even so, this was odd. The only people present in the room were the two clan leaders themselves and an adviser on each side. There should have been a minimum of five councilors present to each standpoint.

_Might as well._

"If that is what you want, then so be it." He found himself already jumping into the pith and core of trade dialogue.

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

"Lay down for me, if you would."

It was that lady again. The one that forcibly, more or less unceremoniously, extracted my blood in order to heal Madara.  _What was her name again? Chiyo?_ I did as I was told and placed my head back on the pillow. I was taken to the clinic, except this one seemed more private as if it was her own office.

"Spread your legs, Mina-sama."

There was a slight change in her attitude towards me since Madara and I-

Well, everyone's attitudes took a 180 degree turn, I guess that was to be expected. Again, I did as I was told though more reluctantly this time as I was more than self-aware despite feeling drowsy.

I thought that I could have ended this day without anyone noticing but that proved to be improbable once Madara burst in through the door. I was sure he was out hunting for me, ready to bite my head off if given the chance. I may have actually preferred that fate rather than letting him see me like that. Embarrassment was not enough to describe the flood of emotions that were overwhelming me right then and there.

"The bleeding seems to have stopped." The elder woman commented, but I didn't think she was speaking to anyone in particular. She had gathered a cluster of towels and sheets, and prepared some tools. I was able to distinguish some of them as my eyes lazily wandered around, looking at everything in the room but the woman who was, strangely, still in between my thighs. I noticed a few scalpels, medical scissors and shears. I couldn't tell what the others were.

I straightened up once more.

"I could do it, you know. Just give me the towel." I was pretty certain I was still capable of drying off the blood myself, I didn't need her prying into areas that did not necessarily concern her.

"Nonsense. Lay back down." Her voice took on that authoritative tone, a clear sign that whatever I had to say further on this matter was not up for debate. Again. Every time I'd try to get her to stop, she always insisted otherwise. I gave up and let myself drop. My body was aching. I was exhausted. Exhausted and drained of all energy, I felt listless and unable to move. But above all, I just wanted to sleep and forget all of this ever happened. Forget that I was ever pregnant and I didn't just have a miscarriage. I knew that was unlikely to happen, still...a girl can dream, no?

Everyone always talked about the calm before the storm, but never the deadly silence after the wreckage. Was that what I was? Because I sure felt like it. A wreck. A goddamn wreck. And the void I felt inside was nothing but silence. Silence so heavy, it weighed me down. It wasn't in the least bit comforting. It gnawed at my insides, seeped into every pore of my body like a poison paralyzing me. I wasn't able to speak, no matter how much I tried. No matter how much I hated the silence, I couldn't come up with anything to fill it. My tongue felt numb and my jaws wouldn't budge.

 _Wasn't I supposed to cry? Like normal people?_ Why wasn't I? Why wouldn't the tears fall? Why the heck wasn't I bawling my eyes out? I tried, I really tried but it seemed like there were no tears left to cry. None. No smears, no streaks, no sobs. Nothing, just emptiness. Like the silence.  _Exactly like the silence._ It was driving me mad. And the dizziness, it was the worst. My eyes wouldn't stop roaming around trying to take in everything at the same time but my mind was too slow to interpret each detail sent to my brain.

There was this lump in my throat; pulsating and teeming with despair. Just like my heart. I gasped as I felt a cold metal object prod my entrance. I raised my head and propped myself on both elbows.

"Relax, I only need to remove the remnants and then you can leave."

I wouldn't have been able to push her off even if I used all my force. The old lady was stubborn as a mule. She chained my ankles to the clinic bed I was reclined on with what appeared to be handcuffs? Or something of the sort.  _When had she done that?_  Probably during my daze when I was clueless of my surroundings. She jabbed into me using that stupid metal device, pushing it in deeper. It wasn't painful, just annoying. I groaned.

I plonked myself back onto the bed and finally let that irresistible darkness wash over me.

...

"Well, that was quick."

"Hmm?" I was still groggy from that impetuous nap.

"It didn't take long to get rid of the remaining clots. It looks like you already expelled most of it." She was talking to me again, what a miracle. And the cuffs were off, an added bonus. I sat up and drew my stiff legs together, covering my lower half with a large towel.

"Spotting is normal, so don't be alarmed if you see any specks of blood in the next two days. Though, considering your healing abilities, I wouldn't be surprised if your body already recovered fully." She was throwing the towels in a bag and collected her tools under a stainless steel sink. While she may not have been looking staring at me, every word she said was certainly directed at me. Multi-tasking seemed to be her forte.

"I would have tried to heal you myself using chakra but knowing that you don't have a chakra pathway system, it would have been useless." She added, as a matter-of-factly. I didn't respond, only looked ahead. I was so entranced with the flooring details, I totally missed her coming. She took a chair and pulled up next to me.

"How do you feel?"

_Fucking wonderful._

"I'm fine." I answered, not looking at her.

"You didn't know?" She kept going in a way like an investigator would.

"No." I replied curtly. I didn't know that I was pregnant though it would explain a lot. The past few weeks were abnormal. To me anyways. My actions, the random bouts of cravings...it all seems so clear now.

"Look, if it would make you feel any better, it was barely formed. Not even a fetus."  _That actually did not help. At all._  "What I meant to say, Mina-sama, is that miscarriages happen all the time. Hopefully, there won't be one the next time around."

 _Oh God._  That fucking headache was returning.

"Urgh." I unintentionally grabbed a fistful of my hair, as if that would stop the pounding inside my head. I tried to rub it away.

"Are you alright?" She sounded concerned.

"Yes."

"Please forgive me for saying this, but I couldn't help but notice that you don't seem surprised in the slightest. In fact, you seem more shocked at the fact that you were pregnant than at having a miscarriage. Why is that?"  _And there it goes, the headache just keeps on getting worse and worse._

"It's a common thing in my family. We don't usually carry to full term." Except my mother. With a lot of money spent on treatments, clinic visits, hospital visits and doctoral referrals, she was successfully able to give birth to my eldest brother. The rest of us were just accidents. Her words. They stung, though I only found it more humorous than anything else.

"Oh, I see." That infuriating tone of hers was condescending. Did I defy her expectations, or what?

"Why?" It was my turn to ask.

"Oh no, it is just that most women come crying to me the moment they miscarry thinking they could not bear children. And you're taking it unexpectedly well." The medic- whatever her name was- took a deep breath before getting up and putting back the chair where it belonged. She went on to fumble around in the cabinets, searching for something. "Maybe that's a good thing." I heard her mumble under her breath.

_"Maybe."_

_So, what exactly was I supposed to do now?_ More like where was I supposed to go? I couldn't-  _wouldn't_ \- go back to that room, I could still imagine the blood soaked bed awaiting me upon my return as a constant reminder of what I lost. A part of me was devastated. Even when I knew that if I fell pregnant, there was a great chance that I would never have the child. But knowing it and experiencing it are so very, _vastly_  different. Just knowing the fact was nothing like seeing what could have been my own flesh and blood- a genuine part of me- streaming down my thighs so flawlessly. It was reduced to nothing but mere blood and fleshy clots. What could have been a living, breathing soul, yet at the end of the day, it was just... _just blood._

It crushed me. I had always said I never wanted children, and maybe that had been true for a while, but I knew- knew at the deepest parts of my subconscious- I would have ended up having a kid either ways. Whether it was an accident or planned, I knew I would eventually want to have kids. It was always an uncertainty. Growing older in life, priorities change. Needs change. Minds change. I was no exception to that.

However, I know that I would not have been ready if I didn't miscarry. It was my luck. _Maybe, this really was for the best?_

_No, no, no! It doesn't matter now. Maybe I'll never be able to have children!_

"Here, you should bathe and change. We'll get your room ready, don't worry." I looked up at her and found that she was smiling. As best as she could but I also saw that she was struggling. Perhaps she wasn't used to smiling all that often. She handed me another nightgown and a robe to accompany it.

"Thank you, really." I was grateful but my voice wouldn't let me show it. My words only came out almost as smooth as nails-screeching-on-chalkboard.

"The bathroom's that way." I followed the direction she was pointing to. As soon as I found myself inside the immaculately clean bathroom, my legs gave up. I locked the door as I found myself sliding down against the wall, tears finally breaking free. Silent tears I thought I had lost forever. They burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down my face relentlessly. I felt the muscles of my chin tremble like a small child as I looked toward the window, as if the light of dawn could ever soothe me. That headache, _that- that static that was in my head once more,_  was threatening to break me apart. I listened to my own sounds, just like a distressed child, raw from the inside and unequivocally painful. So painful, it physically hurt. It robbed me of something I never knew I still had left to give. It was like a theft of my spirit, my heart and everything that made me  _feel._  Just like an injury no other person can see.  _And yet, I..._

_I..._

_I have never, ever felt so grateful towards anything in my life._

* * *

I slept, slept and slept.

That was the only thing I was capable of doing nowadays. I've been sleeping so much, I even began losing track of the days. I didn't know exactly how much time had passed since that awful night.

They had completely refurbished the room by the time I had returned. Either that or they had taken me to another chamber entirely. I laid on the bed, my eyes wide open. The only thing I could see were the trees, stripped of their once beautiful leaves. The grassless yard and the howling wind gave this place an already depressing mood.  _Or maybe that was just me._

The gloomy sky and those poor trees, the distorted branches and those broken twigs; that was the only picture of this world that would forever haunt me. Day in, day out, this scene was the only thing that grew familiar on me.

"I think it would do you some good if you go out for a fresh of breath air."

_Those words._

I couldn't help but smirk. It was the same ones Izuna used on me when I first came here. He used to hound me, push me to go out and if I didn't; he'd grab me and take me out himself. Then he'd always stop by and just...talk. As if he didn't have anything better to do. Talk and talk, that was all we did for days. He was so different back then. Oh so different.

Perhaps, I just didn't know him back then. He turned out to be a dick, that's for sure. Nevertheless, he was the first and only person who bothered to speak to me. I know he's been gone for weeks, probably hiding out in some shady cabin in the middle of a forest, but I missed him. That didn't mean I wasn't going to get my revenge. No, I would make sure Hell in all its glory rained down upon that sorry head of his.

However, this time, it wasn't Izuna Uchiha who uttered that phrase. It was the woman who had become my own exclusive morning alarm, the same woman whose sly innuendos were the sources of some of my freakishly odd nightmares. Yuna, in her non-too-subtle way as always, made herself my personal maid.

"Mhm." I moaned through the pillows, protesting the mere idea of even leaving this soft and cozy bed. "It's too cold outside." I whined like a little kid.

"How would you know? You haven't been outside in days!" Being the quirky woman she was, Yuna stayed faithful to her role as the nagging mother. I turned to face her while my head never separating from the pillow. I saw that she was carrying another tray full of food. Like yesterday and the day before, and the day before that. The past week basically.

"You're hopeless, you know that? Look, first and foremost, you must eat and regain some of that weight you lost."

She was old, but she couldn't possibly be blind. I have not lost an ounce of fat since the moment I woke up here, stark naked and on the forest floor.

"What's up with the formalities? I liked you better when you were a savage." I remarked.

"Oh really? I was under the impression you did not like me at all." I had to smile at that. Something I haven't done in a while, so my cheeks felt a little tense. Her sense of humor made me laugh at times.

"You speak the truth." I told her.

"As I expected, now get up or I'll shove these sticks down your throat." Having chop-sticks rammed into my mouth wasn't exactly an image I had in mind and it certainly wasn't how I wanted to start my day. This old crone proved capable of doing worse things to me and I didn't want to test her just yet. With all the will I could gather, I slowly got up and sat as straight as I could. It wasn't that the food wasn't delicious- it actually looked amazing and mouthwatering- and it wasn't that I didn't have an appetite, it was just that I didn't have the energy to use my hands and shove  _the food_  down my own throat. Everything, even the most simplest tasks, seemed to require too much effort to put in. Effort I could be using in more enjoyable things, like sleeping.

_Oh God, how I wished to fall asleep again._

She placed the tray on a table-stand near the bed. I didn't want to mess up the bed sheets again so I went for the floor instead and grabbed the tray with me. I sat cross-legged and ready to take a bite, but I just couldn't. Yuna was dusting the room, removing pillow cases and rearranging the fixtures.

"I've been hearing interesting things you know. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I would think a husband and wife would sleep in the same room. Same bed, that kind of stuff, hmm?  _Don't you have something to say about that, Mina-sama?"_ I wanted to laugh so bad. What she was suggesting was pretty serious, so why was that so funny? It could have been her sarcastic and taunting undertone, or maybe it was the ironic hilarity of the whole situation, I wasn't certain.

"Actually, I do have something to say  _about that_." I began after gulping down a glass of water. "It was his decision to sleep elsewhere. I never told him to leave, he never even asked. It's his fault if he wakes up with a stiff neck."  _Speaking of stiff necks, mine was killing me._

"So, then, I take it you never kicked him out?" She still had her back to me as she said that.

"Uhm, no. Is that what they're saying?" The things people came up with,  _now that was funny._  She never replied back to me, but it wasn't like she needed to. The answer was pretty obvious. It was a while before she spoke again. But what she had said caught me off guard.

"My sister says you're taking this surprisingly well."  _Your sister?_

_Oh, I see._

"Never would have pegged her as your sister, though now that I think about it, I guess you guys do look strikingly similar." The straight hair, the color of salt and pepper, was identical in each of them. Except Yuna wore her hair in a tight bun as the other maids did while the medic wore hers in a high ponytail. The same almond-shaped eyes, the same curvature of their thin lips, the asymmetrical bent to their nose and nearly the same wrinkles.

"Yep, Chiho was always the uptight one, making her the most suitable crone for her position."  _So, Chiho was her name._

"Whereas your lack of boundaries make you the most suitable for the head maid position?" I retorted, quite amused by her outright ridicule of her- what I assume must be- her older sister, the head medic. I heard her chuckle.

"Yeah, well we're practically cut from the same cloth!"  _God, no, not really._  In fact, there couldn't have been a greater contrast between them. I guess what they had in common in their appearance was quickly made up for as difference in their personalities. Her cheerful attitude slowly calmed down as she finally finished wiping the mirrors and the surfaces. Folding the rag, Yuna turned to look at me.

"Look, if you're still not ready the next time, I know this old lady who gets rid of these little problems. So as long as you're still early on in the pregnancy."

...

_"If that makes you feel any better about this."_

What the-?  _What was up with people saying things that they think will make me feel better?_ It didn't. It actually made me feel worse.

"Yeah, so Madara could have my head, huh?" I struggled to get to my feet as I used the bed for support.

"Hmm, that's another way to look at it." She glanced at the untouched food still on the tray and frowned.

"Don't take offense, it looks delicious. I'm just not hungry." I told her.  _"If you say so."_ She grumbled.

I headed for the bathroom to take a bath.

"Here." She gave me another pair of clothes.

"Yuna?"  _How can I put this?_  "I'm sorry for my behavior last week. I-uhm- was not in my right mind." I apologized, I had to. I made an absurd fool of myself in those past few days, it was hard to forget that. Now, all I had to do was remember who else I had been a dick to. I'd have to apologize to them, too. I scratched my head as I lost myself in thought, it was a little pet peeve of mine.

"It's understandable. Now, go freshen up."

* * *

I don't know where the hours went but they certainly took no time to disappear. The sun had already set long ago when I had finished my bath. I felt...good. As good as one could be right now. Which, I guess, isn't too bad. I know it's just a matter of time before I get over it.

"Great, what do I do now?" I sighed as I jumped on the bed, laying down with a loud thud. I looked at the ceiling. There was nothing special about it. Just a wooden chandelier with rustic, wrought iron handles. It was indeed ornamental and very well carved. That was another peculiar thing I have come to realize about the Uchiha as a whole. They were...a creative bunch. Artistically, not just on the battlefield. It was hard to imagine that such a battle-hardened clan could be so gentle with their crafts. There was truly something special about their handiwork.  _I wonder if they're the same hands that have slain so many._

The rest of the room was just as ostentatious; decorative and overly-organized. Bamboo sticks was a common theme here. I liked it. It gave the room a more welcoming sentiment. Even if it wasn't necessarily what I was feeling.

"Huh?" I noticed a strange book had been placed on the night table next to me. I reached out for it and examined its hard cover. Leather. Brown. A little dusty. And it had a metal clasp that was rusted, probably from the passage of time. The clasp was already opened when I looked closer. A note fell out from between the aged pages.

_'Maybe this will keep you busy. -Yuna'_

"How thoughtful of her, mhm."

It has been a while since I picked up a book here, so this was a nice little surprise. I had asked Takayama more than once, when he would open the library again.

 _"With time."_  Was always his answer.

_"Don't fret about it, child."_

_"Patience is key."_  He had said that last quote when I had been particularly whiny on one cold, winter afternoon.

 _Have patience, Mina. Patience._ I guess I had no choice but to wait until that time comes. But knowing him, I'd probably die before he reopens the library. By this rate, he's most likely going to outlive us all.

I opened the book.  _Alrightie, time to see what treasure this one holds._

...

 _What was he doing out there?_  I heard his footsteps long before he entered the hallway. Either he wants to wake the whole house with his ridiculously loud staggering or- pretty sure that was his goal. Strangely though, he didn't take long to come back here. Normally, he would take turns upon turns and pace around before finally settling down. This time, he came straight ahead, not skipping a beat until he was right at the doorstep. He didn't knock. He didn't shout. He didn't do anything. He just stood there, like always. And then he stepped back and slid to the floor, roughly. With his back to the other wall, I was certain that he was staring at the sliding doors. I bet if he had had laser eyes, he would have set this whole room aflame. But judging from the outline of- what is most likely- a sake bottle in his hands, even if he was glaring intently at this barrier between him and I, I didn't think he was fully conscious enough to know what he was doing.

I was beginning to feel bad for him. How long was he planning on doing this? Did he even sleep after his little night-walks? And if he did, where exactly did he sleep? How did he wake up? With a head-splitting migraine from all that drinking, maybe?  _Should I just ignore him?_  While that appeared to be the easiest solution, my self-consciousness would not let me blow off the candle. Instead, I put the book down, got up from the bed and took the candle with me as I made my way to the door.

_Here goes._

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

_A miscarriage, huh?_

He wasn't sure what to feel. Shouldn't he be angry? Sad? Disappointed? or  _Happy?_ Should he be dancing out of joy? Celebrating? This situation could have been life's twisted gift to him, he wouldn't have to be a father so soon. He still got to hold onto his freedom for a while longer. If so, shouldn't he be grateful? He didn't know. None of these reactions seemed logical nor appropriate. More importantly, he wasn't aware that she was with child, so how could he know what to feel? Heck, even she didn't know she was pregnant, so how could he? It was all just excuses, that much he knew.

Madara felt so conflicted. Why was he the one always walking towards  _her_? Always ending up at  _her_  doorstep? Always finding his way back to  _her_? He was never one to drown his sorrows in a bottle, if you could even call it that. He was always the strong one; the stoic one, the one who never feared his own emotions. He shouldn't be sitting here like an over-dramatic damsel wallowing in his own pity. This was unbecoming of him as a man, more so as Madara Uchiha.  _What the fuck was wrong with me?_ He glanced upward, his mouth pursed but slightly open and loose. All this time, he thought she had been the one who couldn't get herself together. He was severely mistaken. He could never recall a time in his life where he felt himself this lost.

That was all there was to it.  _Lost._ He wasn't lonely, just lost. Loneliness always brought desolation to the soul, but being at loss always brought vacuity and hesitancy to his spirit. He had no problem being alone. Over the years, solitude and despondency grew on him, they were in fact his only friends. But confusion at this level was a concept foreign to him. He didn't know how to handle it very well just as he didn't know how to handle these brusque transitions. One after the other, as if they had no end. It began with her, he just had to find her, didn't he? Another bloodbath with the Senju. Nearly losing his brother. And then the ceasefire with the Senju. Signing a treaty with the Senju once more. Construction of the settlement. Losing his men. The attack on his home. Getting married. And then dealing with more shitty alliances. _Senju, Senju, Senju._  It was always the Senju and her.

There was no doubt in his mind that he would have rather been on the battlefield- right at that moment- piercing his sword through his enemies, body after body, head after head until each and single one of his opponent came toppling down before him. A stack of burned flesh was all that his mind could imagine. That thirsty rage that coursed through his blood every time he fought, he missed that.

 _So, what was I doing here?_ Acting like a desperate knucklehead thinking that maybe, _just maybe_ , she could be the one coming to him this time. Wishing that she could be the one drawn in, not him-

_Get your miserable ass off the floor, idiot._

Just as he was coming back to his senses and finally had the courage to brush himself off, he looked up from the bottom of the bottle and saw a hand stretched out to him.

"You should come in." She said. That took some time to process.

Was she inviting him? That resolve he made to get out of there was undone in a matter of seconds. With the power of those four words, all determination Madara had, instantaneously dissipated into thin air. As if they never existed. And they did not, as far as his mind was concerned. Still, there must have been a catch. Even if he was slightly drunk, his mind was as sharp as ever when it came to matters he deemed important. Like this, for instance.

_What did she want?_

"Come on, it's getting cold out here." Seeing that he wasn't taking her outstretched hand, she grabbed his entire arm as she attempted to drag him into the room. He couldn't believe it. Of course she was failing to move him a mere inch, but he still couldn't believe it. Mina gave up pretty quickly though. She fell to the ground, sitting opposite of him. When had she even opened the doors?

"Fine, if you don't want to come in, then I guess I'll stay here." She rubbed the back of her neck to relieve some of the tension. She positioned herself the same way he was; cross legged, with one knee in the air and an arm wrapped around it.

"You're pretty stubborn, aren't you?" She remarked only after another a minute had passed. This time she muddled around with her locks. Her wavy curls fell so seamlessly to her shoulders, framing her pale and round face. He hadn't stopped noticing that small beauty mark right under lip ever since that night. "Did you already finish the bottle?" At this point, he wasn't even hearing her. Just staring into nothingness.

"You know what? That's it. You're coming in." She jumped to her feet, startling him. She took hold of his broad shoulders and shook him before trying, again, to pull him up. "Why are you so heavy?! You should lose some of those muscles. That would help a lot.  _Argh._ " Madara wasn't even trying to purposely let his body sink. She tried and tried and still couldn't dislodge him from his place. Until he decided to move for himself.

He took her hand.

"You're pretty impatient, aren't you?" His first words to her were just that. He should have thought it through.

"Huh?" She looked at him, surprised that he was conscious after all. He used her small hands to prop himself up. Granted, most of it was due to his own strength, but still...

Madara followed her back into the room, curious at what could happen behind those sliding doors. Very curious.

He didn't wait, it was a reflex now. Involuntary, automatic and instantaneous. Just like an instinct. Leaving behind the unneeded bottle and closing the rice-paper doors, he went straight for her lips. It was the first truly soft thing he had felt in the past weeks. The first real thing he had tasted. He couldn't help but push his body onto hers as she fought to hold her place.

" _Mhm."_  His kiss muffled every protest she could come up with. He wasn't letting go, he wouldn't. He felt her soft hands travel up his abdomen and rested on his torso. Forcefully pulling away from the kiss, she managed,

"Madara..." As he looked down onto her, he only saw her eyes pleading him. Still trying to comprehend what happened, he made sure to listen carefully this time. "The bed is that way." She gestured towards that irresistibly smooth and velvety bed. He was willing to sleep on a stack of hay as long as she was the one offering him the chance. He didn't care, though he did have to choose now between the bed and-

_The bed._

"The bed, Madara." He got her blessing too, so it was meant to be. Step by step, he found the true object of his desire of that night just within reach. Closer. Closer. Closer. He dropped to the bed as he felt the primal part of his brain begin to slowly take over his consciousness. But there was one thing missing and he would not rest until he got it.

As Mina was on the other side of the bed, preparing to cover him with the sheets, his arms snaked around her hips and pulled her down.

_Better._

Now he could rest soundlessly. She barely had her head out of the covers when his grip around her tightened. Mina being Mina tried to crawl out of his deadly grasp since she couldn't lift herself off. As usual, she failed.

"Come on." She muttered under her breath. "Can't believe I fell for that."

 _"Stay."_  He growled sleepily. This was the last thing he would say to her for the night. There was nothing else left in him. She was clearly weighing her options; end up with dislocated hips or bear sleeping next to this man for one night. It seems that she opted for the latter choice.  _Smart._

"Could you loosen your grip so I can get comfortable?" She whispered. He wasn't her, Madara wasn't going to fall for that.

"Fine." She decided to settle back in her place and found that the most pleasant position to sleep in just so happens to be the one where she faced him. The moment her body hit the bed, all lights went out.

* * *

Madara woke up to a pair of delightfully bouncing breasts. Up and down, up and down, they moved ever so slowly, almost hypnotic. He had to blink a couple of times to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He was not. It took him twice as long to figure out where he was and whose tempting bosom this belonged to. Another blink. Images and words were beginning to form in his mind, though not in the correct sequence. He wanted to dart his eyes away so bad, but he just couldn't. A minute had passed by and nothing changed. Her chest still heaved as she took in her next breath. Her robe was barely covering her bust, nearly revealing everything to him. A light snore was easily heard from where he was laying.

She was sleeping while her head rested in the palm of her hand, her elbow had been propped up on the pillow. Right over Madara's head, as if she had been watching over him. Sleeping. All night. A bit unsettling in his opinion. He had to go about this carefully. One wrong move and he could-

"Ouch, fuck!" She squeaked as their foreheads met with a brutal force.  _Damn._  He inadvertently caused her elbow to slip when he twitched slightly. And now she laid atop him, literally.  _What was she complaining about?_ She wasn't the one with the hangover now made ten-times worse by being headbutted straight out of her beauty sleep.

"What the-" Her groggy voice was- He had never heard her sound like that. It was sort of...appealing to his ears. It appeared that she was as confused as he was. But not for long, yesterday's events came rushing back to her in every possible detail. Maybe because she wasn't drinking like he had. He hadn't noticed any bottles this time around.

"Sorry about that." She apologized, still dormant. The physical pain in his forehead was beginning to fade, but the one inside his mind was only beginning. She rubbed her temples trying to relieve some of the agony herself.

"What time is it?" He asked, still asleep in his own little world.

"How would I know? Urghh." She moaned feebly. Soon enough, she turned her back to him and hugged the pillow as a comforter. It was clear that was planning on sleeping the rest of the day. Speaking of which, it was still daylight outside. More like no-light, but since the moon hasn't shown itself as of yet, it was still considered day. If that was the case, just how long had he been asleep? Madara wouldn't have been surprised if it was evening already. Considering the lack of sleep he got within the last month, it was a wonder his body hasn't let him sleep the next two days uninterrupted.

It wouldn't have been possible, he had a schedule to follow through today. An important one at that, as much as he wanted to stay in bed and stare at her back and fluffy-bedraggled hair- he could only imagine how messy he must look-, he knew he had to get up and see the Hyuga off. They were supposed to leave today,  _if they haven't already._

_Surely, someone would have waken me up if they were?_

Since Izuna wasn't here, he wouldn't have known who would have had the guts to actually wake him up. It didn't matter right now, he just needed to get out of bed and show some signs of life. Halfway through his little charade, he found himself sitting down lazily, one leg on the floor, the other still under the covers. It was an abnormally hard decision; to stay there next to her- in what would be a chance that only occurred every other lifetime- or get up and perform his duties as clan head.

He hoped that the decision he had chosen would be worth his while, otherwise...

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

I felt so refreshed. Like my consciousness has been cleared. A heavy weight lifted off my inner-self. No guilt, none whatsoever. Not towards him anyways. If I knew this was what would have made me feel better, even in the slightest, I would have let him sleep in the bed since the beginning. And then probably would have kicked him out afterwards. But to be fair, I never even told him to leave in the first place. Though, his decision to stay away did comfort me for a while.

"So, you feel better now?" Kagami's voice was a nice change to the gloomy atmosphere I locked myself in for the last two days. It was like I haven't seen him for a while.

"Hmm? Oh yes, much better." I smiled at him. I wasn't completely like my old self again, and I'm sure he sensed that, I did do my best to get out more often. I took Yuna's word for it and went for a breath of fresh air. It was exactly what I needed after waking up next to Madara this afternoon. He didn't do anything funny while he was asleep, so that was great. Aside from the drunken kiss, I slept like a baby. Or so I think. I did wake up with a bang, though. And not the good kind. I've always wanted to know how it would feel to headbutt one of the greatest shinobi in this world, and I think I just did. However, it did not go the way I wanted it. I would have-

"Hey! Mina-chan! Are you listening?!"

"Oh, yeah, uhm yes I am." I answered. He still looked unconvinced.

"Are you alright? They said you were sick the last few days. What's wrong Mina-chan?" His adorable face and his heart-warming concern for me nearly melted my heart. I could just hug him and that tiny cutie patootie face of his forever, never let him go. I couldn't believe he was the same shy boy I had met months ago. I had to hold myself back because if I hadn't, then I would have only confirmed his suspicions. He would have known something was up.

I crouched down to his height and shuffled his already tousled hair.

"Don't worry kiddo, I'm totally fine! You know me, I'll be on my feet in no time. I mean, just look at these beautiful muscles?!" I raised the sleeve and tried to flex my biceps in an attempt to redeem myself.  _I should be ashamed._  These weren't muscles, they were just flabby arms with dangling fat. I bet I looked ridiculous.

"Are you kidding me? That's just fat. Mine are bigger."

_Wow, glad to see that didn't escape his sight either._

"Damn, don't you know how to treat a lady, huh." I couldn't help but laugh at his brutal honesty. His age permitted him to get away with it now but once he got older and tried the same treatment on another girl, he should probably be prepared for a couple of good back-handed slaps across the face. There was still so much to teach this kid...It was a bit comforting to know.

"Hmpfh." He pursed his lips in obstinance, refusing to acknowledge any wrong-doing or saying. Boy, did he look like a stubborn Madara.  _Guess he's been picking up a few traits from him as well._

 _"_ Then why are you wearing black? Did someone die?" I saw that his off-handedness did not just extend to honest commentary. I didn't even notice I had worn black. I just grabbed Yuna's maid uniform and left. I didn't want to go through the hassle of wearing a multiple-layered kimono at this time of night. It would have taken too long and no one would have seen me anyways. It was dark. And we were near the shrine, where the terrain was muddy from today's afternoon showers. A kimono would have gotten dirty quite fast, not to mention ripped. We were playing pass the ball with this red ball Kagami had found. Again, a kimono would have restricted my movements.

It was my turn to pass. There was something bothering me though, I didn't know what it was. But I felt like there was this eerie presence watching us. I had been feeling it since we left the house. I tried to shake off the feeling.

"Now why would you say that?" I was intrigued by his response.

"I don't know, don't people usually wear black when someone dies?" He passed the ball back.

"True. But doesn't Madara-sama wear black all the time? Even your whole clan does." I noted.

"Yes, but Madara-sama's special. And we don't wear black, we wear dark blue shirts." He was awfully talented with a ball, this kid.

"Special? Oh what could you possibly mean?" I chuckled, sometimes kids truly did have the most preposterous responses. And the darnest ones, too.

"I think you know what I mean, Mina-chan." Kagami, too, was smiling but I had already lit like fuse. I was cackling loudly, unable to hide my laughter anymore. This was the most I have laughed since miscarrying.  _Was he doing this purposely? Or did Kagami naturally have a sense of wicked humor?_  I could only wonder how Madara's face would look like if he had heard this conversation. Probably not happy, I surmised.

"Okay, now pass the ball back Mina-chan." Oh that's right, I had kept the ball during my hysterical outburst. Before I had the chance to return it, he was already moving onto his next great idea. "I have something to show you, I bet I could make a bigger ball than you did!" He claimed and I was sure that he could, but I would just play along.

"Okay, kid, you're on."

"How much?"

"Nu-uh. Not how much, if you lose, you'll get to spend the next week with Madara-sama alone. No exceptions."

"Wait, that's not fair! Yo-"

"Tsk tsk. You're too young to gamble, remember? And I'm the adult here, so I make the rules." He pouted at the wager I set but I loved every second of it. Especially the fact that I could so easily over-rule him.  _Man, ordering kids around was kinda fun._ I know he would be able to bypass me that was why I waged something that I was probably going to end up doing anyways. Hanging with Madara seemed like the safest option. That way I wouldn't end up owing the kid a bunch of money.  _Win-win, am I right?_ Though, Kagami  _most definitely_  did not need to know that.

"Fine." He stomped off angrily towards the shrine. Or rather, towards the pond in front of the shrine. It looked even more magnificent at night, a bit haunting but magnificent nevertheless. Suddenly, I saw Kagami turn around and run to me. Had he been larger, he would have probably tackled me to the ground. Bumping into me, he clung on with his hands wrapped tightly around my midriff. He knocked the living breath out of me with his little 'hug'.

"I hope you feel better Mina-chan!" I heard him say as he buried his face in the creases of my rumpled clothes.  _Cheeky._ Was this his way of getting me to concede to the bet?  _Hell, no. I wasn't going to fall for that._  But I would have to admit, the sincerity in his eyes when he pulled away was very real.

"I'll be fine, Kagami." I tried to reassure him. Once satisfied with my response, he continued on walking up to the shrine, that way we were facing the main-house's direction. I saw him stand on the edge of the pond, taking in a breath before beginning whatever he had planned. His hands moved at an incredible speed, I barely had enough time to recognize the hand-seals. The boar, horse and tiger.  _So, this was his fireball technique?_

_"Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!"_

This time, he inhaled the deepest breath he could while his torso expanded, ready to expel a large orb of fire. And he did. It wasn't just large.  _It was massive_ , nearly as wide as the pond. The force of his blow was amazing, it send a flurry of wind my way almost sweeping me off my feet. The fire lit up the sky more than the stars ever could, it was so bright, it was actually blinding. Its scope didn't just extend to the pond, it almost engulfed the alcove Takayama and I used to sit under. But, what had my jaws dropping wasn't just its magnitude.  _No, it was- it was.._

"It's blue?" The roaring flame was of a burning blue color.

Bit by bit, the flame calmed down until it was nothing more than residuum of hazy smoke puffing out of his mouth. He turned to face me with a huge grin on his face.

"Told you!" He burst with glee, happy at how dumbfounded I was. My eyes were wide open in shock, I certainly didn't expect that. I stepped forward and saw that the water had completely evaporated. All of it. Not a single drop left in what could be considered a crater right now. The fishes were left at the bottom, wriggling and struggling to breathe. But not for long, water began seeping through the soil, slowly and gradually filling the pond once more.  _Huh..._

 _So, this was a geothermal water source?_ That could explain as to why the water was always heated or warm even on cold days. As to why it was filling itself, I had no clue.

 _"But it's blue?"_ I kept repeating.

"Uhm, yes." He seemed to be getting uncomfortable as he scratched his head. "Madara-sama says it's because of my chakra nature."

"It's beautiful, you know that?" It really was.

"Thanks." He was blushing. "So, what do I win, huh?" His eyes gleamed at the prospect of a prize. I thought I had mentioned what the prize was.

"You don't get to spend the rest of the week with Madara-sama! How lucky are you?" I jabbed him, knowing full well that I was hustling him.

"What? No! That's not- I will still train with him! That's not a prize!" He was this close to throwing a fit if I didn't come up with something to appease him. I knew I wouldn't have been able to get away with it. "I want you to sing."

 _What?_ What a weird demand that was. If I was him, I would have just asked for money. Money can do no harm. That wasn't true, but still...I guess money wasn't a valuable thing to kids like him.

"I'm sorry Kagami, but I don't feel like singing today." I tried to tell him gently. I didn't feel like singing because it just didn't feel right. Besides, my voice was still a bit rough.

"But-" He stopped himself before objecting further, seeing that I really wasn't up to demand. "Okay, then tell me a story from your world." I quirked my eyebrows, amused at his response. I crossed my arms.

"Oh really? You want to-"

"Yes. I want you to continue that story about you and your-"

"Kagami, could you do me a favor?" I bent down and held his shoulders tightly. "I need you to go back to the house." He was confused. I could understand that. But this was not a joke, it was serious. There really was someone watching us from the woods. Their white, featureless eyes was an instant give-away. I couldn't help but think that they were deliberately doing this to get caught, though they did not attempt anything. It was as if they were waiting for Kagami to leave, who still did not detect their presence.

"Mina-chan, if this is your way to-"

"Now, Kagami.  _Go._ " I hope he was wise enough to understand the undertone of my words; old enough to understand the urgency of the matter. Not a second later, he was already running back to the main household at full speed. I should have went with him, that was the most cautious thing to do. However, I knew they- whoever they were- would have followed us back. I couldn't put the boy in danger. At least if he went back alone, he could warn Madara while I was still here, stalling. If they were truly after me, they had no reason to go after Kagami. I felt my heart beat uncontrollably as a rush of adrenaline hit me. Whoever this intruder was, they were no longer hiding behind the trees.  _He_  was behind me. Going against all fears and red flags my brain tried to warn me of, I slowly turned to take a look at this trespasser.

"What do you want?" I said, my voice just a notch above a whisper. The long, straight brown hair, tied at the trims, the bandaged headband and the large, white eyes with no pupils.  _He had no pupils_. He was a Hyuga.  _A Hyuga? Shouldn't they have left this evening?_ He didn't answer me straight away. His arms were crossed and his Byakugan activated as seen by the protruding veins in both temples.  _What was he looking at?_

 _"_ You have something that belongs to us." His menacing tone told me that this wasn't a normal meet-and-greet, he was clearly not a fan. From the looks of it, this man was out for my blood. No. He was here for something else.

 _"What is it?"_  I asked him again. He didn't bother giving me an answer this time. He took a stance. A particular one.  _Shit._ It was the gentle fist technique. I took a step back. I may not have chakra points for him to target, but even so, if I got hit with a single blow, it would be tremendously painful.

"Return it."

"What is it that you want?!" I shouted. But then it dawned on me. What they wanted was the... _pendant?_ Takayama's words from eons ago rang in my mind incessantly.  _'It was given to her by a man named Hamura.'_ Hamura? Hamura. Though, he was far from a man. Was he not the founder of the Shinobi of the Moon? The first one known to have awakened the Tenseigan? The brother of the all might powerful, Hagoromo?  _And these people..._

These were his descendants, as far as I could recall. The Hyuga inherited their Byakugan from him. If they wanted the necklace, it could only mean that what Takayama had said back then was true. But, surely it was another pendant, right?

"No." I told him, finally realizing what his eyes had been focusing on all this time.

"Very well." I could see the resolve in his eyes.

I swallowed hard. He didn't wait a moment longer. He charged forward, fists ready to knock me into oblivion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect Izuna's return. Soon XD


	34. The Moon is Beautiful Tonight, isn't it?

**_Mina's POV_ **

There was not an inch of my body that wasn't aching.

I could barely walk and when I did, it was as if my limbs didn't really belong to me. For each step I took, I felt like I had to bargain with my body to move. It was like a negotiation rather than a given order by my brain. Everything hurts now. Every damn thing. I winced at the sound of my dislocated joints.

He managed to strike every weak joint in my body and he wasn't even activating his Byakugan.  _That's right, why would he?_  I didn't have chakra points, there was no need for him to exert more effort than he had to. Still, that didn't stop him from inflicting much damage to my body.

"Hand over the pendant and I will leave." He repeated. Again.

 _"Never. I'd rather die than give it to you."_ I responded. Again. He never gave up on trying to obtain the necklace and I never let him.

"Fine. Then I will grant you your wish."

_Dammit!_

No matter how much mud walls I achieved in heaving up, he would always break through. It was understandable, the ground here was too soft from all the rain. I could barely dodge his attacks, nonetheless I did manage to deflect his fists. All of those self-defense classes were starting to pay off. Once I began seeing the repetition of his movements- the patterns of his moving palms- it became slightly easier to divert his strikes elsewhere using my elbows. As a result, my elbows got the worst of his blows. Though they did not stay blue for long. The bruises would instantly disappear but the pain still lingered. His speed was the problem. Even if I succeeded in dodging one of his attacks, I would always feel another pang of pain running through my thighs or abdomen or arms. It was useless, for every strike I avoided, there were always another two I never saw coming. I didn't know for how long we've been at it, but it sure felt like infinite was too short a word. Forever was nothing but a brief moment in time. That was just it. Time wouldn't pass.

_How did they do this?_

_Fight like this? Forever? And ever?_

Madara must have been a beast to go on three days fighting. Was that not what they said about him? Back in his alleged glory days? So, where the hell was he? I was beginning to lose hope that he would ever come, meaning that I was left to deal with this man alone.  _But...I don't think I can go on any further..._  My muscles were on fire, as though they have been flash-burned with acid from the inside out. It was going to eat me alive if I didn't try and move. I would have-

Suddenly, it was as if a stake was hammered right into my lower back, its spikes radiating pain in a way I have never felt before, as if shattering my brain wasn't enough, it was starting to eclipse my vision- or at least that's what if felt like. I really couldn't tell anymore. Every kind of pain my body was enduring was slowly morphing into one giant mass of anguish. I never saw him coming. I never have, but this time he attacked right from the back side. Unlike him, I didn't have a 360 degree vision. I couldn't put a hold on him if I couldn't see him.

His speed would be the death of me if I didn't do anything to stop him.

That last attack sent me flying a few feet in front. As my body hit the ground violently, my bones cracked one by one. My face was covered with mud and gravel pierced my skin. I felt water build up in my mouth slowly until I could take it no more. I spit it out and what should have been saliva turned out to be specks of blood. The weird coppery taste flooded my mouth.

_Get up, Mina!_

I desperately needed someone to pull me up, my bones weren't functioning anymore. They were so heavy, weighing me down like a bunch of large rocks had suddenly been placed on my shoulders. They were broken, but so was I. Darkness nearly clouded my vision as I laid still on the floor; breathing shallowed. I couldn't breathe properly, I had wasted just about every breath of air in my body trying to harden the damn walls. It worked for a while but the Hyuga always shattered the walls into pieces. He had excellent chakra control but this was too much.

Why was I fighting a Hyuga? Why was I fighting at all?! I didn't even have chakra? How was this fair?!

_Suck it up idiot, don't whine like a baby just get up now!_

Easier said than done, however; it was either that or I died. _Screw it._

Against all the protests my body was making; the numbness that was quickly spreading to my legs, the sounds of my bones fracturing every time I moved a muscle and the constant ringing in my ears, I decided to suck it up and forced my ass off the ground.

"Fuck!" I screeched as I heard a particularly painful crack at the edge of lower ribs. I wonder if I punctured a lung just now.

"Have you had enough?" I heard him speak but my brain wasn't at its full potential right now.

"No." I replied, though not fully aware what I just gotten myself into.

"Hmm, I see."

I was still on both my knees while I barely lifted myself with my useless arms. That merciless jerk wouldn't give me a break. Not even for a second as my body tried to heal.

_"Hakke Rokujūyon Shō."_

That stance again _...is that- is that the eight trigrams sixty-four palms?_

I got to my feet as quickly as I could.  _Come on!_ There was no way I could survive another sixty-four palms.  _Focus focus focus!_ One wall wasn't going to be enough to stop him, I needed at the very least another dozen.  _Surely, I still had it in me?_ It didn't matter whether I did or I didn't, I  _had_  to do it. I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate on the flow of energy. Just like that day, in the forest with Tobirama. I had felt something strange...within in me. Something stirring yet, I could only imagine it. Whatever it was, it had helped me erect that wall.

On second thought, walls would never stop him. I needed to unbalance him; to slow him down.

_"Two palms!"_

_Fuck!_ I was too slow to react.

_"Four palms!"_

I couldn't even see his hands as they made contact with my body.

_"Eight palms!"_

I couldn't breathe, I felt like my rib-cage had just collapsed onto my lungs as blood came spurting out of my mouth.

_"Sixteen palms!"_

That was it, that had been my breaking point. I wasn't sure how I did it, but I managed to hold on to one of his arms before his next strike knocked me out. I seized the chance- figuring that I wasn't going to get another one like it- by putting all the force I had left in my own clenched fists and swinging the hardest punch I ever had to throw in my life. Kneeing him in the stomach, I got him to back off just a couple of feet. I looked to the side and saw that I was close to the pond.

"You know, I expected much more from a woman who held the title as Uchiha Madara's wife." He gave off a light chuckle as he wiped the blood dribbling down his chin. This was the first blow I had dealt him. Up until now, it was always safer to be on the defensive side than the offensive, not that I could actually land a hit on him.

 _"Huh. Me too."_  I admitted. I was weak. I had always been weak. And I had no problem with that because, at the end of the day, I wasn't born to fight over-powered, domineering sleaze-balls with unlimited amounts of chakra. Limited or not, the fact that he possessed chakra was already an advantage he had over me. It didn't change the situation, I still had to fight him.

With no time to lose, I began drawing out water from the pond just like I did with Kagami. My back may have been to the pond but, but my hands were freely lifting the water up into the air. It astounded me still, that even when I was never touching it, it was flowing ever so seamlessly against gravity as if I had been controlling it with imaginary white threads. Though, instead of focusing the water into spheres, I concentrated into splitting them into droplets. It was easier to manipulate into small needles. Just like Haku. That was the only image going through my mind right now. It seemed like it was in another lifetime that I had been a simple kid watching the hidden-mist ninja over-power a couple of Leaf Genins. All I had to do now was copy his Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death Technique, it was the only thing I could come up with.

His posture had changed. Like he was getting ready to block my oncoming attack. There was no time to think about it, I flung my arms forward as I blew out a gust of air, directing the now crystal-like needles at my target. The winds were strong enough to send the needles flying at high speed towards him, ready to pierce his body. Had he not been using the Palm Rotation.

He was blocking every single one of the ice needles, even the ones directed at his blind spot. The rotating chakra around him was like a protective cocoon enveloping its user as it completely disintegrated the ice particles which came in collision with it. I took this opportunity as he was distracted with repelling the crystals which were surrounding him in all sides, not only from above that way he wouldn't have had an escape route, forcing him to block the attack instead and giving me enough time to take a breath.

Not for long though, I had to take advantage of the situation and as fast I could. This was the perfect moment to counterattack, I didn't endure all of this for nothing.  _If I unbalance him, then he wouldn't be able to reiterate his attacks then-_

_Stop thinking, just do it!_

If only this damn earth could open up and swallow him to the depths of hell. I was angry. Furious. Enraged. Every bitter emotion there was, I could feel it. Maybe it was the pain that was pushing me over the edge or maybe I just had enough but there was one thing I knew for certain. One thing and that I was hell-bent on using that anger to destroy him.

 _"Why...why won't YOU DIE ALREADY!? ARGH."_ The ground began trembling beneath us as my feet continued to stomp the ground in circular motions, causing branches of nearby trees to fall as wide boulders protruded from the ground. I used the boulders to my benefit by levitating them and quickly hurling them in his direction with a swing of my arm. One after the other, he kept breaking them apart.  _Just how long did he think he could keep rotating?_ Frustration was seeping into me as my arms started giving out.  _If my arms won't do, then I'll use my feet!_

As I watched him slow down, I hovered another boulder and jumped, giving an empty kick into the air. The large rock was sent flying his way in such blinding speed, I was sure he could not have dodged it.

He didn't. Well, just barely. It would have mashed him into pieces had he not moved in the last second. Instead, it ended up crushing his arm.

"I see you're starting to take this seriously." He said with every ounce of solemness he could muster. I couldn't imagine how I looked like; with blood smeared across my face, mixed with mud and dirt. My kimono was ripped in more than one place exposing the areas where I had been hit. But his image was no clean slate either. It appeared that he couldn't dodge every single attack I launched at him. Some of the crystalline needles had penetrated his so-called cocoon and grazed his skin; here and there. From the way that left arm of his looks, I would say that it was broken or at least fractured.

_Good._

But I still wanted him to die.

Immediately, a wave of exhaustion flashed through me. Soon enough, my legs also gave out and I fell to my knees flinching in pain.  _Fuck. This wasn't the time to start moping around._  But my body wouldn't let me do otherwise. It felt like I was chained to the ground. His footsteps were getting nearer.  _No._ Closer and closer.

_"I think it's about time we end this."_

_"_ _NO!"_

_I'm not going to die here today. I'm not going to die here today._

_"I am...not giving up."_

I had to give it my last shot or else I would never forgive myself if I died a pathetic death. Right here of all places. My arms and my legs may have already given up, but my lungs were still alive and pumping. Relatively.  _But still..._

I raised my head to look at him.  _I will crush that asinine face of his._

I sucked in as much air as my lungs could handle. I tried to hold in the air as much as my abilities would take me until the Hyuga was in close range. Building up momentum until I had enough strength so when he was in spitting distance, I was finally able to release all that pressure growing inside me. A direct jet of compressed air shot from my mouth sent him flying back over the shrine's steps. Large, swirling gusts of winds had him slamming back into the Torii gates. The force of the collision between his back and the thick beams was hard enough to shake the wooden pylons.

_But I still had so much in me. So much more._

I couldn't control myself; wouldn't stop myself. I kept expelling as much air as I could, with the smaller gusts of wind slowly turning into gales as they gained power. It was thunder to my ears. That was all I could hear. Cracks in the atmosphere were deafening, although it wasn't the atmosphere. The air currents that generated such large and concussive force were strong enough to overwhelm me, nearly thrusting me back into the pond. It was like nothing I have ever felt before. The gales were evolving into something more of a whirlwind than anything else.  _It would destroy me too if I didn't stop_. I was already starting to feel the effects on my body; my throat was burning with such intense heat I was sure that it was permanently scorched and my lungs were utterly useless now as they were nothing more than deflated balloons. There was not a single breath left in me.

The winds began to calm down once my lips irrevocably found each other again. They were so incredibly dry, I actually thought they would fall off if I touched them. I couldn't even kneel anymore, my upper body suddenly became too heavy for my thighs to carry. I fell to the ground with a heavy thud. I couldn't really feel it anymore. Everything was just so...numb. Everything but the pulsating thing in my chest. It was tightening.  _Oh God._ My whole chest was about to explode in flames. My hands unconsciously went to my chest trying to keep that raging fire inside as my fingers clung onto the thin material that was my kimono.

I began coughing violently as I begged for another chance at breathing. As I dared to touch my lips, I saw blood had splattered all over my fingertips.

 _I hope he never walks again. No. He couldn't._ With that much force propelling him into the rocks, I wouldn't be surprised if he had broken his back. His spine, too. I managed to lift my head just slightly, enough to see him lying there motionlessly across the shrine's upper steps.

_Did...did I do it?_

My heart skipped a beat.

He was...he  _was_   _moving._  I could see his feet twitching as he tried to raise himself up. He couldn't. Not for the first few times. He was struggling to find his footing.  _No..No. NO!_ _What was this? Why wasn't he dying? Oh God._

He finally did it. He got up. His face was bloody, there was not an inch of skin that wasn't covered in red. Except his eyes. Those white of his... _Was he a ghost?_

_Get up Mina. Come on. Go die somewhere else. Anywhere but here!_

My body betrayed me. It wasn't responding to my commands anymore. It was as if I was paralyzed, everything was stunned into place. All the while, he was regaining mobility in his limbs. He was cracking his arms back into place. And his neck... _Oh fuck. That sound._  It was haunting.

"I must commend you for your astonishing control over the pendant." His voice was full of malice as he began taking his first step down.

_COME ON, MOVE IT!_

I was only able to shake my shoulders at this point. Heck, my fingers were starting to move. If I could crawl out of here, maybe I still had a chance at life. All I needed was to crawl. He was already two steps down.

"You really are a specimen-"

The next thing I heard was the smooth sound of a sharp sword slicing through flesh. I was terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought; too scared to look up. I would have pissed myself if I wasn't already on the brink of losing my mind. Even so...I had to. I had to look. The uncertainty was going to kill me first before my body ever died on me. My eyes were slowly raising, trying to take everything in. They kept glancing upwards and upwards until they settled on a lifeless pair of featureless, milky eyes. And its bloody head. I thought I was going to have a heart attack, right then and right there.

The Hyuga's severed head rolled off the stairs and onto the acrid ground, his eyes were completely drained of-

I screamed. Screamed with a voice I never knew I still had.

_"What kind of fresh hell is this?!"_

Tears were starting to spill out. I knew I wanted him dead...but who the hell did this? The sight was so disgustingly horrifying, I just couldn't tear my eyes away. They kept wandering and wandering, following the pool of blood dripping over the steps. Step above step, it was like a fountain. Until I saw the pair of feet standing at the top of it all. Like a king who reigned mercilessly over his people, feet drenched in their sweat and blood.

But this was no king.

Those red eyes would forever be imprinted in my mind. Those same eyes...they were hollow. Empty. Deadly. Cold. Colder than Madara's.  _Oh God, Madara. Where are you?_

 _"You and I need to talk."_ Eiji said.

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

_"Oh Nii-san! Nii-san, Nii-san! Have you missed me?"_

Madara paid no heed to that annoying presence. Instead of welcoming back his dear younger brother, he was staring out the window of his study. _What was going on out there?_

It was dark out, but it was not a cloudless night. A storm was about to pass, that was certain. But something else was going on in the distance. Something at the shrine. He couldn't see what from that distance he was at. And the night sky wasn't helping, but he just knew something was not right. He couldn't shake off that feeling. And then, surprise. Izuna had decided to come out of his hideout. Truth be told, it had been quite peaceful around here since his departure. As peaceful as things could be. Save for the few dramatics here and there, things went by somewhat smoothly.

The Hyuga delegates had left for their own compound earlier that afternoon. Madara had offered that they stayed another day seeing that the weather wasn't improving. They respectfully declined and set off. He could only hope that they arrived at some inn safely, otherwise, he was going to have to answer to some very angry Hyugas turning up at his doorstep.

"Hey brother, do you not hear me?"

On the contrary, Madara was hearing him loud and clear. He was purposely ignoring Izuna until he came up with a suitable retribution against him. Ideas were rolling around in his head but there was still nothing definite. Nothing that could put his brother in his place.

"Oh come on, won't you at least acknowledge my presence, brother?" Izuna continued to whine on like a little kid, still, Madara saw no need to reply to the man-child's petty games. "You won't believe what I found out at the settlement."

Now, that definitely caught his attention. Not only that, but Izuna's tone took on a serious nuance. As if there was a deeper implication he was just about to reveal. Madara turned around to formally meet his brother for the first time in weeks. Finally laying eyes upon Izuna, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.  _Was he growing a..stubble?_

What a strange sight, a sight Madara never thought he would see. He always knew that his brother hated growing a beard or any facial hairs of any kind. He never let it develop this much. Never. Citing that 'it would push away the ladies', little did he know that some ladies actually dug that kind of thing. But then again, his brother was equally inexperienced as he was clueless in that department. But Madara was beginning to see why Izuna stayed away from that sort of grooming. A beard would have most definitely not suited him and that was judging from the stubble alone.

_Where the hell has he been? Living with animals? Sleeping in the forest?_

He must have been in a secluded area all this time if he was this disorganized. It wasn't just his hair, his clothes and his stench, too.  _Oh for Kami's sake..._ He must have bathed in cow piss if he smelled that bad. The maids are going to have a field day with him. Madara hasn't seen a sight like this since way back in the days of war, when all fundamental sources like water had been cut off.

_But what was this idiot's sad excuse?_

"Here, take it."

During his vigorous yet harsh assessment of his brother's appearance, he missed noticing the sealed envelop in his outstretched hands.

"What's in it?" Madara asked, this was his own way of greeting him back.

"Take a look for yourself." He wiggled the envelop in front of him, urging him to take it. As Madara was about to, the earth underneath them began trembling violently.

_An earthquake?_

Papers, scrolls and various hand-printed works fell to the floor as the shelves came unhinged. His chair was knocked down as Madara held onto the window sill as the earthquake passed. All the while Izuna remained steady, though clearly startled by the sudden tremors. It lasted for nearly a whole minute. That was odd. Earthquakes rarely happened in this region, and was even less common in the winter. Although less common did not necessarily equate to never happening. It was rare, but it was bound to occur.

However, it was anything but a natural occurrence in Madara's mind. Once the quakes had stopped, he pulled up the chair and kicked the documents to the side.

"Wait, Madara? Where are you going? It was just a measly earthquake." Izuna called out after him but he was already past the door and walking down the corridors. On his way out of the house, he had bumped into something.

"Oh, Madara-sama." He looked down at the tiny human he had neglected to see. Kagami looked awfully pale. He was sweating too, like he had been running non-stop for the last ten minutes.

"What's wrong?" He asked him.

"Nothing, Madara-" He was breathing heavily. He really had been running.

"Were you outside?" Madara was beginning to suspect so.

"Yes, but I was here when the earthquake happened." The boy was fidgeting with his fingers, clearly nervous and agitated.

"What is it?" He repeated.

"Uhm...Mina-sama..she...told me to come back here but she hasn-"

"Is she still outside?"

"I think so, yes."

_Hmm..._

"Go on in Kagami." He ordered. The boy did as he was told and hurried back to his room. Madara, on the other hand, was heading back outside. What could she possibly be doing out there? And why had she sent the boy back while she stayed behind? She wasn't that stupid as to let herself be stranded out there. Hopefully, she had the right sense of mind to remain still during the earthquake.  _Or whatever that was._

The moment he stepped a foot outside, he was met with a strong rush of wind blowing in his direction. He knew this was winter, but even so, the weather was behaving oddly. As if the earthquake wasn't enough, it seemed like a hurricane was on the horizon. He sincerely hoped that he was wrong. Wrong long enough for him to get to her and drag her back. Only then, mother nature can go ahead and throw a fit all she liked.

There was a bit of struggle walking against the air resistance, but it had become less of a nuisance when the winds calmed down.  _She must be at the shrine._ Even if she wasn't, he had found himself walking there. His pace quickening as the path became darker and completely quiet. There was not a single sound; no chirping, no howling and no leaves rustling.

He was getting impatient. For some reason, the Naka shrine seemed to be so distant right now than it had ever been before. But he didn't need to go on any further. She appeared out of nowhere, coming right at him. She certainly knew her way back home, though it didn't look like she was in a hurry to do so. In fact, her gait was nowhere near that of a snail. Because a snail would have been much faster than she was at the moment. She was dragging her feet as if they had been a burden on her all her life. She was a mess. As if the earth had opened up and gobbled her up along with the solid ground during the quakes, but eventually spitting her out once it realized it didn't need her just yet.

Mina almost passed him without ever realizing he was there. He felt her brush against him as she continued her ever so slow walk, still under that hypnotic spell. She would have never stopped had he not took hold of her arms. He instantly regretted doing so as he he heard her whimper in pain. Though, it did seem to wake her from her daze.

"Madara?" She was having a difficulty seeing in the dark as he was but he made no mistake, it was her. His fingers still wrapped around her arms, he said,

"Where were you?"

She blinked a few times before answering.

"At the shrine." Her confusion was noticeable in the tone of her voice.  _The shrine, huh?_ Looking back at its direction, he could see nothing but the defining layout of the main hall. In spite of that, something definitely did happen there. _And she was hiding it. Why?_

 _"_ What happened to you?" His eyes roamed her body and took note of the multiple ripped areas of her kimono- or rather a maid's- as well as the dried blood smudged across her face. What he had also noticed was her lack of response. It was obvious that she was taking her time in coming up with a believable lie. It was a long time before she answered.

"I...I fell." She wasn't a good liar, he knew that. Madara said nothing, only observed her reactions. He was letting her speak instead, waiting to hear what else she had to say. Her eyes never locked in on his directly, the first tell-tale sign that she was lying miserably. "I fell. On the shrine steps. I fell on the shrine steps."

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

_"You and I need to talk."_

I thought I had lost my mind a while back. It turns out I was wrong. This was not what I had asked for. Not in the slightest. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. This was worse than a nightmare. I screamed, because that was all that I was capable of doing right now. I screamed at the top of my long over-used lungs. I knew I was done for; though, I hoped my screams would have alerted someone in the surroundings. Someone. Anyone.

But he...saved me? Right? He wasn't here to kill me. He just wanted to talk. Right? Then, why wasn't my brain buying it? I stopped shouting and attempted to raise my hands. It worked. I was slowly regaining possession of my body. While it should have felt wonderful, it actually didn't. Every movement I took would send paralyzing shivers down my spine. But it would be worth it if I was able to get away. Heck, if I stood on my own two feet, it would truly be a magnificent achievement. Although, I wasn't looking forward to dealing with the after-shock later.

_One moment at a time, Mina. Just move it. Get up._

Slowly, I was able to move my feet as well. Step by step, I had my arms stretched in front of me as my knees dug into the ground for support. I halted mid-way when the pain became too much. Even so, I had to push through it the same way I pushed my legs up. It was strange at first as I struggled for balance. I saw that Eiji was hauling the decapitated body down the steps as he walked towards me.

I didn't want to stick around for that 'talk' he wanted. I really didn't.

Without even thinking, I turned around and put a foot forward as I tried to walk back towards the house. Where I could find Madara. Where I could hide behind him. He would protect me.  _Right?_ Now that I thought about it, he had no reason to, especially with the way I had been treating him lately. Still, I didn't care. I would find my way back to him no matter what. Even if I couldn't bear to put the other leg forward. I couldn't even walk, my feet were still numb.  _Dammit._

"You must not tell Madara about any of this. Understood?" His voice seemed to have softened a bit, his eyes; not so much. Or so I guessed. I was scared shitless to turn around and face him. I couldn't. I just couldn't look at those heartless and empty eyes of his again. As for my feet; they just gave up altogether. Whether that was voluntary or not; I couldn't tell.

"Look at me." He ordered me. I obeyed. Something in me still responded to such orders.

"Did you understand what I just said?" He repeated. I wasn't really listening to him, I was too focused on the listless body hanging over his shoulder while its respective head was dangling in his hand by a pull of the dead man's hair. Blood. There was blood everywhere. It oozed out of the amputated head in puddles, just like it did from the rest of his body.

"Yes." I found myself responding accordingly.

"Are you alright?" Eiji asked. Was that a question? If so, I wasn't sure how to answer. I wasn't even sure I had a breath left in me to answer.

"Calm down, you should not fear me. I only did what was necessary. So, stop looking at me like that." How was I looking at him? I wouldn't know. I only knew one thing and that it was to run. I wanted to run, but I couldn't. Not only did my body not let me, but my brain was starting to wonder about the corpse.  _How was he going to to get rid of it?_ I was sure he had read my mind, otherwise, he would not have said what he just said.

"You shouldn't concern yourself with the body. If I were you, I'd be more worried about this." He nodded to the land we were standing on. And everything that existed between it and the skies. The place was...a mess to say the least. The ground was destroyed as potholes were formed in nearly every place that hasn't been upturned. Like a mass grave- as if we were digging for a mass grave. The shrine itself was starting to deteriorate. Tiles and stones were cracked at the entrance. Even the gates looked unstable. I could partially see the dent that Hyuga ninja had made.

Even when everything around me was in shambles, I was starting to feel everything but. My heart rate was setting back to normal as I felt my pulses slow down, just slightly and I could barely feel my hands shaking anymore.

I couldn't help but worry about the dead ninja. What was Eiji going to do? As if the Hyuga won't realize one of their own went missing while-

"Don't you think they'll realize that he's dead if he-"

"I'm sure they will. But they won't dare report it." He said, almost brooding at the thought. Or perhaps at the task that awaited him. As I was about to ask why, he was already answering that unspoken question. "It would mean that they would have to openly admit that they sent an assassin after you. Which I surmise was their true intentions behind this arranged trade negotiation meeting."

He shifted his gaze to the neighboring forests and seemed to contemplate on what to do next. After a decisively long time, I was finally able to utter my next words. However, he had started to walk away.

"Wait, but they weren't after me. He wanted the-"

"Pendant. You. They are the same thing to Madara. And Madara-sama does not take well to people who try steal his possessions."

_Possessions?_

"I am not his possession." I didn't understand how I found my voice so easily, but it was reassuring to know that I was slowly getting myself back.

"You're his _wife._  If you thought otherwise, then I can do no more than pray for your soul."  _Was...was that a chuckle? Was he laughing?_ He stopped walking- body still casually flung over his shoulders and a head in his hand- and turned half-way to meet me. His sharingans were finally deactivated, though that did not make him any less intimidating.

"I suggest you start heading back. Now." With that last demand, he had disappeared. Just...disappeared. Into thin air. Leaving me behind in this wide, dark place. It didn't register in at first but then I noticed how cold it had gotten and panic started to gnaw at me. Confused, I started walking back to the house. Everything was just...confusing. Even if I didn't know where I was heading, my body did and it objected with every step I took. Nevertheless, I was walking. If you could call it walking. I was no faster than a snail. Still, with each step, I was getting closer to the house.

Out of the blue, a hand gripped my arm and reminded me of the withering pain I had managed to ignore. I was surprised to see who that hand belonged to. _So, he did come after all._

"Madara?" I said, at least I thought it was him. It was hard to see in this pitch-black path.

"Where were you?" His voice was deep. So deep, it had penetrated the deadly silence that had reigned over this place. I wasn't sure what to say, my mind was racing to find an excuse before he could ask what I was doing.

"At the shrine." That much was true, I saw no point in lying in that.

"What happened to you?"

"I fell. On the shrine steps. I fell down the shrine steps." That took a while to come up with and I was sure he sensed there was something wrong. He kept taking quick looks at the direction of the shrine constantly.

"Oh really?" He sounded amused, probably caught me lying already.

"Y-yes." I tried not to stutter but that proved to be impossible right now. "I..there was this..the earth was like.." I attempted to mimic the shaking earth because God only knows why I failed to remember the word earthquake.

"You mean the earthquake?" He was practically continuing for me. Madara eventually let go of my arms.

"Yes. That. The earthquake. The earth was shaking uncontrollably and I fell down the steps."

"Did you hit your head, too?" That kinda stung. The subtle undertone of that comment hit a nerve but I was in no position to snap back. He didn't wait for a response as he started walking down the path once more.

"Wait, don't leave me here!" He glanced back at me. "I..it's dark and cold. And I'm-I'm hurt. Please?" I couldn't look him in the eye. Something was nagging at me, maybe it was because I had lied to him.  _Maybe_. I just wanted to get back. I couldn't bear standing here any longer. Besides, his presence was like a relief, if he had left then I was sure to break down. With just a little push-

"Where are you hurt?" He was right in my face,  _when had he gotten that close?_

"My legs." In truth, my whole body was hurting. But I figured that it was much easier if I just muttered the first words at the top of my head. Without further notice, he had picked me up and threw me over his shoulders in a matter of a second. This wasn't what I asked for, all I wanted was for him to tag along because I was too spooked to walk the rest of the way myself. That wasn't to say that I dislike being carried, it was actually comforting that I didn't have to use my feet. However, he now had to carry a hefty load on his shoulders.

I didn't dare say anything.  _What was there to say?_ I didn't want to incriminate myself any further by continuing to lie. Adding details to a lie never really made a lie more believable than when it was first told. I learned that with experience. _This was different._ Was it? A lie was still a lie. No matter the world you were in, no matter the time, no matter who the people were and no matter the circumstances. Though, lying about a murder seemed to be a big no-no anywhere. I decided that I should probably just keep my mouth shut. I was never a good liar anyways.

I was suddenly tossed on a bed, roughly.

 _Huh? When had we-?_ Where did the time go? More importantly, where was Madara going? He just dropped me off and was on his merry way to...?

"Where are you going?" I called out to him as he was at the doorway, hesitation clear in my voice.

"Calm down. I'll be in my study if you need anything." He slid the doors closed and left. Just like that. I was once again left alone in a dark place that seemed so unfamiliar to me. I laid back on the bed, staring aimlessly at the ceiling. The same ceiling I was staring at yesterday. Or was it today? I couldn't remember. Madara could have been lying. Maybe he wasn't really going to the study and was returning to the shrine. Or he could just be telling the truth. I didn't think about it for long. It was as if my brain was clocking out for the day, ready to cease functioning after an excruciatingly long twenty-four hours. My body seemed to agree too, as I found myself slowly dozing off.

* * *

 _Sleeping._  The solution to everything. That and time. Sleep really did wonders for the human body, even more so in mine. When I came to, it felt as if I had woken up in another body altogether. The pain that had overwhelmed me not even an hour-  _or two?_ \- ago was nothing but a faint tingling rippling through bones. My muscles were tense but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. It was a miracle or so I thought. I couldn't believe it had healed that fast. Any external wound always healed just about instantly, while the pain behind it always lingered for some time.

A warm bath soothed the stiffness in my limbs. It was relaxing beyond belief, so much so I nearly fell asleep once more in the bathtub. The feeling of water running down my skin was refreshing. It calmed me down a bit as I sorted out tonight's events. But every time I would try to resolve them, the throbbing inside my head would get worse. So, I'd just end up pushing it to the back of my mind.  _It was ruining the moment anyways._  As much as I wanted to, I couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. I combed my hair pretty recklessly before tying it up in a messy bun.

_It was getting too long. I'd have to cut it soon._

I didn't even dry off properly before putting on a nightgown either. I didn't know why I was in a rush now, but I was. I thoughtlessly grabbed a silk robe and wore it over the gown. Opening the bathroom door, I only just realized how humid it had been inside. I unlatched the bathroom windows in order to let the water vapor escape. Probably would have suffocated if I stayed any longer.

I could always go back to sleep...but I was rather tired of the bed.

I went for the large gliding windows that opened onto a small private garden. Sliding it open, I took my seat on the wooden porch. The grass blades felt incredibly smooth as they poked out from between my tiny toes. I leaned back on my arms and looked up at the night sky. It was a beautiful starry night. Like always. I couldn't help but look down at the necklace. I wore it everywhere and at every moment of the day, with no exceptions. I had to watch the gem's color darken gradually as the days went by. It was no longer the vibrant red I had always remembered. No. It was nothing like it. It was no longer that deep magenta color either. The intense navy color was getting darker every single day. I had no doubt that it would end up completely black.  _Kinda depressing._

_Why was everyone after it?_

First, Black Zetsu and now the Hyuga. I couldn't put my finger on it. It was obvious this pendant granted its owner some weird-ass powers but what possible use would the Hyuga have for it? They possessed chakra and a dojutsu no less. They didn't need a mere star-crossed locket to improve their strength. So, just what did they want with it?  _They want to claim it back after all this time?_  Convenient, wasn't it.

As for what Black Zetsu wants with it, I would bet my life saying it was surely nothing good. I'd actually rather give it to the Hyuga than the monster himself. If it ever came down to that, that is.

_Black Zetsu was a dick._

He was worse than that, he was a lying, scheming son of a bitch. That wasn't right. I meant rabbit goddess. Yes, a rabbit goddess. And he went on to kill perhaps one of the greatest villains I ever saw-

_"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?"_

His voice caught me off guard. I looked back and saw that Madara had returned. He was standing by the windows, staring up at the moon. I followed his gaze and found myself peering at an unnaturally fluorescent moon.  _It was awfully bright tonight._

"It is." I responded. Although...It reminded me of his Byakugan. A cold shiver ran up my spine. The hairs on my neck stood on edge at the mere thought of Madara finding a decapitated Hyuga in a nearby forest. Surely, Eiji wasn't stupid enough to abandon the body in the open? It was getting colder as the winds picked up, so I decided to enter.

Madara was in a corner of the room taking off his clothes. One by one, items were being thrown to the ground until the only thing left on him were pants. It only just occurred to me that he had come to sleep here.  _Right. That might have escaped my mind._ If I could keep to my side of the bed then there should be no problem. I let out a yawn as I made my way to the right side. Pulling the covers up to my chin, I made myself comfy. It wasn't just a starry night, it was a chilly one too.

About five minutes later, I heard Madara exit the bathroom and the lights went out. The sheets were suddenly pushed aside as he got in under the blanket as well. He may have been on the other side, but I still didn't dare take a peek. The only things I was staring at were the wall and the dresser, while my back was solely to him.

Silence fell. But so did the atmosphere.  _Goddamit, it was cold._  My toes were already freezing. My fingers were well on their way to the same fate. My ear-tips, eyebrows and nose were starting to tingle. This was a phase I went through annually with the upcoming change of seasons. However, it was more noticeable in winter. No amount of covers would stop it. I needed a heater.  _A full-blown heater._

The only one in this room was sleeping less than a meter away from me but who also happened to hate my guts.  _What to do, what to do..._ I was about to ask him if he didn't mind being used as humanoid radiator but then I stopped myself.

_I shouldn't... It would be too weird. Or would it?_

I felt the heat radiate off him in waves, my God, it was astonishing.  _If he could just share some with me..._

 _"Uhm...Madara?"_ I finally rolled over, ready to face him. It turned out, he too, had his back to me. And with that, I was essentially talking to his bare, spectacularly muscled back. His trademark long hair was splayed across the sheets, occupying the space between him and I. I was beginning to think that he had already fallen asleep. But to be sure, I poked him lightly on the shoulder. He answered almost immediately.

"What?" He was wide awake, I could tell that much from the sound of his voice.

"I'm...cold." I hated the fact that I sounded like a child who was in need of dire help. I couldn't help it though, he had something that I wanted, something that I was desperate to get a hold of. If he wanted something in return, I would have to agree to it. I didn't mind. For now. Though, I suspected he wasn't getting what I was hinting at. For the next thing I knew, his part of the covers were thrown onto me. Onto my face to be precise. Thus, leaving himself half-naked to the harsh weather.  _How could he stand it? And how could he generate so much heat?_

 _"Madara?"_ I tried again. This time, he turned around and faced me, exhaustion written all over his face. Making me feel guilty more than I already was. I was being that annoying tick he couldn't get rid of.

"What. Do. You. Want?"

_What did I want? Good question._

"Can I hug you?"

 _Dammit, that wasn't supposed to come out like that!_ Then again, had I said 'let's cuddle' it probably would have sounded stranger.  _And more awkward._  Definitely more awkward. Still, I should have chosen my words carefully. The cold air wasn't the only thing that was pushing me to do this, there was also this sense of.. _of fear._  I was scared. Scared that someone might still come after me, even if I laid in bed next to him. Now, if I just laid in his arms, now that would be a substantially more difficult task for the hypothetical kidnapper. Madara didn't need to know that. Not at all, I would just keep it to myself. If he knew I was afraid, he would only start asking questions and then one thing would lead to another and-

"Take off your clothes."

I had to blink a few times. I would have cleaned my ears too because I sure as hell didn't think I heard that right.  _Was that actually Madara? And how could he say that with a straight face?_ From the looks of it, he was actually serious. I didn't see a hint of humor in his eyes, not a tug at the lips, not even a _'see, I gotcha didn'tch ay_ ' - not that I actually expect him to say that- but still...  _I wasn't aware that hugs now required people to take off their clothes._ He clearly saw the confusion on my face.

"Your clothes are wet. You'll get _a cold_  and get  _me cold_  in the process. It would be easier to transfer my heat to you."

 _Huh. Right. That must be it. Totally not an excuse for getting intimate._ I still had to blink a few times to register that. Should have just dried off properly after the bath. I eventually settled for-

"Fine." I agreed. As I reluctantly got up from the bed, I turned to face the wall again. Sitting on the edge, I began to tug at the hem of the nightgown after I untied the robe. I didn't want him to see me undress even if he had already seen me naked before. Once? Twice? I started losing count. I covered my breasts as I hurried under the comforters trying to avoid his eyes. He was looking at me all this time. It didn't matter, I was under the sheets now and trying to scooch closer to him.  _The heat..._

Maybe I was exaggerating, but to me, he was the perfect heater. Not only was he set at the right temperature, but he also felt amazing. Fuzzy...just like a teddy bear. Once my hands came in contact with his chest, an inescapable gasp let itself out of my mouth. All this time, I had imagined him to be rough around the edges with all those muscles and scars. I was wrong. Terribly wrong. His skin was undeniably soft like a baby's bum. I had felt his back before, though it didn't compare to his practically edible abs. Unconsciously, my hands started to wonder further down his abdomen as my head laid on his torso.

I felt like I had been engulfed in heat. It was...was so deliciously wonderful. And I wanted more. I tried to scooch closer and closer but it seemed that I had reached the end. If it was possible to go any further, we may have become adjoined.

A minute in his arms and I was already feeling myself drifting off. His hands had went around my neck and rested gently on my shoulder. It was then-  _right then_ \- that I knew I was falling asleep to the beating rhythm of his heartbeats.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

_Kami, she's sucking the life out of me._

If you defined life by the core temperature that was maintaining the normal and steady functions of all organs and the metabolic reactions occurring within, then yes. Yes, she was sapping the life out of him. Degree by degree, he was losing heat. Rapidly. While she got the heat she wanted, his temperature was dropping gradually. Soon enough, he started feeling his own toes freezing. The longer he held her in his arms, the colder he would get. Madara knew that, he just didn't have it in him to push her back to her side of the bed. Not that he could even if he wanted to. She was long gone under and left him no place to move. Her hands were clasping him into place while her legs locked onto his waist. He was trapped.

 _At least someone's getting some sleep out of this._ He thought, rather grumpy towards the situation.

Though, he wasn't completely at a disadvantage. She was pressing her body against him after all, so he still had the luxury of feeling her softness pushing at him. All in all, it was like having a third pillow at his side, which made it slightly easier to try and sleep.

_I could use a third pillow._

Not long after, he also found himself in the same drowsy state she was in.

Completely unaware of the creature looming in the shadows of the wilderness.

* * *

Yesterday was nothing short of surprises.

Starting off with the the Hyuga. They were full of it. They had actually conceded to most of the Uchiha's conditions.  _Most._  And that was after the concurrent bargaining. The actual negotiations. And that was what bothered Madara. Never had the Hyuga yielded to other's terms that easily. While his advisers would say otherwise, the Uchiha leader thought that his guests had given up way too early. Especially in trade requirements...Something was fishy. He wasn't wrong to have doubts. He just didn't know what exactly were they.

He tried to let go of the matter. His councilmen hardly had any objections as they went on to celebrate what they called a 'momentous achievement'. Sure, having an upper hand over a Hyuga would count as a 'significant achievement' on any given day. But this wasn't one of them. That was because those rascals had handed them  _almost_  everything on a silver platter. While what they were truly after was...He didn't know. But why was everyone too blind to see that?

Before he even thought about cutting their little carousing short, someone unexpected decided to make his presence known. At this point, Madara really didn't care if Izuna turned up or not. The fact that he had run away was a foolish idea from the start. While he understood why his little brother took such a decision, it still  _pained him_  to know that his only living relative would choose to run away than face him.

Actually, it didn't. Not in the slightest. Madara couldn't wait to get his mighty fingers around his itching throat and choke the living soul out of him. _Maybe there was no soul in him._  He wouldn't be shocked, Izuna always had that sociopathic touch to him even Madara could never comprehend. Still, he had plenty of chances up until now to do so, but he hasn't. He was avoiding Izuna deliberately. Truth be told, he was beginning to forget just exactly why he was angry at his brother for. All he knew was that he made a sacred promise to himself that he wouldn't let that weasel slide unpunished. For what? It was unclear to him as of yet. If he made a promise to himself that bad, then it must have been serious. Hence, why Madara wasn't going to let this go.

He hadn't seen him since yesterday's spontaneous earthquake. His study, that was the last place he had seen him. Madara didn't go around looking for him all morning either. Nor afternoon. Evening was about to set in.

And he was still standing there, in the field. Looking at the shrine. Or whatever the heck it was now.

_What the hell happened here?_

_Falling was it?_

That was what she had said. She fell.  _Bullshit._ What's more was that the tremors seemed to have hit here the hardest, as if this was the source of the quakes.  _This was no earthquake._  The land looked like it had been removed entirely and then thrown back into place once more before being shaken violently. This wasn't normal. Holes. There were holes everywhere. Boulders, too. It looked more like a grave site gone horribly wrong. He was very dubious that she could have dug all this herself. Furthermore, she had no reason to. Unless she was planning a mass murder spree. If that was the case, he would have to keep her under watch.

That had been nothing more than an amusing thought.

The outer face of the stage and the bench were burned to a crisp. The pond was the only thing out of place as it was still filled with fresh water. The fishes seemed to be alive and kicking, going on as if nothing had ever happened. Honestly, he didn't expect anything different.

The gates on the other hand, well the taller one looked to be very unstable as if it could fall at any moment. And that was probably due to the large indentation to its base. Tiles were upturned. Stones cracked. The main and offering halls themselves weren't touched by this...whatever this was. It looked no differently than when he had last seen it.  _In other words, still in shambles._ The blood covering the steps was probably the most apparent disaster out of hall.

 _She must have really hit her head hard. Even so, just what exactly was she hiding?_ He didn't badger her further yesterday night. It would have been unwise and would have led him nowhere. Instead, he-

"Wow, aren't you avoiding me like the plague?" He came to him after all. Madara turned around to find a relaxed Izuna who appeared to be as curious as he was about the catastrophic surroundings. "Just what happened here?"

He didn't answer, just stared at that awful looking stubble he hasn't gotten rid of as of yet.

"Speaking of which, you left without looking at the documents I was handing to you." His arms were still crossed behind his head as he spoke ever so casually. Sometimes, just sometimes, Izuna could be taking things a little too lightly. At the end of the day, Madara was not his friend. Not his comrade. Not his subordinate. He was his elder brother. And the clan leader. Respect was something they owed each other. No matter when and where.

Still, Madara was unresponsive. For the longest time, both brothers stood silent. No one saying another word, only waiting for the inevitable outburst to happen already. Ultimately, it was Izuna who decided to burst that bubble, figuring it was easier to get it over with sooner rather than later. The youngest of the pair straightened himself and cracked his knuckles.

"Are you really not going to talk to me,  _Ma-da-ra?"_  The way he pronounced each one of those syllables were like insults to Madara's ears.

 _"Don't push it, Izuna."_ He warned him. His brother's attitude suddenly took a turn for the worst.

"What? You're still mad about that?" Izuna made no effort in hiding his downright ridicule of his brother's hapless circumstances, why would he? He was getting a kick out of this. A smirk was already appearing on his lips. "I would think you would be happy, Madara. Maybe you should actually be thanking me. I just did you a favor." That smirk turned into one of the toothiest grins Madara had ever seen on his younger sibling.

 _"Thank..you?"_ Madara's growing anger was beginning to have an effect on his speech. He was too dumbfounded to respond to such words.

"Yes. I mean, let's face it. Without me, you wouldn't have had the guts to approach her. Why? I don't know and I don't care. All I know was that you would have just remained the grumpy ol' man Madara everyone was laughing at.  _Without me,_  you would have still been sulking and brooding over the girl next door because she wouldn't pay any attention to you. You lost your game, Madara. Tsk-tsk.  _Without me,_  you'd still be dreaming about having her. And now, instead of- you know, beating your meat around to uh-hum yeah, I know, I'm not deaf- you have her right there, in flesh and blood, on your bed. So, forgive me if I don't understand why you're so...angry.  _Brother._ "

Madara's breathing was getting heavier. Smoke was beginning to cloud his vision. He wasn't fuming out of rage. That couldn't be it. He looked down at his own two hands and saw that they were shaking lightly. His body was covered in blue flares.

His chakra had leaked out while Izuna was-

_Izuna._

He looked at the man who owned those words. The same man he called brother, the same one he took under his care when their mother had died and their father was too busy slaughtering people, the one he cradled in his arms as a mere child, well that same man was standing there in all his glory like he was proud of himself. That grin still plastered on his face. Madara remembered now. Remembered why he was so angry with Izuna.

_"That's right, Madara. Come at me."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aiiee! Please don't be angry at Izuna, he has a reason for saying what he just said, and you guys get to know why in the next chapter!
> 
> Ok, so, guys, I have a legit question. Actually, two questions. No. THREE! I hope you can answer me honestly.
> 
> 1)Is the plot getting messy? Like, complicated? Should I be rewriting previous chapters and trying to simplify the story-line?
> 
> 2)Is the number of OCs getting out of hand? Should I start killing them off slowly? Hahaha. For real though, should I?
> 
> 3)Are the dialogues too short or too long? As in do they take a large part of the chapter or the opposite? So I can readjust the length of the whole piece and things could flow smoothly. {Sorry to ask this, it's just that I don't have a beta or a friend who could give me feedback on my writing.}
> 
> Thanks xD.


	35. Regrets

_**Mina's POV** _

"So, Mina-chan, why were you so spooked yesterday?" Kagami asked.

"I was not!" I lied.  _What was I going to tell him?_

"You were, though." He was looking up at me with those beautiful wide eyes of his. Those tiny lashes at the edges of his almond shaped orbs were fluttering incessantly. It was as if he was looking into the depths of my soul. For some reason, I found it much more harder to lie to this little boy than to Madara. I couldn't believe I had started to sweat just by staring at him.

_Get a grip._

Instead, I turned my gaze away as we walked down the veranda that extended along the sides of the home. It was partially enclosed by a wooden railing cut from lumber just like the roofs. There used to be flower pots decorating the banisters, it was a nice view as it gave this place a homey feeling. But they were gone now as winter approached.

I squeezed his hands unknowingly as we made our way through the house.

"I wasn't scared, Kagami."

"I never said that you were scared."

_Well, that was great. Just great. Duped by an eight year old._

"Why are you sweating? And your hands, they're squishy and wet. Madara-sama says lack of eye contact, clammy palms and sweating are visible signs that someone is lying. So, why are you lying Mina-chan?"

I thought I was about to go awol. My brain froze. Absolutely nothing was going on in this thick skull of mine. I was this close to collapsing to the floor in convulsions. Perhaps not to that extent but I was willing to just run off and leave him there if it meant I wouldn't answer his questions. I didn't enjoy lying mainly because I wasn't good at it. Whenever I was put in a position where I had to lie, I always ran like a coward.

"It's...hot." Actually, if I didn't know better, I would say it was about ten degrees below zero.

"Wow, you're a horrible liar."

"I know. So, stop asking me questions, kid."

Suddenly, a rush of air came blasting our way as floorboards went flying in every directions. The walls were crushed and broken into pieces when a body was thrown through brutally.

_"I'LL TEACH YOU TO MESS WITH PEOPLE'S LIVES, YOU INSOLENT BRAT!"_

He was angry. Oh so very angry. Not even I could have hit a nerve that hard. Madara was in a full blown rage, ready to tear into the flesh of whoever that unfortunate soul was.

"Hey, are you alright?" I looked at the boy who had stumbled back when the force of the collision passed right by us. I reached out to him and he grabbed my hands to lift himself up.

"This is bad." I heard him say. He was clearly concerned. I would be, too. The man lying on the floor was barely moving.

_Wait, is...is that Izuna?_

It was. He looked unrecognizable with that much blood on his face. One of his eyes were swollen shut like he had taken a mean punch straight to the head. I couldn't imagine just how bad it would hurt to come into a knock like that, especially from Madara. Blood trickled down his chin in thick splurts. His jaw must have been broken, too. His elder brother didn't wait a moment longer before charging forward, fists flaming with blue chakra. I thought my heart was going to stop as Izuna laid there unconsciously, if he got hit with that then there would only be serious injuries to follow.  _What was Madara thinking? Did he want to kill him?_

"Kagami, is this..this normal? Are they sparring?" I asked, a bit worried. A part of me didn't believe that this was just a spat between brothers.

"No. I don't think so? Madara-sensei has never been this angry with Izuna-sama before."

I stepped back and so did Kagami, both of us not wanting to get caught in the middle of the fight. The next thing I heard was an extremely painful snap and an equally harrowing crack. It sent chills down my spine even if I didn't actually see it happen.  _Did he actually hit him?_ When I looked up, I saw that Izuna was already on his feet, having barely dodged Madara's strike. Though, I noticed that he was clinging to his right side. It seemed that his right arm got the worst of it.

What happened next could not possibly be observable to the naked eye. Not to mine, in any case. They were moving at break-neck speed, I just couldn't follow their every step. Even so, it was more than apparent that Izuna wasn't fighting back. At all. He was narrowly avoiding Madara's painful blows. Each and single one of them. Out of both brothers, Izuna was the one gifted with agility and swiftness, so why wasn't he using them to his full advantage? It wasn't like I was rooting for him or anything, still; it was odd seeing him cave in to Madara's chaotic temper.

_"Come on Madara. Get it all out."_  He coughed out blood as he spoke.  _"Is that really all you got?"_

In a blink of an eye, Madara had already pounced on him knocking him to the ground. He didn't stay down for long. Soon enough, he was up and deflecting more harsh blows from his brother. With each punch, with each kick; Madara was getting angrier. I backed up slowly, hiding Kagami behind me, scared for him more than anything.

"Someone stop them! They'll kill each other!" A maid had screamed from the sides. This little stunt attracted quite an audience. The majority of whom were maids who had been in the area.

_"Yes, and bring the house down while doing so."_  An older maid commented from the back, watching as both brothers continued to fight. She seemed rather bored as if she was used to this exposé of theirs.

_"Mina-sama! You must stop this!"_ A third servant who looked just as similar as the others was tugging at my arms, begging me to end this.  _Why should I? Shouldn't I be acting as the dutiful wife and cheer my husband on? I mean, is that not my job as well?_ As senseless as that sounded, I knew it wasn't the right decision. Besides, this maid really wouldn't stop pleading with me.

"Alright, alright." I sighed, agreeing reluctantly. I wasn't ready to enter the midst of a heated battle again. And so soon, too. If I entered, I was sure to receive one or two of Madara's infamous punches. Something I wasn't looking forward to. I told Kagami to stand back while I tried to break up that disturbing fight. All this time, Izuna only remained defensive, never attacking Madara- it was as if he wanted to get hit. If his constant taunting wasn't enough evidence of that, I didn't know what was. Whatever he said, it must have been worse than I could imagine if it had ticked off Madara this much. At this point, I wasn't even sure I could get through to him now.

Still, I walked closer. I tried calling out to him.

_"Madara!?"_

_It was no use, he wasn't listening._

Before I ran to him, his fists had rammed into Izuna. Or, what should have been Izuna but ended up being the ground. Izuna was gracious enough to have leapt back  _just_  in time before getting pummeled with fists that would have knocked him out for days. I froze in place, afraid to get closer. A small crater was formed in the ground solely from that strike.

_If I get hit with that..._

Dammit! Those maids wouldn't stop looking at me like that; wide eyed and hopeful that I could do anything about this. A long time ago, I would have just let them be,  _let them kill themselves_  was what I would have said. But now...It really wasn't much different except for my nagging conscience that was telling me to stop this nonsense. It was sort of funny to me, where did this conscience come from?

"Madara! Stop this!" I ran up to him and ended up getting elbowed in the face.

_"Fuck!_ I stepped back and cupped both my mouth and nose with my hands.  _I knew it!_ My jaws felt dislocated and hurt like hell. I was trying to keep the blood that gushed out of my broken nose and split lips from falling onto my clothes and ruining the kimono. Serves me right for sneaking up on him from behind. _What the hell was I thinking?!_

That appeared to have caught his attention as he finally turned his head and looked me. I heard a few gasps from behind us.

"What the-?" Just as he uttered those words, a punch was thrown his way. For the first time,  _the very first time_ , Izuna hit back at him. He took advantage of the situation and-  _the idiot!_ Did he want to get killed? It sure seemed like it. After suffering that punch- probably for the first time, too- Madara's rage only grew as he quickly regained his balance and propelled Izuna backwards with a powerful kick to his abdomen. Izuna skidded back and found himself bouncing off a large boulder, eventually stumbling to the ground. Madara- as always- wasn't going to let go, but before he even moved an inch, I jumped on him, locking him into a position similar to a chock-hold, though it certainly wasn't my intent to cut off his oxygen supply.

"That's enough Madara! Stop it."

_"Get. Off."_ He muttered, trying to shake me off, but to no avail. I had my legs wrapped his waist just as I had my arms around his neck. I'd be damned if he went anywhere anytime soon. I knew he could probably force me off by lifting a single finger like I was nothing, but he hadn't. And I used that to my benefit.

"No! Goddammit, he's your brother. Just calm down!" I tried to reason with him, for whatever that counted. His long hair was also at my disposal, I could have easily shoved a few strands down his throat or attempt to strangle him with them, anything to make him forget about his sleazy brother. Surprisingly, I was struggling with doing that as well. Just as I thought; all he had to do was literally give a push and I was already on the ground, my ass thankfully absorbing most of the force of the impact. It was in times like these that I was grateful for all those doughnuts, muffins, cupcakes and ice-creams I gobbled down growing up. Glad that they were finally coming to good use, albeit indirectly.

I gripped on to his calves, preventing him from taking another step forward as I got up on my own two feet. I hurried to his front so I look him in the eyes. I took hold of his shoulders and was surprised to find that they were shaking. Not just his shoulders, but his whole body. I could feel it tremble beneath my fingers. And it wasn't due to the cold, either.  _He was that angry?_ What happened?

"You need to calm down, Madara." I spoke gently, hoping that he could actually listen to me this time. Looking into his eyes, I could only guess what he must be thinking, it was beyond difficult to read his mind. They were so black, yet so... _bright._ The more I looked into them, the more they drilled into mine. I thought I had seen that glimmer in them, the sort of light those cheesy people in lovey-dovey rom-coms describe whenever they look into their lovers' eyes- God forbid, this was nothing like that- but it was terribly odd that I had never noticed it before. They weren't as soulless nor as lifeless as I had always imagined them.

_"Tell me."_  He finally spoke, seemingly much more calm now,  _"Why is it, that you of all people, are standing up for him?"_ He stopped shaking, that alone was good enough for me. But he did raise a good question.  _Why was I doing this? Really, why?_

"I.." It was hard finding the correct the words. "This...this isn't about me. He's your brother, why are you doing this?" Getting him to talk may be a difficult task to achieve, but I had to at least try. And try I did. He didn't answer.

"Isn't this the same man you spent your whole life protecting? Why are you beating him to a bloody pulp if you care about him more than you're willing to admit? Tell me." He still didn't answer. He only stood there, staring at me.  _Oh God, was there something wrong with me? Was it my hair? My eyes? Was there something in my teeth?_ I felt my lips and then I remembered. _Right, the lower half of my face was painted red._  I must have looked like a clown. I stopped bleeding some time ago, but whatever that remained was starting to dry off.

My left hand was suddenly shoved to the side as Madara turned on his heels and left. "What are you all looking at?" He barked at the spectators that had gathered around like a flock of birds, though his words instantly scattered them in a matter of seconds. When he was out of sight, I turned and looked at the grinning ignoramus lying on the ground. Izuna did not just have thick skin, he had a thick head, too. I walked over, purposely digging my heels into the ground in an attempt to control my own rising irritation.

Every day I spend here, I learn something new. And today's lesson was; anger was a contagious feeling.  _Very contagious_. Especially if you come in contact with Uchiha Madara.

I knelt down to the ground right beside his head. His eyes finally catching a glimpse of me.

"Why'd do you do it?" I was curious. Really curious. But it seems he was giving me the silent treatment as well. I gave him a few moments to gather himself but all he did was heave and chuckle. His eyes; filled with mirth and mischief. It was clear I wasn't getting an answer from him either.

"No matter." I said to him, lowering my head until it rested a mere inch above his face. "Let me tell you something,  _Izuna._  Please do not misconstrue my actions.  _Oh no._  Just because I got Madara to lay off your back for now does not mean  _I_  won't. You have no idea just how hard I can make your life a living hell Izuna Uchiha." As I watched that stupid grin slowly disappear from his face, I could practically feel mine growing and growing until I couldn't contain it anymore. The proximity of our faces made it that much better as I cupped his cheeks.

_"Welcome back, brother-in-law."_

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

_Well..._

_Fuck._

His head was killing him; the hammering inside of his mind was threatening to split him apart. It was safe to say that her threat was the last thing he could care about right now. Though, it did freak him out. Just a bit. Enough to make him sit up and try and get the hell away from her. Her mere touch sent shivers up his spine; which was miraculously still not broken.

Madara really over-did it this time. But Izuna was prepared. Or thought that he did.

_Six broken ribs._

_Two dislocated jaws._

_A broken femur._

_A black eye._

_Probably a concussion, too._

These were the injuries he could account for up till now. What was going on inside him- well, that was a different matter. The pain was like a knife being twisted in his spine, winding and unwinding in such a repetitive and mundane manner, it was maddening. It shot up to his brain fast, erasing every thought in his head. But the real pain throbbed deep in his guts, making him feel warm and snug but not in a good way. Izuna felt like someone had their hand in there and were squeezing his organs one by one and as mercilessly as they can. When this strange pain lulled, he seized the chance to move his limbs. To head closer to the house, so hopefully, he could be treated. Unless Madara had instructed the medics not to come near him.  _No, that couldn't be true. Madara isn't that cruel._ And when it returned, he could only stand still and breathe. Taking the deepest breaths he could until the pain subsided and he could move again. He wasn't bleeding gravely, no. Although, his abdomen was purple and slightly lumpy where it should have been flat. Every step he took felt like nails were being hammered into the soles of his feet. But then again, that could have just been the gravels. As much as he would have liked to lay down in the dirt to curl up and die, he still had so much to do. So much to tell and so much to uncover.

He couldn't help but smile. Madara was still as top notch as ever, as for him; not so much. Izuna could only admit to himself that he had been slacking off on training recently. And he was fully to blame for that. He should have fared better against his brother today, but he didn't. Even so, he deliberately let his guard down for a reason.

_This was bound to happen after all. Sooner better than later._

The thing was; Madara's rage was like a bubble. The larger it grew, so did the intensity of his temper. Not to mention, the passion behind it. Madara became very creative when he was left alone to contemplate just long enough to come up with a horrifying way to die. His temper knew no boundaries; no limits. Izuna was well aware of that. He had been gone for three weeks, that was enough time for his elder brother to recognize his new situation and let it settle in before the actual blowout started to take shape. But even so, his brother had never been this violent outside of battle. The worst Madara had ever done to him was roughen him up a little when they sparred, but that was just that. Maybe, he overestimated his brother's ability to hold in his anger.

Izuna needed to burst that bubble before it grew any bigger and got out of hand. He would rather deal with Madara's blows today than the blows Madara could have given him in a week from now. It would have been ten times worse if he didn't just get it over with. What better way to do that then hit his elder brother where it hurt the most; his ego?

It wasn't because Izuna enjoyed berating Madara; not at all. He actually felt bad for what he said and what he continued to say as they fought although he managed to restrict himself once their fight reached the main household. Even so, it had been completely uncalled for and not to mention, cruel on his part.  _But it had to be done._ There was no way Madara would concentrate on the actual duties as clan head if there was a constant painful reminder in front of him.

_Oh well, things could always be worse._

That was true. He could have also found out about the bet, but from the looks of it, neither he nor Mina knew of it.  _Yet._  It was just about time they did. He was hoping it would be soon enough, so he could also get that lashing out over with.

And yet with all of this, it still didn't deter that smug smile of his.

There was a reason for that.

Madara had always acted particularly careful when it came down to his brother. It went without saying that he treated Izuna differently than the rest and that was because he had a soft spot for him. He was his only living younger brother after all,  _so_   _of course he would._ Izuna didn't hesitate to take advantage of it at times, like right now. Almost always-  _almost_ \- Madara would end up feeling guilty for whatever he had done. And a guilty Madara was always a good Madara. He was much easier to manipulate, not that he ever manipulated him in doing something extraordinarily huge. No, it was always the small stuff, things here and there.

The greater the beating; the greater the guilt.

That was when the ball was in his court. And he planned to use it to his full benefit.

Until that time arrived, he would just lie there on the steps. His body gave out and he fell to the floor; exhausted and in pain. Only then, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.  _Sleep?_

* * *

It wasn't sleep after all. At least, he didn't think so. It was as if he was passed out for two days straight, only waking up intermittently to go to the bathroom. He felt like he was more in a dazed state than he was asleep or in a coma. While he did feel considerably better overall, his head seriously wasn't. The migraine was only getting worse as he struggled to keep his eyes open.

Laying down in the bed was the best solution.

_You need to rest,_  they said.

_Stop walking around, your bones haven't healed completely yet,_  they said.

_You'll be on your feet in no time, so stop moving,_ they said.

"How the hell am I supposed to be on my feet in no time when they won't even let me walk?" He muttered to himself, exasperated and oblivious to the figure standing at the doorway.

"Izuna, Izuna, Izuna. Tsk-tsk. They're right, you should listen to them." She shook her head in feigned disapproval as she invited herself in, with a tray in her hands. He shot up from the bed, raising his guard just in case.  _Just in fucking case._

_"_ Hey, why are you so twitchy? Sudden movements like that could worsen your condition, you know." Mina's cheery voice was anything but welcoming. Because underneath all that fake jolly and sparkling appearance, hid a  _cold, cold_  woman with every intention to harm him rather than heal him. He narrowed his eyes at her, trying to figure out what her game play was. She was pouring tea in a cup.

"I've made it myself. What's your sugar?" That alone was enough to make him stay away from that cup and its respective tea pot. He wanted nothing to do with what she was offering. Hence, why he didn't respond.

"Fine. Suit yourself. Here." She was handing him the steaming cup with her hands outstretched. He glanced at the cup and then back at her.

"I'd rather die." His words came out harsh, exactly as he wanted it. His voice was throaty and grating, unfamiliar even to his own ears. Either ways, it did not seem to affect her as she smiled broadly. "Be careful what you wish for." She put down the cup on the tray once more and continued grinning, returning her focus on him.

"Ever heard the saying  _'You reap what you sow'_?"

"Sure. 'Sow the wind and reap the whirlwind' _._  Now, what do you want?" Izuna asked, his patience growing thin.

"Me? Oh nothing at all. I just wanted to make sure you were alright. I'm being the dedicated and devoted that wife I should be. I mean, what would people say if they found out I did not tend to my dear husband's brother?" She shrugged; not out of doubt, ignorance or indifference but out of ridicule and mockery. She was acting way too playful.  _What was she up to?_ She inched closer, drawing her chair closer to his bed. She raised her hands and pinched his cheeks roughly.

_"Oh sweet, sweet Izuna._ Have you missed me? Because I sure missed _you."_ Unconsciously, his heart began racing as his eyes widened. It wasn't fear that he was feeling. Nor terror. Not even dread. No, it was something akin to regret. He wasn't regretting what he had done to her, oh no. Not at all. He was regretting ever getting caught and not being more carefully attentive to his actions. Being this close to her was worse than getting beat.

_"HEY Kagami. Uncle Izuna feels much better now. He wants to see you. Come on in!"_ What the-?

"REALLY?" Kagami's voice could be heard a mile away as he ran down the hall. The door shot open and the little boy jumped through. The next thing he knew was the feeling of being pounded into oblivion. The child surely meant to bounce on the bed but somehow ended up kneeing him in the stomach instead, bringing back those agonizing memories all too soon. It was as if all the progress he made in recovery was instantly washed away as the pain returned just as worse as if he had taken that first punch from Madara once again. Except this time, it was gut-wrenching. Literally.

"Oomph." His naked body hit the bed, the loud smack could be heard echoing across the room.

"Mina-sama, I don't think he's okay." Kagami remarked. Of course he wasn't alright. Izuna was slowly losing conscious.  _This is not how it was supposed to go._ He did not plan for this; for this child to be pinning him down like an animal. As if the kid wasn't enough, Mina also decided to add a little weight to the situation. Grabbing Kagami's shoulders, she said,

"Non-sense. Look at him Kagami, Izuna-sama is happy to see you! Isn't that right Izuna?  _Aren't. We. A. Big. Happy. Family?"_ The contempt in her voice while she spoke that last sentence, couldn't have made him wish for his consciousness to take him away any faster.

"He's just tired Kagami. We should leave him to sleep. Let's go." Those words have never sounded sweeter. And the sound of the door locking after they left was music to his ears.

_Finally._

_Peace._

* * *

_Where is he?_

_There is no way he could still be avoiding me._

Madara had a knack for disappearing whenever he needed to. And he was just as cunning when he didn't want to be found. Though, he couldn't say for sure if he really was trying this time. After the little visit he had today, Izuna no longer found it safe in that room and chose to get away as soon as possible. His head was still aching badly, even as he was starting to regain full control of his limbs. He felt normal. Somewhat. Normal enough to start walking around despite others' requests.

He was searching for him everywhere. Starting at his study, which looked like he hasn't been in for days. He asked around in vain. No one seemed to know where he was, which was actually pretty normal considering Madara never made it a habit of telling anyone where he was going unless it was absolutely necessary. The next logical place would have been his bedroom, though Izuna was feeling uneasy about going there. What if he ran into her? He didn't want to deal with her again. His brain was telling him to go search there, that she was probably with Kagami somewhere doing something in the name of God knows what, but his guts were telling him to turn around and head back back to where he came from.

Too late, he had already found himself in front of a room he vowed to never come near. Ever again. Yet, here he was, staring through the same hole, into the same bedroom. Except, this time around, there weren't two people who were going at like a bunch of over-sexed bunnies-  _thank Kami,_ Izuna had every right to feel relieved as he was not in for another traumatic episode- no, this time, there was no one in there.

Another place checked off the list in his mind- which appeared to be getting shorter and shorter. He could have tracked him down by sensing Madara's chakra signature, while that required minimal chakra use, Izuna wasn't ready to put in more effort than he needed in finding his brother. It would have only put more strain on his recovery. _Besides, what was wrong with a good ole game of hide and seek?_

The only place left was the training grounds.

And the training grounds was where he found him.

Training, of course. What else would Madara be doing other than reshaping the landscape he was standing on? The grounds looked entirely dilapidated. It was more disastrous than the site of the shrine, which had consequently become worse when their fight broke out right there.

"Don't you ever take a break?" Izuna appeared right before Madara's eyes, catching his attention. He was drenched in sweat as his body was slathered with dirt _. He really turned this ground upside down, didn't he?_  This was one of the places he came to vent his frustration. Izuna couldn't help but sympathize with the poor land, it was in a similar shape as he was.  _Look at me, pitying the damn ground. I must be out of it._ This was it, all he had to do was relay what he had found out at the settlement and he could allow himself a break. Before Izuna even had the chance to speak, the other man had beat him to it.

"Look, about yesterday, I'm... _sorry._ "

It was almost a whisper. Almost. But it was well within the audible range for a human ear. For a second, Izuna was having a hard time comprehending those words. Madara never apologized,  _what the hell? What has gotten into him?_ As much as he wanted to, he wasn't able to hold back a laugh.

"Are you kidding?!  _Ha!"_ His brother turned his back to him and looked the other direction, crossing his arms.

"Take the apology and leave." His stern character seemed to have returned, which was a comfort to Izuna, otherwise he wouldn't have known how to respond to his...apology. Though, he made sure not to forget it. He would have to come back to investigate this strange anomaly later on.

"I searched everywhere for you, I'm not about to leave. Besides, we never finished what we started. Here." He was re-handing him that same envelope he tried to give him yesterday night. Thankfully, it reached his hands this time. It was obvious that Madara was skeptical and was not going to open it until Izuna hinted at anything. Anything that would give the clan leader an idea about what to expect.

"I think it would interest you to know that we aren't the only clan who has had shinobi going missing just prior to their deaths."  _That should have attracted his attention._ Finally, now that Madara was all ears, he could at long last get down to the actual events.

"During my stay there, I came into contact with a pair of Inuzuka nins- what an interesting bunch of women they are-"

"Spit it out, Izuna!" Everyone had always joked that Madara was born with little to no patience ever since they were young, boy were they right. His self-restraint and tolerance were- and had always- been a thin red line. A line which Izuna was treading ever so lightly.

"It turns out a dozen of their shinobi went missing as well, a couple of months ago and were recently found to be burned to a crisp, reminds you of something, doesn't it?"

"How do you know all of this?" He already saw that question coming. Clearly, the Inuzuka were not going to divulge such information to him. And in situations like these, spies came in handy. They were very convenient. Spies who were essentially bounty hunters who also worked a side job at the right price.

"Is that even a question, brother?" Izuna walked forward, closing in on the distance between them. That way, they wouldn't have to shout and whatever was said, would stay between them. "Spies, brother, spies." It amazed Izuna at how plainly obvious things could be while Madara was the only blind one to it. Anyhow, reconnaissance and infiltration missions were never really his type, on the other hand Madara was an excellent battle strategist, an ingenious war tactician, if you will. But when it came down to small-time missions, he was a brute. This was where Izuna was more qualified. Along with Eiji, they weren't half bad.

_Madara still wasn't focusing._ Izuna could see that.

"What business do we have with the Inuzuka?" His brother asked. In other words, are we enemies or- _neutral?_  Neutral was the word best to describe the relationships the Uchiha had with clans they were not allies with but whom they also managed to piss off.

"Nothing." Izuna answered. While they had faced the Inuzuka before as opponents, it as in the midst of war; everyone was fighting each other.

"Then, mind explaining me why I'm holding a file containing nothing but information on a dozen Inuzuka shinobi? And tell me how you got your hands on something like this. Your spies could never."

Madara was right in that aspect. No one could have gotten a hold of something like this. No one but Tobirama that is. That guy was a genius, he had been collecting and classifying data on shinobi from clans he had come in contact with on multiple occasions. Made you wonder just what kind of information he had on those he was allied with.  _That damn-_

_"_ Tobirama. And I thought we could use this to our advantage if push comes to shove-"

"And we end up in a fight?" Madara continued for him. It appeared that he wasn't completely out of it.

"Yeah."

It was not an image they both wanted to imagine. It wasn't that they weren't prepared to set out if they had to battle nor did they lack the abilities to defeat the Inuzuka. It was just that they had only recently begun seeing just how bad they needed a break from all the fighting. They needed the time to recover from their losses, not to mention their people. Who were clearly tired of the constant conflict more than they were, Izuna was sure that they wouldn't have had much support from them if they proposed to wage a battle against another clan so soon.

"And Tobirama... _just gave you this?"_  Madara's brows were quirked, still suspicious of his younger brother's claim. It was true, no one would have believed Izuna if he had blurted out that Senju Tobirama had willingly given him something that didn't include a stab to the heart or a back handed slap. It had taken him a while to convince  _Hashirama_ \- Tobirama's more cool-headed brother who would have agreed to anything but paying up the fifteen thousand ryos- to hand him this document. Actually, now that he thought about it, it didn't take any time at all. The sight of the Senju leader bowing his head in apologies while struggling to contain his comical cries as a result from a  _very_  painful blow to the head by none other than Mr. Snowman himself- well that sight truly brought joy to his heart.

The white haired man had no other choice but to grant him whatever he  _desired._ Starting off with the classified info they had on every and any Inuzuka they knew, But this only occurred after a rather intriguing confession from yours truly himself.

"Yes. He did. But only after we found out something quite intriguing." Izuna tried to smoothly change the subject before his sibling inquired further about the matter. "It turned out we weren't the first ones to have encountered them wandering around the area."

It really did surprise him when he first heard this. Mainly because Mina had not mentioned a single thing about it. Nevertheless, the whole story bothered him by the end of its recounting. That was because he knew, deep down, that Tobirama was hiding something. Something _s_. He couldn't shake off the feeling that the Senju was purposely leaving out parts of the story. _Just what did he not want us to now?_ That had been Izuna's first thought. But now that he was here, he could just ask her and see if she lied as well.

"After finding the ninjas in the woods nearby, Eiji and I, went to inform Hashirama of their presence. Thinking perhaps they were already aware of their intrusion although we had doubted it. The Inuzuka were lying through their teeth and seemed in a hurry. Long story short-" A glance at Madara and Izuna knew he was beginning to lose him again. He was dragging this out too much. "I can't believe your  _darling_  wife hasn't told you this."

_And there he is. He's back._

Just like that, Izuna towed him back to reality.

_"Pardon?"_ There was that angry tenor in his voice again.  _Finally, means I have him for good this time ._

_"_ When you so graciously left her stranded at the Senju compound during the wedding, she returned to the settlement afterwards with Tobirama as her escort." Teasing time was over, things were beginning to take on a serious turn and so was Izuna. "They were ambushed. By the Inuzuka apparently. From what I heard, the attack was actually aimed for her, luckily Tobirama caught up to them and taught them a lesson. I hope."

He let that settle in. It seems that she really didn't tell him.  _Huh..._ So why did Madara look like that? He wasn't angry, not even irritated. He was just... _hurt? No way._  It couldn't be it. It was like he was disappointed that she didn't tell him of this little misadventure. Then why was his elder brother avoiding eye contact, he was just looking at the ground; aimlessly. Maybe he felt guilty for deserting her in the first place? _Something was up with him today._

The story goes that they were also out hunting back then. Just as they said to him when he met them near the waterfall. And then they would alter their excuses. It didn't make any sense and only made them seem more suspicious. Which caught Tobirama's attention. However, he had no choice but to let them go as he headed to help Mina, who was in dire need of help. Allegedly.

What kind of help? It was never answered. Even when Izuna had asked that question, he was met with a growl and an extremely mean looking Tobirama yelling at him. No one ever said they got along.

...

_"What the hell do you think you're suggesting you twat?"_

" _If you would just answer the simple question, Tobirama-kun, we'd be over with this already. What the hell kind of help were you offering?" If Izuna had to be truthful to himself, his suggestive undertone was not helping the situation. Tables and lamps were thrown around until Hashirama's office space was trashed beyond repair. Things were beginning to get physical between them and that was when both Eiji and Hashirama stepped in. With Hashirama getting the worst of the beating._

_"I dare you say such things once more, you coward!" Tobirama was turning redder than a tomato as his elder brother attempted to hold him back, putting him in a chock-hold._

_"You keep your hands to yourself, you Senju bastard!" Eiji was having more difficulty in controlling Izuna's mouth than his raging fists. "Shut up, Izuna!"_

_This had went on for a while until things calmed down and they were finally able to reach with the end of the tale. Even then, his suspicions of Tobirama grew. Things didn't add up._

_..._

Izuna saw no point in angering his brother further by reporting that small incident nor the fact that Tobirama really didn't reveal much. He would keep it to himself. For now.

"You said it was aimed at her?" Madara asked, keeping his ears out for any other detail.

"Yes, though it was only speculation at first." Izuna was not sure if what Tobirama said did in fact indicate that those kunai were meant for her. At this point, Eiji and him still hadn't found a spy to gather information. All they had to go on was the two thin sheets of paper that were supposed sealing formulas and Tobirama's version of the encounter.

What had cemented that speculation and turned it into fact was what happened when Eiji tried to release the seal on one of the papers. The one he claimed was the identifier. It wasn't. It turned out to be an explosive tag disguised as a seal. Thankfully, the older shinobi was able to get away in time before it had exploded his arms off with it. From that moment, Izuna knew for certain that they had left that 'fake' seal intentionally so they could get hold of it and- hopefully, die with it as well. That was what the Inuzuka were counting on. It had to be that. As for the other paper seal, that was most definitely  _not_  left there on purpose. That much they were sure of.

The events of that week angered Izuna.  _How could we have been so blind?! And fooled?! Damn women._ But so was Tobirama, he was duped as well. While that might have been comforting at first, it was only foreboding for what came afterwards.

"That's why I am sure that the attack was definitely meant for her." He concluded after relating the rest of their stay at the settlement. "It was then that we decided to start gathering information on that clan." They had searched out a bounty hunter immediately after explosive event and ended up with well- just that.

"Why her?" Madara asked. That question had remained deep in Izuna's mind, too. Ever since unveiling the Inuzuka's cheap tricks at getting them, he had to wonder over and over just what the heck Mina had to do with all of this. There was only one answer he kept arriving at.

"Maybe because they knew she was affiliated with you. Or us."

No one said anything else for the longest while. What was there to say? Both brothers were unknowingly coming to the same conclusion though not really wanting to admit what it actually meant. The winds were picking up as they howled through the grasslands. The stinging air hit him in the face relentlessly as if it meant to pass right through him. The pressure in his chest was mounting the longer he stood there, welcoming the harsh gusts.

"You think they followed us while we were on our way to Hashirama's wedding?" Izuna demanded, this thought only occurring to him now.

"It wouldn't surprise me." Madara concurred.

"But I think we would have realized it, even the stench of their dogs would have been obvious enough." The younger one tried to counter-argue, not wanting to believe that they could have been that oblivious to their surroundings all this time.

"Hounds are their specialty, or am I wrong? I am sure it wouldn't have been hard to mask their scents." Madara was right. It could have been as easy as that. Which was probably the case,  _but still..._

_"_ They must have thought she was one of us." Madara continued, knowing fully well where this was heading. So was Izuna, but he was refusing to believe it.

"So, they think we did it? That we killed their shinobi?" It was absurd. Utterly absurd. Just because the Uchiha were gifted with an aptitude for fire-style techniques did not mean that they were going around burning people alive until they were no longer recognizable. Even their own were flamed with a jutsu they, themselves, did not know of. If he had to view it from their perspective, then the Inuzuka were most likely not aware of their own incident as well.

"Probably." His brother's short answers were far from comforting. Madara's eyes were scanning the contents of the folder rapidly, although Izuna knew from experience that every word and every picture Madara was reading and seeing would forever be printed in his mind. He will not forget these faces. Not for a long time coming.

"Just what kind of proof do you think they have on us?" He asked, not thoroughly convinced of this theory.

"They don't need proof if someone is already feeding them that information."

"What do you mean?"

"One can assume that the same people who are responsible for the murder of our shinobi is also responsible for theirs."

"You think the Kaguya are also accountable for their disappearance?"  _Where was Madara going with this?_  Izuna knew he was hinting at something, almost like he knew something he didn't.  _Just what was he hiding?_

_"_ No. They couldn't have done it alone." His older brother muttered. Despite appearing calm and unmoving, there was a storm brewing inside of him. A storm as intense and ruthless as the one about to rain over their heads.

"What makes you think that, Madara?" He finally questioned, that feeling that was bothering him had reached a level he could no longer ignore. He could feel the bitterness of the truth nipping at his tongue. When he didn't get an answer, Izuna stepped forward and faced him more closely. Their eyes met, and it was right then- right at that moment- it had never been more clearer that Madara was definitely hiding something. It must have been something bad if he was this reluctant to speak.

"What are you not telling us?" Izuna repeated, hoping that he would get a response this time. And he did.

"Nothing." Madara said before disappearing. He just left. Leaving behind a younger brother who was more confused than he was angry. That bad feeling he was having wasn't just a feeling anymore. That wasn't all, Izuna never got to finish what he wanted to say. That other seal they coincidentally got a hold of was an actual seal. What they found inside it was perhaps more important than everything he just said. Eiji- a remarkably gifted man- had managed to break the seal and well. what they discovered was a beautifully ornate-

_What the hell?_

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

_What._

_A._

_Douche._

His lesson had only just begun and there was still so much to teach Izuna. But for now, he had to pass out. On the stair case. I rushed to his side and saw that he really had lost consciousness. Calling a medic, I tried to lift him along with another maid and was barely able to prop him up against my shoulders. Thankfully, someone arrived soon enough and took him to the clinic. I had followed, just to make sure he wasn't...dead. Of course he wouldn't have been dead. But, there was nothing to lose in being extra cautious. As luck would have it, Izuna was still alive and kicking. Maybe, not kicking but he was alive. And that was what mattered the most.

_Well, he sure won't be kicking anytime soon._

I stayed a while until they managed to heal most of his injuries. He probably wasn't going to wake up today, he was out like a light. Nothing could reach him now. I decided to leave, figuring that it was a waste of time of time sitting beside him while he was completely unaware of his surroundings or of his existence. I would return tomorrow with Kagami. _Oh yes, that should do._  Kagami would surely agree to visit him while he was bedridden.

Until then, I had to find Madara. We still haven't finished our little chat. He couldn't just walk away from things like that. Besides, I wasn't finished talking. I looked for him everywhere, starting off at his study and then well, I haven't actually seen him anywhere else. It was either his office or the bedroom. Seeing I only had two choices and have already crossed one out, the bedroom was the only place left to search in.

I found him sitting on the edge of the bed, utterly lost in thought. It was sort of creepy just how impassive he looked, I had never seen him like that. Then again, I felt like I was only just started getting to know him, there was always something new to discover about him.

"Madara?" I stepped in and called out to him gently, not wanting to scare him. He turned his head and looked into my eyes.  _He really was out of it._ Now that I was here, I couldn't get my mouth to work, I was completely lost for words.  _Odd, they were just there a moment ago._  How do I break it to him?

_"Why did you do it?"_ I guess there was nothing wrong with heading straight to the point. Stonewalling didn't always lead me to conclusive answers. Furthermore, Madara hated people who beat around the bush. Like me.  _How wonderful_. Though, I learned from my mistakes and moved on.  _Can't say the same about him._ Unsurprisingly, he didn't answer me. So, I pushed.

"You never answered my question, why did you beat your brother?" I inched closer but was still careful enough to keep my distance. "I would have cheered for you, you know. Just tell me why-" He stood up and went to the bathroom. Like the idiot I am, I followed. Until the door was slammed in my face. He just needed some privacy, that was all, or so I convinced myself. I backed up and waited patiently by the dresser. If he thought himself stubborn, then he was horribly mistaken. He didn't know me at all. I waited and waited so I could ambush him with more questions.

He came out with a bowl of water in one hand and a towel in the other.  _Huh?_ Settling the dish on the wooden shelf, he grabbed my chin forcefully with his hand and dipped a tip of the towel in the warm water. I tried not to think about it and went on anyways.

"As I was saying, I- urgh" He dabbed my mouth with his wet cloth, unconsciously rubbing my lips the wrong way.  _Did he have to be so rough about everything he did?_

"What...are.." He kept on wiping until I was sure he was about to ultimately wipe my face off my head. If that was even a thing. "...are you doing?"

Madara being Madara, he didn't answer. Only continued staring at my lips as if they have committed atrocities against nature. The only atrocity here was the man in front of me if he didn't get his hands off. Luckily, he did. That was when I saw the blood-tinged bath-towel.

_Oh. I almost forgot._  I was supposed to clean the dried blood off but it had escaped my mind. One of the medics had offered to do it but I had refused, citing that _'I was a grown adult capable enough of wiping her own face.'_  It turned out I was not. And the proof was right here; wiping my face for me. Boy, did I feel stupid. He went for my chin next as he traced his fingers around the outlines of my face.  _Why wouldn't he stop looking at me?_ I would have looked away if I could, but why wasn't he?

"I...I didn't know my face was that insulting." It had to be if he couldn't tear his eyes off of it.

"It is, actually. It's bloody offensive."  _What a miracle. He talks!_

_"_ You know what else is offensive? That outrageous pun of yours."

...

"I know." He said it so casually, it was hard to believe that this was the same man brooding just a few moments ago.. He tossed the towel to the side and let go of my face but not before leaning in for a-

_nothing?_

His lips had stopped a mere half inch away from my own. He gathered himself and straightened. I was too baffled to try and prevent him from leaving.

_What was that all about?!_

Was he trying to shut me up? Because he didn't. I was still going to try and bash those words- which seemed to have gotten stuck down my throat- into his skull. Get my message across. "I won't be easily silenced, hmph." I sighed, already tired from today's events. It was nearing evening now.

_"I'm sure you won't."_

That voice almost had me on my knees once again. Though, this time, instead of sending shrills up my spine, it had me squeaking and backtracking into the dresser, tipping the bowl over. Water spilled everywhere as I took a deep breath.

_"_ What...what are you doing here?"

"Remember. I said we needed to  _talk._ "

"I thought we did." He said nothing.

"Well, can you please, not make a habit of sneaking up on me like that?" I told Eiji, praying that he wasn't about to pick up Izuna's trick- who always appeared out of the blue at any moment. I momentarily wondered just how he managed to get in and then I noticed the opened window. I made a mental note to always check the windows before I slept. Per Uchiha customs, he- too- kept shut.  _No wonder the men here were so difficult to talk to._ In spite of all the commotion, my mind could only think of one thing. I mustered up all the courage I had and asked.

"Did...did you get rid of it?" I could only hope he was smart enough to burn the body before throwing it in a river or burying it. It wasn't that I enjoyed killing, I never murdered anyone before. Never, but somehow it was so easy to wish death upon someone who was trying to kill me himself. I felt horrible, as any normal person would or  _should_ , but I tried to convince myself that he was the one who started it. _Self-defense is a perfect justifiable reason, right?_

"Yes."

_Men of few words, that was what they were._

He stepped closer. One of his hands were clenched tightly as if he was holding something within.

"Is-something wrong?" I demanded, there must be a reason for him being here; in my bedroom. _What did he want?_ "I should probably thank you for yest-"

_"So, how many exactly do you have?"_ I saw him raise his fist, releasing a familiar silver chain with minute concentric circles and a gem right at its center. If Madara had brought me this pendant weeks ago at the settlement, I would have also said it was mine. Except, its core was a gorgeous flaming orange, a truly beautiful stone.

"O-one. Just one." I gulped. I could only guess what he must be thinking.  _On second thought, probably not._

"I would like to believe you, but I don't. Spill it." He was unbearably close; his menacing demeanor never fading. Although, his eerie presence was not the one that was unnerving me. It was the carbon copy of my pendant swinging by his fingers. I unconsciously clasped the one hanging from my neck. It was still there and blue as ever. It hadn't changed. Maybe it had gotten a shade darker, but it was difficult to say. As for the one in his hands, it could always be a fake. Like the one Madara had made back then to try and fool me. It had worked. Even so, something was telling me it wasn't. Why would Eiji be presenting me a fake one? He had no purpose in doing so? If that was the case, then where did he find this one? I went to grab it but he pulled it out of my reach.

"Where did you find it? "

"Doesn't matter. You need to start talking." He was insistent that I talked. But I had nothing to talk about. Nothing to say. This could just be any other ordinary pendant, but from the way he was looking at me, I could confirm that he seriously didn't believe that.  _"You put on quite a performance last night."_

_What? How could he-_

"How long had you been standing there?" He must have been there all along if he saw everything. If that was true...

"Long enough to-"

_"Why didn't you help me sooner?"_ I grabbed the collar of his shirt as I struggled to understand why he had left me out there like dead meat. Honestly, I had not meant to sound desperate but... _I just needed to know._  He brushed off my hands with ease.

_"Long enough_ to know that you are able to put up a good fight despite not having  _chakra._ And all because of a trifling pendant. You should be grateful." His smirk put me on edge more than this conversation ever did. I was beginning to strain my neck from constantly looking up at the agitating yet mysterious giant in front of me.

"What's it to you?" I snapped back.

"Tell me how you do it." If I knew how, then I wouldn't be having half the problems I was having.

"I don't know how. You're asking the wrong person." He didn't believe me, that much was clear. His quirked eyebrows and the twist of his lips told me everything.

_"So, just what do you know?"_

"I..." _I don't know_ would have sounded pretty mundane and dull. Not to mention idiotic, he would have probably lost his patience with me. Eiji did not appear to be the lenient type when he was angry. "I only knew I was capable of.. _doing any of this_...when I was with Tobirama in the forest. We were-" This was the first moment in my memory that stood out for two causes. One; for obvious reasons. Two; for the fact that I didn't have my pendant then. I had only gotten hold of it when Madara came back. It completely destroyed my theory about the necklace. And I hated it because I had no other explanations for it. No explanations to make sense of any of this.

_"When you were attacked by the Inuzuka?"_ He interrupted my thoughts.  _Wait..._

_"Inuzuka?"_ It was my turn to raise my brows, not out of amusement like him; rather out of confusion. "And how did you know we were attacked?" I stated rolling my tongue inside my mouth, something I had begun doing as of recently whenever I got an iffy feeling about something.  _Or someone, in this case._

_"You don't know?"_ My lack of knowledge seemed to amuse him further.

_"_ No, I don' you're the one who should be talking." I suggested, knowing that he really wouldn't have followed suit. What he did next was certainly unexpected though. He neither answered my question nor did he ask one of his own, he was just...leaving. Like Madara. Why was everyone suddenly leaving me mid-sentence? Out of the window of course, he wasn't going out the front door for  _even more obvious reasons._

_"_ Where are you going? I thought you wanted to know more about-"

"I already got what I wanted." And with that, he jumped out with the orange pendant still in his grasp.

****


	36. Regrets Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * This is not a new chapter!
> 
> I decided to split that ridiculously long chapter into two, that way it would be easier for you guys to read. It had been bothering the hell out of me and thought this might ease it just a bit.
> 
> On a completely different note, if you guys are still confused about the plot, I only ask of you to wait. Everything will be revealed in due time. No need to rush. (Unless you want to, then pass by my PMs and ask away, but you know, ask at your own risk lol).
> 
> Besides, patience is a virtue after all XD.

 

_Tobirama must have told him._

_He had to._  There was no other way for Eiji to know what had happened and he certainly didn't get it from me. He  _could_  have also gotten the information from the perpetrators themselves. Speaking of which, Tobirama never told me they were Inuzuka, All I ever got as a response was one along the lines of 'taken care of'.  _I wonder if he killed them or let them escape._

_Why didn't he just tell me? What else was he hiding?_

As if that wasn't enough, this stupid, oh-so confusing necklace was, well-  _confusing the hell out of me._  All this time, I had thought it was the source of these mysterious powers, but I had neglected to remember the most important moment in time; the very first time these abilities seemed to manifest. And the pendant hadn't been there.

And now, a second one shows up  _just like that._ By a twist of fate, it arrived in the hands of a man who only just saved my life from another man who was after the first said necklace. If I went about it in that direction, then of course I was bound to get confused.

_Think Mina, where would Eiji have found it? Where could he possibly have found an identical necklace just like mine? What part did the Inuz-_

_"_ Mina-san?" Kagami's voice resonated through the night.

I turned my head and found that the little Uchiha cutie was standing next to me, in his pajamas.  _He was still awake?_

"Kagami, what are you doing out here at this time of night?" He wasn't dressed properly and could have caught a cold easily. I had already grabbed his hand and started walking back inside.

"I saw you walking out here alone. What were you doing?" His voice was groggy,  _did I wake him up while I was wandering around?_

"I was...thinking." I replied, trying honesty this time. I didn't want to repeat this morning all over again.

"What about?"

"Stuff. Where's your room?" I asked. I didn't know where he slept, kind of surprising myself. How could I not have known? My feet had unknowingly taken me to my room with Madara, when we arrived there, he led me just a little further. We stopped a couple of doors down from our own.

"Here."  _I wonder..._

_"_ Did Madara-sama change your room, too?" _It wouldn't be the first time Madara did something like that._ Maybe, he wanted him closer?

_"_ No." _Shocking._ "It has always been here." _Wow, even more shocking._

"Well, now that I know where your room is, you think maybe I could drop by?" I bent down and shuffled his already bedraggled hair.

"Of course." He said with a hint of excitement.

"Good, now go to sleep." I ushered him inside. As I began walking away, I only realized just how things had changed around here. Nothing was the same. Absolutely nothing. And that in itself, was scary. I have never taken well to changes. I was always stuck in the past, with no way out. This was no different, sometimes, I would find myself wishing that I was still back in that room. The first one. The one with no windows. Back when I was still unaware of who these people were and where I was. There was a comfort in not knowing things. I wondered how things would have been had Izuna not taken me outside. Had I remained ignorant? Maybe it wouldn't have been such a bad idea.

As I glanced at the bed, I saw a figure was already asleep under the sheets.  _Or pretending to sleep,_  one never knew with Madara. I quickly took off my kimono and changed into a nightgown.  _Oh, to hell with it._ I took that off too, figuring it would be much easier to  _'_ share heat' if I was naked as well. I didn't need to be stuck to him to feel the warmth he generously radiated in abundant amounts. And that was good enough for me. Before I crawled into bed, I went to check the windows. They were locked.  _Good._

I pulled the covers over my body.

_Did he actually think he would get away with it? Or that I would forget?_ What kind of wife would I be if I didn't nag my husband in his sleep? Was this not what marriage was? All men ever did was sleep, sleep, sleep and women; nag, nag, nag? I would have to fulfill my duties and maybe get a kick out of it, too. It wasn't fun if he got to enjoy everything out of this unexpectedly bizarre union. I figured that I was probably not going to be able to make him talk or at least tell me why he did what he did. So, I chose to take it from another perspective.

It was now or never. If he really was asleep then there was nothing more to it and he would never remember this. If he was awake, then all the better.

"Whatever Izuna did, I think you should forgive him." I said, trying to gauge his reaction which was especially hard to do when his back was to me. _But..._ I did see him twitch, slightly enough to know he was still awake.

"What would you know about it?" I heard him say. I couldn't hold back a chuckle.

"I had an older brother, you know. And he was never this difficult." However, he was so much younger the last time I saw him. It seemed that I had piqued his interest since he found it convenient to turn around and face me. I was laying on my side with my hands tucked under my ears.

"Had?"

"Oh yes, he's dead now."  _Long, long dead._ "What I'm trying to say is; you should just apologize to him, there's nothing in this world worth fighting about, honestly." I told him.  _There really wasn't._

"Okay, good night now." I patted him awkwardly on the shoulder, because I knew no other way to end this painfully uncomfortable conversation. I turned and looked at the wall instead of his eyes. While there was so much more to tell, cutting straight to the point saved me a lot of useless words. I could only hope my message had successfully crossed the border that was his brain. Around five minutes later, I heard him ask;

"What did you fight about?"

"Huh?"

_"What did you and your brother fight about?"_ I never thought someone would have asked me this question, and so many years later. No one ever really bothered to anyways.

"A toy." A damn toy. The memories of that day were still fresh in my mind as if it had happened yesterday. I was aware how my answer could have sounded just a tad strange but I felt like I needed to explain it. "We were kids. That was all kids fought about in my world. Since he was older, he always used that to his advantage." I should have stopped here, but I didn't.

"We were walking to the park, each of us taking a side of the pavement." I felt like I was still walking down that sidewalk every day, never really reaching where I wanted to go. Except, now, there was no one holding my hands. No one to help me move on. It was as if I was blind, not knowing how and where I was taking my next step.

"Even when we were mad at each other, he always held on to me. I don't think there's a day that goes by that I don't think about his tousled black hair or his dark eyes. You see, he took more of my father's looks than anyone else."

_What was...wrong with me? Why couldn't I stay quiet?_ The words that I thought were stuck not too long ago were flowing ever so smoothly.  _Why wasn't he stopping me? Oh God, shut up, Mina._

"A truck had skidded past us and hit into a building that was still in construction. The next thing that I remember was- concrete slabs falling from the sky, crushing him." The scene that followed was just as horrifying. Everyone flocked around the motionless body that once belonged to my brother. It hadn't settled in right then, I didn't understand what was happening- I  _couldn't_  understand. I thought that Alex was playing a mean joke. That he wouldn't get up. It was only a little later that I understood that he would never get up again. And that the blood that colored the sidewalk red was his. The slabs that fell from the third story of a bank undergoing renovation was what took his life away. A life that could have been mine had he not pushed me away in time. Sometimes, I would feel that same arm pushing me away from harms way. And there I was- an eight year old girl- watching from afar as people tried to save him. I was the spectator and he; the main act.

"He was only ten...

You know, sometimes I can't help but wonder if things would have turned out much different if he was still alive."

_And I couldn't believe I was still talking._ My mouth just wouldn't  _stop_. Strangely though, I was feeling this heavy weight lift off my shoulders. I had never talked about it to anyone. Now, I was rambling on freely to...no one. I imagined that he had fallen asleep half way through the story. Even if he did, speaking the words out loud for the first time felt unnatural yet relieving. So relieving I had actually found my eyes beginning to close. Sleep didn't seem so far away anymore.

" _Did you._.. _grieve?"_  His voice snapped me back to reality.  _Did I grieve?_

"I guess. Sure I grieved. Isn't one supposed to when they lose a loved one?" I wasn't exactly sure where I was right now. It couldn't have been the bedroom, it was too dark. But where else could I have been? If that voice belonged to Madara, then surely I was still in bed. But it felt...different. There was this silence where no one dared to talk. I didn't know how long it lasted, but it felt awfully long.

_"Did you?"_ I asked him in return. I knew I wasn't going to get an answer, but judging just how many brothers he had lost; I only thought the question was the most appropriate to ask. Though, I really had to question, did he even know what grief was? I mean, it wouldn't fall short of his overall lacking abilities to grasp basic emotions. Be that as it may, wasn't grief a never-ending process unique to each single one of us?

"No."  _Huh?_ I rolled over again to see him. He hadn't moved an inch, he had actually been staring at my back this whole time. It was sort of fascinating seeing him like this; laying on his stomach seemingly dejected of everything going on in life. It actually gave him a relatively humane appearance.

"You know, grief isn't just sorrow, pain or deep anguish. It isn't just intense heartache or mourning. Grief can also be...love. _"_ My gaze went to the ceiling, I didn't have it in me to continue staring at him. "I learned that it-"  _Where did all the words go? "_ It's just all the pent-up love you have but can't give; or rather don't know how to give to someone who'll never come back to you. It bottles up inside until it comes out as tears. Even that feeling of having this- _this void_  in your heart, at the end of the day, I thin-think it's just love with no home to go back to. That's all there is to it."  _I think._

Perhaps, I misunderstood him. Maybe he did know what it was; he just didn't have time to grieve his brothers.

And that was honestly ten times worse than not grieving at all. Not being given time to properly mourn your loved ones was cruel, but I guessed that was to be expected when you grew up in a war-torn era. No wonder he was so angry all the time.  _Kinda sad..._ I sighed and turned back to my side of the bed, pulling the covers over my head, I could feel myself flushing with embarrassment.  _I wish this night would end already._

"Good night, Madara." Once and for all, I surrendered myself completely to the temptations of sleep. Or I thought I did. In any case, I heard him huddle closer.

_"Cold?"_  He asked.

"Yeah." I whispered.

* * *

Izuna seems to be doing fine after all. Kagami did great, I actually didn't expect it to go so well. The poor man just needed a few days rest and he would be up in no time. Though, he didn't seem to believe that.

That wasn't my concern at the moment. I needed to find Takayama. If his son was going to act that way and purposely hide things from me, then maybe I could get the old man to talk. It was about time he owed me an explanation anyways.

I had a hard time finding him. He no longer lived in that old, run down neighborhood. Seeing that it was destroyed during the attack, I assumed that he had moved elsewhere.  _Where precisely?_  I didn't know. The only other place I had ever seen him was at the shrine, and even there, he had stopped visiting. I didn't know why I felt the way I did, but it had bothered me that he stopped coming out. In fact, no one else has seen him. They all said that he was under the weather and stayed inside.  _Inside where?_  Some said inside the manor, others were not sure. If they really did know, they certainly weren't telling me.

I had to wonder if he was avoiding me or everyone in general. I missed his dark humor, it lightened up my day in a non-disturbing manner, non-pun-intended kind of way. Still, why was he so reclusive all of a sudden? It didn't make sense. I searched everywhere for him. It seems like I have been searching for a lot of people recently. The library was my last hope. And so I went, trying to avoid the people's eyes as much as I can. But it was inevitable, along the way, a few pedestrians blocked my way, and bowed down. I was surprised at first, but then it hit me, I realized that this was my first outing in the compound since marrying their leader. I became flustered. I begged them to stand up because it was more embarrassing for me than it could ever be for them. They were stubborn at first but eventually conceded to my demands. Since then, I hurried towards the library as fast my legs would take me.

It had been a while since I've been here. It hadn't change a single bit. The steel doors were still closed.  _So, that time hasn't come yet, hmm._ I walked around the large stone building looking for another door that would lead me inside.  _For sure, he had to be inside._ I circled it twice before my eyes caught a glimpse of a small wooden door I had completely dismissed the first time around. It was at the rear end of the property. I knocked once and waited for a response. Nothing. I knocked again. Still, no response. I waited after the third knock, but no one came to the door.

At this point, I began fiddling with the knob. Twisting and turning it to no use. Until it opened. But not by my hands.

Takayama had appeared.  _About goddamn time._

"Yes?"

_Greetings to you too, earthling._

_"_ Hi." I said, feeling like a fish out of water. It would appear that I was trying to break in, but that was far from my intentions.

"Hello." He responded, his tone cold and unfriendly as the first time I had met him.

"Can I come in?" I was curious as to why he kept the door open just wide enough to let his head through. I could see glimpses of his upper body and his cane but that was about it.  _What was he hiding and why was it so dark inside?_

"No." Well, that was... _blunt._  He had always been so candid and upfront about everything but this was weird.

"Why not?

"What is it that you want? The library will not open." I blinked a few times, trying to understand if this was the real Takayama. I thought that we were getting along so well, so why was he acting like this? Talk about a sudden change in behavior.

"That wasn't- I wanted to talk to you about my pendant. I need to know-"

"I apologize if my son has made you feel uncomfortable, he can act somewhat impulsive at times."  _Really? That was new._  I would have said that he was more cautious than anything. Acting on his own beliefs was what I surmised, if he was anything like his father, that is. Wait, was he trying to confuse me by changing the subject?

"It isn't that, I just need to know-"

"I have nothing else to say. I think it would be best if you leave." He was closing the door but I managed to bring it to a halt by placing my foot in front.

"What are you talking about? You have  _everything_  to say." This was a disaster. If he honestly thought that he could still keep this from me after all this time, then there must be something seriously wrong with him. Unless, he was hiding something- _I don't know-_  abhorrent, then I saw no point in him keeping whatever knowledge he has to himself. Sharing knowledge is everything, no?

"I see no point in revealing what you already know."

"But I don't know anything! If you could just-" There was something wrong with him, something horribly wrong. His face contorted in a way that I was not used to seeing. It was as if he was getting angry. Oh God, he was  _angry._

"Now, you listen to me,  _child_ , whatever problems you think you have, I'd suggest you keep it to yourself. I am not the answer to whatever petty questions you have. Even if I was, I would not stoop down to the inanity of the same man who wed you and answer them. Figure it out for yourself and stop bothering me.  _Or better yet, stop asking questions you don't want the answers to."_

That wasn't just blunt,  _that was harsh._ I would be lying if I said that I wasn't shocked. Because I was, I was dumbfounded. He was a completely different person now. I backed up a step, not entirely sure if I should confront him or just leave, as if this never happened. Maybe, he'll come back to his senses tomorrow. But something about that grin of his told me that the Takayama I once knew was long gone.

_Gone insane?_

" _I hope you understand._ Now, leave." I didn't budge, I couldn't.

_"I said LEAVE."_ The door was slammed shut as I stood there, still motionless just as I was flabbergasted.

_What the hell?_ If I didn't know better, I would have said that the old man was agitated. Though, that was an extreme reaction for someone who was supposedly agitated.  _Like father, like son._ I had no choice but to come back tomorrow and try again. And after tomorrow if I had to. For the next week, month or even year, I wasn't standing down. I will wear him down until he finally agreed to talk. Until then-

_What to do now?_

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

"I hope you're still not beating yourself up because of those Inuzuka women?" Hashirama's voice pulled him out of his daze.

"No" He answered. He wasn't. He was only going over the thousand different scenarios that the event could have unfolded. He should have just killed them right there, right then. It would have saved them a lot of trouble later on.

"Killing them would have still brought in as much trouble." His brother could read his mind like he could the palm of his hands. Though, Tobirama was never really good in hiding his thoughts from the world. Particularly violent ones. Hashirama was an expert at fishing those ones out, like a crazed shark once it caught the scent of a mere blood drop. No, it was true, the Senju leader may act the fool, but he was far from one when he was always up in Tobirama's head.

Both brothers were back at the Senju base.

After Izuna's unanticipated revelation, Tobirama volunteered to stay at the settlement while his elder brother traveled back to the compound. But shortly after, he also found himself following Hashirama back here as he escorted the rest of his clan's civilians back home. Their carpentry work was done for the winter. They would have to halt everything until the season was over. So, it was agreed upon that non-shinobi citizens would return back as there was no point in their presence there. The Uchiha have agreed to hold down the fort until he returned. Hikaku and his own squad were up there at the moment. He had left behind a dozen of his shinobi as a safety precaution, it wasn't because he didn't trust the Uchiha- to a certain extent, he still didn't- as much as he tried, he didn't see it fit to leave the settlement with minimal guards. Besides, a few extra watchdogs never hurt. It was unwise to leave the large encampment insufficiently guarded.

"Would it?" He wondered. How bad would it have been had he got rid of them instantly? He regretted not doing so, he regretted it deeply. Now that he knew that they were lying through their bare teeth. He should have known, known that the kunai were meant for her. Back then, he wouldn't have believed it. Now was a completely different story. Or so Izuna said. Tobirama, too, couldn't shake off the feeling that the sneaky rascal was hiding something. Perhaps multiple things. He wasn't sure. And as a result, he may or may not have willingly forgot parts of his adventures with Mina. One could not say he lied, seeing he did not _intentionally_  state false statements. He just... _forgot._ If that Uchiha could not be truthful with him, what reason did he have to divulge anything to him? Though, not as childish as the other man was, Tobirama opted to leave out unnecessary details. Details that did not matter and in no way affected his version of the story.

He was staring out the windows of his brother's office. They gave an astounding view onto the garden. Which was devoid of any life as of late as it usually was in the winter. In the spring however, it was a different view altogether. It was much warmer and livelier, something he would never admit to enjoying- alone- once in a while. It was indeed a sight Tobirama would never forget. As for now, the present, all that he had to look at was the setting sun and the orange hues of the vacant lands that stretched well beyond the horizon.

Hashirama took a stand beside his brother, who seemed quite entranced with the countryside.

"You know, you could always refuse if I'm overwhelming you with responsibilities." He told the white haired man, whose locks were beginning to take on the golden shades of the sun.

"Nonsense. You know I would have had no problem rejecting your outrageous demands." Tobirama tried to play it off as a joke, which didn't really escape Hashirama's perception either. His elbows were numbing from leaning on the window sills for far too long. Straightening up, Tobirama ran a hand through his mop of hair before rubbing his face out of frustration. Only then did he realize he wasn't wearing his happuri as he had taken it off since arriving that same afternoon. This was the longest he had gone without it. He could only think of the journey that awaited him as he returned to the settlement tonight. Not much of a journey considering that he could use the hiriashin to get there. Still...He closed his eyes hoping that when he would open them, the world might be _just a little bit_  better.

_It wasn't._

The same picturesque scene remained still; immobile. The air, carrying with it the chill of the north.

"Well, aren't you glad we don't have a fifteen thousand ryo debt anymore?!  _Ha-ha?_ " You could tell by that awkward laugh that Hashirama wasn't buying it either. He was only trying to lighten the mood. Tobirama glared at him.

"There was never a fifteen thousand ryo debt. Izuna used your sorry excuse of a bet as a lever to get us to do what he wanted!" Tobirama reminded him. It had become abundantly clear that his rival was not joking. He wasn't really after the money. Which made him wonder,  _was he ever really after the money from the first place? Or was it a spur of the moment idea to change the wager?_ Two questions Madara's foolish younger brother refused to answer.

"Yes it seems so." It also seemed like Hashirama was growing more withdrawn and introspective. "How bad do you think it is?" He asked, referring to the situation between the Uchiha and the Inuzuka.

"I wouldn't know." He replied. And he would continue to be in the dark so long as his  _allies_  refuses to disclose _exactly_  what had happened. Out of the blue, Izuna decided to show up at their front steps back at the settlement. Demanding his money, which was probably nothing more than an act, if Tobirama thought about it. However, he had backed down a little too eagerly to Hashirama's pleas and apologies.  _Strange, considering it wasn't in his nature to forfeit what should have been rightfully his._ Of course, he did not surrender without a condition of his own. Which wasn't mentioned until the very last second.

Because of that he had come to know that the Inuzuka were wandering right outside their settlement. The mere mention of their name raised red flags in his mind. The only reason that they were discovered was because Izuna and his silent buddy- who Tobirama began to suspect was mute due to his lack of response. To anything,- had been wandering around themselves. Or so they claim, though the Senju did not seem to doubt them on that matter.

Courtesy of this little meeting, Tobirama had had no choice but to recount his own little tale as he began feeling that there was more to the story than what meets the eye. It was certainly no coincidence that both of them happened to run into -what most likely was- the same pair of shinobi women.

Throughout his depiction of events, a few name callings and a couple of punches had been thrown around; all in all, it wasn't nearly as bad as the other times they fought. And by the end of it all, he found the Uchiha finally make their demand and that was; everything they had on the Inuzuka. It was a strange request at first. One Tobirama only came to figure out later.

They had no choice but to oblige if they wanted that  _inglorious debt_  be wiped clean.  _Well, not so clean_ , as Izuna put it. There was still one thing they had to do and it was clearly something he hadn't come up with. Yet.  _That damn Uchiha must be rejoicing as we stood on pins and needles._

For Hashirama's part, he wasn't worried as he firmly believed that Izuna got what he truly wanted.

It was only two weeks later that they had gotten a cryptic message from them saying that they should be wary of the Inuzuka. Tobirama never took to them in the first place so he had no problem with it. His brother, on the other hand, was skeptic. He didn't believe there was reason to start acting cautiously towards a clan they didn't necessarily have  _major_  troubles with. Tobirama would be inclined to agree, but-

"My guess? I think the Inuzuka purposely sought her out to kill her back when we were heading for the settlement. Trying to get back at the Uchiha for something they did. Though, I'm afraid I don't know what." He finally voiced the sole, reasonable conclusion he could come up with. He had been trying to conjure up explanations for this theory, though unfortunately, he couldn't. He had too little to go on.

Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that the Uchiha slighted another clan. Maybe it was for an old grudge they held onto, but it seemed highly unlikely in Tobirama's mind. No, it had to be something Izuna discovered. In those two weeks, the poor kid hadn't returned back to his home. Instead, he had roamed the nearby villages searching for something. Or rather  _someone,_ that was as much info Tobirama could have gathered.

Hashirama only stood silent, mulling that thought over and over.

_I've wasted too much time here._

Tobirama went to collect his weapons and armor, ready to set out.

"Wait, where are you going?! You must join us for dinner! Mito has ordered a feast." Tobirama caught on to the subtle suplications in his brother's voice. Mito was pregnant, so naturally her cravings grew as the days went on, but so did her mood swings. He was grateful that he didn't have to stay for Kami knows what she had ordered this time. He sighed.

"Your wife, your problem."

* * *

**_Takayama's POV_ **

It was time.

He knew that.

He wasn't afraid, just tired. Tired of everything. Knowing that the only thing he was leaving in this world was his son; his only progeny and the only thing he had done right in this bitter existence of his.

_"FATHER, ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?!"_

His son had a temper though he didn't really show it.  _Very much like you, dear._ Sometimes, Takayama would pretend that his beloved wife was still there with him, sitting by his side and holding his hands. She would always warm them, it was comforting to him as his days got colder. And colder they got. Years and years passed by and he could do nothing about it as it ate away at his bones; gnawing away at his flesh.

"Calm down, Eiji." He advised him countless of times to remain civil, that his temper always got the better of him. A patient man is one who will carry the world in the palms of his hands. Sadly, not his son if he does not calm the hell down.

_"Calm down? How do I calm down?!"_  The volume of his voice was already toned down a bit, so that was a first step. His son was upset; he had just murdered someone. Takayama could tell; he could feel it. The blood on his shirt was the only proof he needed to confirm that. He didn't see the blood, that would have been preposterous.

No, he felt the thick liquid cling between his bony fingers. A man as old as he was should be long accustomed to the smell and feel of a man's driving force; his lifeblood. Son and father were alike in every possible manner. Every way but this. Eiji had sought him out after his mishap and found his father in his little cooped up house. Which was no more than a four-walled room built from hardened mud. It's height barely exceeding three feet. As such, both of them stood like towers in this little tiny hole Takayama liked to dwell in.  _A hobbit_ , that was what he was. He liked to joke at how much of a hole-dweller he had become.

It was situated right under his library, the only place he truly cherished. There was a candle lit on a large rock nearby. Other than that simple make-shift, only a cushion and several shelves of books decorated the small, humid space. It was raining heavily outside, a flurry of raindrops pattered against the only small window in this room. A storm was making its way through the region.

"I don't understand why you're so-"

_"She doesn't belong here! Why do you insist that she's here for a purpose when I see nothing but a worthless bag of flesh?!"_

_Ah, that was why he was truly angry._  It was a topic they've been arguing about a lot, recently.  _Dear, dear Mina..._ He couldn't help but smile gently at the thought of the lost girl who could not be more out of place in this world.

_"WIPE THAT SMILE OFF YOUR FACE, OLD MAN."_ And he did, it hurt him knowing how awfully angry his son could become, so angry to lash out using his mouth. He would hate to know what he would do if he was pushed far enough. His smile turned into a frown. Eiji's steps neared. He knelt down in front of his ageing father and took his grizzled, wrinkly hands in his.

_"I apologize, father. But, why can you not understand that she is bringing nothing but danger to us? She is a threat. Listen to me, please, if you could just let me get rid of-"_

Takayama yanked his hands away with such a force, it nearly sent Eiji skidding back a feet.

_"NO, YOU LISTEN TO ME SON!"_ Takayama's voice was like a crash of thunder, rumbling and booming in this cramped space. It was the voice of a man who had led countless men into battle, had seen war over and over more than anyone here has and the warrior whose voice had struck fear into his enemies hearts. It gave Eiji a glimpse of the man his father was in his glory days. A sight he never thought he would see. A part of him was indeed scared; his old man hadn't raised his voice in over a decade.

_"You are not to lay a single hand on her. Nor will you open your mouth to her. Let her wander by herself. Do not interfere with what was meant to be. Her time will come and so will yours. Do you understand me?"_

This was the last advice he could ever give his son. The only thing he had left to say and he had done it. Now, Takayama felt that he was ready to go with nothing on his conscious. He took his son's face in his shaking hands and he was instantly pulled back to the day of his birth, when he had first held him in his arms. Joy was the only thing he had felt back then, as it was the only thing he was feeling right now.

"Forgive me, but I have to go now." The only thing he was regretting was the fact that he could never see his child's face one more time. Just once, he would do anything to see those eyes of his. They were black like Takayama's, but they held something entirely different. Something that always belonged to his mother instead. It was Eiji's turn to jerk his hands away .

"Do what you want." He said- disgruntled- before getting up to leave. "She'll be the death of you, you know."

With that, the door had shut and Takayama was left there alone in his own shell, pondering just where did he go wrong with his life.

It really was time to go, quite literally. He stood up from his seat and took the candle with him as he made his way upstairs. Even if he couldn't see, light was still a comforting notion to him. Whether it was daylight or a measly candle, it always gave him solace. He could never sleep without lighting a candle whose light diminished slowly throughout the night until it was no more by the next morning. It had become a habit of his.

As he opened the back door, he struggled to take his first step up. Maybe there was still fear somewhere deep in his heart. At the end of the day, he was no more than a mortal man. Still, he was determined to continue forward.

Soon enough, he found himself in the large hall that had stacked books upon books for centuries. A hall that had seen many burn and perish to the wretches of time. This was his favorite place, always has and always will be. His old, weak legs could barely get him anywhere anymore, hence why he barely moved to any place nowadays. He was restricted to the undersized house he had come to call home and to this place. He took his seat at the end of the table and placed down the candle.  _It was a cold night indeed._

He felt his way around the table and found the book he was searching for.

Time had passed as the candle flickered in the chilly night air.

"Is it not about time you come step out of the shadows?" He called out to the creature.

_"You're good, old man."_ He felt him, felt the darkness within the room radiate all from him and only him. Never had Takayama felt so grateful that he no longer retained his eyesight. At times like these, he would never want to place a face to a voice like that. A monster, that was what he was. He closed the book shut as he ultimately put down the feathered quill he was writing with. He turned around in his seat to face this  _thing._

"I am not deaf, I am just blind." Takayama had an astute sense of hearing. Ever since he was deprived of his eyes, all his other senses had become refined over the years. There was no mistaking the sound of this creature's voice nor the darkness that it seemed to emit wherever it went.

_"I would say you have long over-stepped your boundaries in this world. Would you not agree?"_ It spoke again. Its presence beginning to overwhelm Takayama's consciousness.

"I see."

What truly ironic last words for a blind man who had spent his whole life dwelling on the past and always looking for his penitence in a future he will never get to fulfill. A tragic and a pitiful present was what he had been living in all this time, something he had not noticed till this very moment.

_"Do you, really?"_

Did he?

It was hard to say. Though, his confusion barely lasted a moment as he felt a sharp pang in his heart. The pain would have undoubtedly blinded him had he not been sightless already. And yet, it was gone almost as soon as the instant it hit him. Despite the circumstances, he felt...happy.

Happy that he got to see her face one last time. Even if he knew he was joining her soon enough, it was still nice knowing that he got to see the light in this world before the candle light blew out for good.

And just like that, blackness had consumed everything in its path as Takayama laid there; nothing but a fragile shell of his former self.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Note: Takayama's fate was decided a while back, just wanted to say it wasn't a spur-of-the-moment-since-last-chapter kind of decision.
> 
> *Also, I wonder just what exactly Madara is hiding? Hmm...


	37. Forever and Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update!  
> A big thanks to I'vegotpurple for the wonderful ideas she comes up with!

_**Tobirama's POV** _

"Any new reports regarding Uchiha Izuna's whereabouts?" He asked.

"No. He has now returned back to the Uchiha compound, Tobirama-sama." The Senju shinobi was on one knee, kneeling before his captain. Detailed follow-ups from his ninjas were mandated by no one but him. He had ordered two of his most skilled shinobi in shadowing to tail Izuna and his companion. Tobirama needed to know exactly what those two were up to. It had been three weeks since their arrival at the settlement when they broke the news about the Inuzuka. Ever since they departed, the Senju heir made sure not to let them out of his sight. Sending a couple of his men after them was nothing but additional caution that he thought was necessary.

"Before that, where was he and what was he doing?" So far, all he knew was that they had stopped by an old town for two weeks before returning home. While it may have seemed like a harmless trip, Tobirama knew better than to be fooled by something as silly as that. Things weren't always what they appeared to be. That was evident. What wasn't clear was why they haven't found anything even after scouring the area for a week following the Uchiha's leave. Since then, he has only gotten the same response.

"No new leads, I'm afraid." The man repeated. This was growing tiresome as they were going nowhere with this. It was probably a foolish idea from the start but he did so anyways. Tobirama's mood as of late was proving to be an obstacle even to his own comrades. It wasn't just the Uchiha that had a problem with his way of conduct- although they despised anything that was Senju-related from the core of its existence- the Senju themselves were growing weary of his constant change in temper. Little did they know, Tobirama wasn't mad at them. What reason did he have? They were following orders that were given by him, they did no wrong. But the crossed arms and the frown on his face were convincing the kneeling shinobi otherwise. It was true that a scowl was generally part of Tobirama's standard...impressions. Though, the one he held now was not one of contempt for his counterpart, but rather for himself. For his ineptitude and his impotence. For his lack of knowledge, and he especially hated when he could not grasp something; when he was not told everything he needed to know. He would have to work on fixing those issues. Soon. As for now-

"Nothing has changed. We carefully monitored the area for any other signs that they might return. We also searched the places they had visited. Nothing has turned up." He said as if to reaffirm his recounting of the search. A search he had taken part of.

 _"Hmm."_ Tobirama muttered, thoughts still rolling in his mind. "Stand." He ordered the man and he complied. "Anything else?" He was about to call off the search, there was no need for dispensing more shinobi out there when they could be used to guard the now empty settlement. However, as he was going to send the man off with the order to call back his friends, Tobirama noticed a slight change in the man's behavior. It may have been minor, but it was still very much noticeable. Dropping his arms, he demanded,

"Speak up."

His shinobi took a second to revise what he was about to say before relaying it to his master.

"I've come to learn that- well, if you ask me, I would say that that town is notoriously known for the great deal of bounty hunters that inhabit it. That is just it. There are tons of them there. I find it strange." He commented as he bowed down and excused himself.

 _Bounty hunters?_  Now,  _that_  was something to go on. While it may not be concrete evidence but only mere speculation, it was still better than nothing. And that meant that Tobirama was now able to see that thin white thread that tied everything together. That line that connected every dot, every event. It was only a matter of time before he caught on. All he had to do was follow that illusory string back to where it came from.

* * *

"Forgive me, Tobirama-sama, but was it wise to trail those who are our supposed allies?"

_No._

"It had to be done." Was what he told the rest of his men who had returned by dawn. What had to be done? Well, they weren't really privy to that information. Not yet, not until Tobirama was sure as to what he was looking for precisely,

"Does this not show our distrust of them?" One of them asked.

"Did you get caught?" He inquired in return.

"No, I- I believe not."

"So, you did." Tobirama concluded just from the hesitant tone of his voice. The voice of a man who was beginning to doubt his own memory. These shinobi were excellent in their field- he knew that, but seeing that this was Izuna Uchiha, well he was no idiot. Sending people after him in hopes of catching him in whatever act he was up to, was just wishful thinking. Even so, if they did get caught, Izuna didn't seem to be bothered from the looks of it. He had not approached them nor confronted them.  _Probably, because he didn't care._ Like he had nothing to hide. Which wasn't a comforting idea either.

"Why would you say that?" The shinobi seemed puzzled. Tobirama wasn't. It would have taken too long to explain to him why he thought the way he thought, so he did what he usually did; he shrugged them off.

"I need you to dispatch another squad for further inspection of the area. Look for any signs that the Inuzuka are still wandering around the territory. Be  _thorough._ If you come in contact, do not engage, is that clear?" His new order was simple; they needed to find any trace of those people that proved that they were still around. It was surely no coincidence that they were near the waterfall just a week or two ago. If they were camping nearby even now, then they would find them. If they weren't, then they weren't. Still, they had to check. While he had intended to keep all his shinobi here to guard this place, he had no choice but to let some of them go if he wanted to find out more about these women. Besides, it wasn't a far-fetched idea, they would only be scouring the surrounding area; twenty miles in each direction, just as they agreed upon. Either ways, they were still close to the settlement in the case of an unlikely event to occur.  _Hopefully not._

"You may leave." Tobirama signaled for them to begin their mission, discreetly. It didn't appear that Hikaku nor his own group knew anything of this matter which meant that Izuna hadn't told them. For a reason, though he didn't know what. Until then, Tobirama found it better to shut up and let things go on as they normally would.

He now stood in front of the soon-to-be administration building. It was complete. Somewhat. Its foundations were finished a while back, but its reinforcement by concrete slabs were barely done on time. Even then, the slabs were utterly useless when the concrete was still soft. They had not waited long enough to let it harden before resetting them.  _Not that the rain helped either._ As a result, they ended up repeating the whole process from scratch. Eventually, after learning from their mistakes the first time around, they waited the sufficient time needed for it to completely dry out before reinforcing the new slabs with steel bars. That had been Tobirama's idea. Sensing that they could very well end up in the same situation- which he wanted to avoid as much as he could- he suggested that they not only reinforce the building, but the concrete slabs as well, with the hardest material they had. While it added extra work on the people, it also added more structural stability to the building. Which was a win in Tobirama's book, even if it took more time than it should have.

With the windows in place, the wooden exterior already erected; all that was missing was the paint job and a few tweaks here and there. Tobirama let it slide, seeing how much difficulty they all had in constructing this strangely-shaped  _thing,_ he wasn't really mad that they fell short of their schedule.

On a side note,

_what on earth possessed me to design this damned building?_

The circular shape of the new infrastructure was one not commonly used around these parts, if at all. He would have to blame it on the lack of sleep that had plagued his nights back then. In any case, it was too late to change it now.

 _Maybe, it didn't look that bad?_ He tried to look at it from another angle, another perspective but it hadn't changed unfortunately. Standing before it, only two words rang in Tobirama's mind.

_Hokage's tower, huh._

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

"When do you think it will snow again?" I hadn't meant for that to come out, it was nothing more than a passing thought.

"I don't know, the weather's kinda strange." Kagami answered absent-mindedly.

We were sitting out on the patio. The same exact area where Madara and Izuna had their little spat. Though, no one came bursting through the walls this time. And no one will, not for a while in any case. I was sure Izuna had gotten a taste of his own medicine, so I doubted he would do anything else to aggravate Madara further. He was acting quiet and both brothers were avoiding each other. Which made for a calming few days, except for the really conspicuous underlying tension beneath everything they did.

I enjoyed it nonetheless.

However, there was still a large hole in the wall behind us waiting to be fixed. Which seemed to be what they were doing right now.

"Tell me about it." I agreed. We sat in silence, trying to appreciate what was once a beautiful landscape. It was strange how it had become so dreary and dull. There was nothing colorful about it anymore, everything was washed out, almost like a blur.

"Hey, can I tell you something?" Kagami spoke after a while. I didn't know if he had taken my words seriously or not, it wasn't meant to be.

"Sure." I straightened up and looked down at him. "What is it?" He looked a little nervous.

"After the wedding-"

"Wait, that's right. Why weren't you there?" I had always meant to ask about that but forgot every time I was hanging with him. Had he been there, maybe it would have made things just a tad easier. Or maybe not.

"I was told it was for grown-ups. And that I could meet you afterwards." He shrugged as if it didn't really matter to him though I could see that he was a bit hurt that he was left out of the festivities. I guess I could understand why. Even then, he was still too young to attend, I supposed. He would have ended up feeling uncomfortable with all the adults in the room. And the drinking, too.

"Hey, cheer up! Don't worry, I'll make sure you get a VIP pass to my next wedding. How does that sound?" I joked with him. I may have found it funny, but it didn't appear that he did. He just looked at me, puzzled.

"How? Madara-sama would never let you leave."

_Ouch._

"A girl can dream, you know." I told him, not fully convinced myself. His words certainly held truth in them, hence; why it stung so bad. I pretended to let that ominous comment slide, it was the second time this week that I heard that remark of similar nature. "Sorry if I interrupted you, so what did you want to say?" He didn't speak for a while. It looked like Kagami was contemplating on how to find the right words for whatever he was thinking about. How hard was it? I didn't think he would still find it this difficult to talk to me. Or maybe it was what he wanted to say that was difficult, so just what exactly was he trying to tell me?

"Well, since the wedding was- uhm- loud and all, I couldn't really sleep all night, so..." He was trailing off.  _Not a good sign. Where was he going with this?_  I didn't respond, only letting him talk at his own pace. Otherwise, he may not tell me anything at all. Although, I did try to reassure him by putting my hand on his shoulders.

"And I was wandering around. Sort of. Anyways, I was walking down the hall after the wedding ended. It was dark, but I had seen some people standing in front of yours and Madara-sama's bedroom doors."

_Uhm, what?_

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner, Kagami?"

"I tried to. Still, you always ignored it. You never wanted to talk about it, remember?"  _I do._ But what was  _he_  talking about? I think I would have been aware if people had been standing at the doorway.  _Would I have, though?_ Considering the events of that night- and bearing in mind the sheer amount of awkwardness of being pinned down by Madara- then maybe not. In fact, it was pretty mind-numbing to think about anything else in those moments.  _Right now, too._  All that chillingly painful embarrassment was coming back to me. I shook my head lightly, trying to get the images out of my mind.

"Okay okay. You're right. But are you sure there was anyone there?" I had to be certain that what he was saying was true, he himself could have mistaken seeing people. Shadows do, really, play tricks on one's mind.

"Yes, I swear! I was hiding at the end of the hall and watched. I didn't want to interrupt them, they looked like they were doing something important." Kagami was getting defensive now.

"Okay okay, I do believe you. Do you know who they were?" It couldn't have been Madara as he was inside with me. Unless, this occurred before he entered the room. "Wait up, when did you see them? Was Madara there?"

It was his turn to shake his head. "No. This was after Madara-sama went inside to sleep."  _Oh boy, was there sleep. Plenty of it._ This kid was so naive sometimes, I always forgot just how young he was. He could act so mature at moments and then be completely oblivious the next. Though, I clearly didn't expect him to understand something like this.

"Then, who were these people Kagami?" I wasn't gonna lie, I was beginning to feel a little unnerved. A little distressed even.

"I don't know. It was too dark to see their faces, but-"  _But?_ Oh God, he had me on the edge of my seat. " _What? What Kagami?"_

"I thought I heard Izuna-sama's voice." I was taken aback by his surprise confession. That was the last thing I expected to hear, not that I expected anything at all. Still, this was more than strange. "I'm not sure though! It could have been someone else." He was quick to go back on his words, but it was too late. If he suspected that it was Izuna then it was probably right. The first instinct your gut tells you was almost always the right one. Almost. He was just about to freak out when I grabbed him by the shoulders. He was panicking, afraid that he had incriminated someone he didn't know or wasn't sure of.

"Hey, everything's alright. No need to fret about it, hmm? Leave it to me. I take it Madara-sama doesn't know about this, right?" I questioned.

"No."

"Well, let's keep it that way for now. I'll deal with it, okay?" I gave him my widest smile, hoping that he would calm down just a bit. He did, thankfully. I let go of him and sat back down.

"And Kagami?"

"Hmm?" He gazed back at me.

"Thank you for telling me this."  _Thank you indeed._ Up until now, I really had no idea just to what extent anger could effect one's body. I had assumed that people were always over-exaggerating when they said that they could feel their blood boiling. I assumed wrong. Because, that was exactly what I was feeling. Feeling my blood boil summed it up just perfectly. While it was not quite literally boiling, I still felt my body temperature rising. The warmth inside of me was not the nice and cozy kind, no- it was the type that stemmed from red, hot rage. I didn't even know what he had done yet, but I was already getting worked up. And I had every right to.

Nothing good ever came from hearing Uchiha Izuna's name. Nothing. Anything that had him involved always meant that something fishy was going on. This little tale Kagami just mentioned practically screamed so. I could even smell the stench of that fat-assed, rotten fish that seemed to follow my beloved brother-in-law everywhere he went. One day, I'll shove that same fish down his throat and see him gag on it until he took his last breath.  _Yes, that's it._  If I could push half of the shit he has ever done to me back into his mouth- to have him cram down his own smug words- that would not only be a dream come true, but it would be revenge at its finest.

But before doing any of that, I needed to know what he was doing in front of my room-  _Madara's room_ \- that night. And who were the rest of those twerps? According to Kagami, there was more of them.  _What on earth did they want and for how long had they been standing there?_  So many questions were flooding my mind and I struggled to keep up with them. As I was about to drop the matter for the time being, something came to mind. It was as if there really was a light bulb inside my thick head and it just lit. It shone so bright it was starting to cause me a headache.

 _What...what..what if-if they heard everything? Everything?_ Oh no. No. No. No. That couldn't be it, no way. Who here was perverted enough to listen in on us-? The mere thought of such a possibility had me frozen in place as I pondered the very purpose of my existence.  _Did Izuna-?_  He was there, wasn't he? He had to have heard us. It wasn't like I had my mouth taped shut. As inexperienced as I was and  _still_  am, I may have gone overboard with the 'oh Madara'.

 _Calm down Mina. You're just jumping to conclusions. That's all._ There could very well be nothing more to it than a little meeting they decided to hold. In front of my room-  _dammit! I mean Madara's room._  In the middle of the night. While some very engaging activities were going inside. _Coincidence?_ _I think not._

But then again, I didn't want to think it over.

I had had enough of sitting down and decided that I needed a walk, or else my head would have blown up by just imagining it. I blocked that train of thought from going any further and chose something else to focus on. I stretched my hand and said;

"Let's go."

"Where?"

"To the library. I promised you once that I would take you there." I intended to keep that promise. And maybe visit Takayama while I was at it. There was nothing wrong with killing two birds with one stone. Hopefully, he was back in his right mind today. I still couldn't shake off yesterday's feeling. Something took hold of him, he had never acted out like that.  _Oh, I hope he's alright._

"But Madara-sama says no outsider is allowed to go in there." He looked up at me with eyes wide with both wonder and incredulity.

"I wasn't talking about that one. Though, you must show me where it is one day. Now, let's go. Chop-chop!" I had to drag him up since he wasn't doing so himself. This was going to be a long walk if he didn't try to cheer up.

I thought it best to take yesterday's route seeing that I didn't know another one. Which meant that I had to walk through the swarm of people. Again. And have them stop and bow. Again. Today was overly crowded for some reason, it was throwing me off my balance. It was starting to get overwhelming when we would be stopped every few seconds. We couldn't even take a few steps before someone popped out of absolutely nowhere. I smiled politely back at them, no longer knowing what to do as the number of people within my field of vision was increasing. Kagami, on the other hand, sought shelter by hiding behind me as he tugged at my kimono.

"Hey kid, why are you hiding?" I whispered to him.

"There's so many of them." His voice was muffled by the thick material of my clothes.

"I know. But they're your people, you should greet them. If anything, I'm the one who should be hiding behind you." I looked down at him and he seemed to be awfully uncomfortable with this situation. But so was I. Only _I_  just had to suck it up. I tried to slowly unlatch his grasp from my hips and turned around. I would have certainly hid behind him if it hadn't looked extremely bizarre. Anyhow, I was the adult between the both of us, so I had to take charge.

"It's going to be alright, okay?" I did my best to put his mind at ease and smiled as warmly as I could. Something I found myself doing a lot lately, whether I meant it or not. I took his small hands in mine and drew him closer. That way he was walking right beside me and not stuck to my behind. While most of these people appeared to be relatively polite, the unwelcoming glares from those at the back did not escape my perception, neither this time nor the last time I walked down this path. They were the kind of stares that made someone want to run into the other direction and never look back. I would have done so if I hadn't known that I had nowhere else to go.

I couldn't help but think that these people were judging me. Judging what I wore. Judging how my hair was tied up in a messy bun as my bangs were swept to the sides. Or maybe how short I was. Or that I didn't conform to their standards of beauty. Their clear, porcelain skin, their flawless jet black hair, their dark eyes and impeccably slender bodies; I was everything they were not. Sticking out like a sore thumb wasn't really something I enjoyed doing, but it seemed inevitable in this case. I acted as if everything around me was nothing more than a figment of my imagination- like everything else was- and marched on. If I didn't see them, then they didn't exist. As simple as that.

I felt my pace quickening the further we walked. I just wanted to get out of here as fast as I could. Which proved impossible, once more. This familiar looking young woman stopped us from taking another step. Like the others, she appeared out of nowhere. But this time, she was holding a tray in her hands. I saw several plates with dangos being carried.  _Dangos?_ I looked to the side and spotted that tea house Sora had taken me to a lifetime ago. This was the same woman who had served us back then, that was why I felt like I had seen her before. She was bowing down and offering the treats that she had made. Kagami was slowly retreating back behind me.

"Please Uchiha-sama, you must try our dangos. They're delicious." The woman was smiling broadly, it looked so forced I just wanted to tell her to stop this and act like herself. But I didn't do that. Acting like someone you are not was an awful thing. Instead, I laughed it off, a bit awkwardly and politely refused.

"That's- uhm- very sweet of you, but no thank you." I felt awful for refusing, I wasn't sure if this counted as bad manners here or what.

"Please." She insisted. "And you." She was talking to Kagami. Bending down, she picked up a stick and offered it to the boy. "It's on the house, don't you worry."

_Shit._

I realized that I wasn't carrying any money, not that I ever did. The moment of realization hit me hard. I never went outside the main household and when I did, I most definitely did not go shopping. I didn't even have a job, how would I have earned money anyways?  _Crap, crap, crap. How was I supposed to pay her?_

"Come on, boy. Take it." She was encouraging him to eat it but he remained silent. This was growing more and more mortifying by the second. I patted him on the back.

"It's alright, Kagami. You like dangos, right?" This kid was beyond timid. It was as if he was an outsider in his own home. How was that possible?  _He must be so horrified._ He reminded me of myself when I was young, constantly avoiding people so I didn't have to talk to them. Heck, I still did it even now. As an adult, at an age where I was expected to act like one. He took the stick reluctantly and thanked her in a hushed tone. She stood up and returned back to me.

"Your turn." How does one repeatedly decline someone's offer respectfully? I didn't want to be a prick and turn her down again. "I- thank you." I picked up a random stick and took it. She bowed down again and left quietly.  _So, I guess it really was on the house._

We began walking again, a bit relieved that no one was blocking our paths anymore. They were all returning to whatever chores they were doing. I took a bite of the dumpling all the while pulling the little kid along. He, too, was stuffing himself with the sweets. He tried to say something with food still crammed in his mouth. Probably due to the fact that I wasn't leaving him enough time to eat it properly. I couldn't hear him but I was sure it was something like 'slow down!'. I didn't know why I was racing against time, all I knew was that I had to get there fast. It wasn't like I was running, though I wasn't really taking my sweet time either. I just didn't want to waste another moment.

We rushed past countless houses, each one more old-fashioned than the last.

At long last, we found ourselves in front of the large granite building.  _Finally._ I had expected it to be closed as usual and as I was about to dismiss it and head straight for the back door, I found Kagami already making his way up the steps to the two-story infrastructure. I followed him up.

"Hey wait, it's-" I heard the harsh, grating sound of the huge steel doors opening.  _What?_ Kagami was pushing against the metal with all his might but failed in throwing them wide open. Nonetheless, he still managed to open them just slightly enough to know that it wasn't locked. It was strange because Takayama made it  _very clear_  yesterday that he would not be opening the library. Was it a trick or did he really change his mind? He wouldn't have went back on his words so quickly, he seemed really resolute when he was giving me a beat down. I didn't know what was going on but I was getting a bad feeling. Really bad.

"Wait, Kagami. Don't go in." I warned. Something was wrong. The kid stepped back to let me have a try at the impossibly heavy doors. I pushed using both my hands. The hinges of the doors creaked as I slowly opened them to reveal the interior of the library. The moment I did so, I was met with a horrible stench. The place reeked as if it hadn't been cleaned in over a century.I dared myself to take one step inside and Kagami did the same, pinching his nose in the process.

 _"What is that smell?!"_  He complained. Nothing in the room looked out of order. There was not even a single dust particle floating aimlessly in the air. Row after row of neatly lined books were sitting upon wooden shelves- _made of ebony, if I recalled correctly-_  that were finely polished as they decorated the walls, from top to bottom. There were small desks scattered in the middle of the great room. The place hadn't changed. Not a single bit. Except it was much cleaner and smelled absolutely rotten. My eyes wandered the area from every corners of the room until they landed on a limp figure slumped over a chair; still as a mouse. It was at the other end of the library.

I trod carefully down the hall, Kagami was still following me. His footsteps were much lighter on the cold tiles. The closer we got, the stronger the smell became. That was when my fears began to rise. My worst suspicions were becoming all too real as all sorts of thoughts ran rampant in my mind. I tried to make sense of what this was. The resting figure was starting to take shape, it had seemed so small from back there as the large wooden chair was hiding most of it. Long white strands of hair emerged from behind it. I noticed one pale hand was swinging lifelessly beside it while the other was placed on the arm rest.

_No._

The smell was becoming intolerably pungent, I had to cover half of my lower face using the sleeves of my kimono. I started coughing restlessly when I thought I had tasted the stench on my tongue. I hadn't paid attention to where I was stepping and ended up slamming my hips into the sharp edge of a table. To think about anything but the pain, I shifted my focus to the person who laid in front of me.

 

What if it was Takayama? It had to be him. This was his place, his chair and that was undoubtedly his book. That ever-so ginormous book was simply sitting there; closed. The one he would always read in. I felt my heart skip a beat as I approached him. I no longer thought that Takayama was just sleeping. Or maybe he was. He would just never wake up again, would he?

_No!_

That was no way to think. Still, I had to make sure.

"Kagami, st-stay back." I cautioned him and he obeyed. I hesitated, not wanting to face what possible horrors could be awaiting me on the other side of that God forsaken chair. My feet were protesting, they didn't want to move.  _Come on, do it._  It was a strange feeling, that bizarre hunch one gets right before they walk in on something they knew already deep down.

...

My heart pounded. Pounded so hard I thought it might explode to pieces as I finally came face-to-face with the dead man. I wanted to scream, to yell, to yell so loud that my lungs would give out and I would lose consciousness. All that noise never came out. In its place was this heavy, inescapable lump in my throat. I couldn't tear my eyes off him.

He laid on his back, sinking into his chair as his body wastes away. His skin was devoid of any color, any life that once inhabited him was gone. His once wrinkly hands were frozen in place. It wasn't just his hands, his whole frail body was stiff. I had become frozen as he was, afraid that a single movement from me would bring this entire library crashing down. I wanted nothing more than to leave. Leave and never come back. Pretend that none of this was true. That this wasn't real. My eyes stung the longer I looked at him.

Takayama didn't just die, he was killed. I would never forget that wide hole in his chest. Where his heart should have been. I could feel it. That tug, that pull. It was like his heart had been ripped out of him.

It had been cleaved from his body mercilessly. As if someone had stuck his hands in there and- and...

 _Fuck, fuck, fuck._ I couldn't breathe even if my life depended on it. I couldn't suck in the air without having to breathe in that sickly-sweet butcher-shop odor that emanated from him. My stomach heaved and heaved as I was about to throw up everything that I have eaten within the past week. I wouldn't let myself. I couldn't. I would not desecrate this man more than he already was.

"Mina-chan, what's going on?" Kagami stepped forward and as he did, I turned him around violently and covered his eyes so he couldn't see this. So, he wouldn't have to see arteries, now drained of their fluid, sticking out like so many dried rubber hoses. Or the white bones prodding out of his chest. The rib cage- the same cage that should have protected his heart; his lungs; his _life_ \- had been cracked. I tightened my arms around him as I hugged him tightly.

"Ka-" I tried to speak but it was becoming increasingly difficult when I couldn't find my breaths. "Kaga-"  _Breathe, breathe, breathe._ "I need you to go to- to Madara. Go to him. Call him. Hurry!" I pushed him forward and away from the desk. "Go!" He took a quick glance at me before realizing the gravity of the situation. In an instant, he had run to the library doors and I ran after him, closing them the moment he stepped out.

I let it out. I finally let it all out.

I threw up everything I had in my stomach. The smell of my own puke only made me want to spew up more. And I did. The thick yellowish food remains mixed with the silent tears as they streamed down my cheeks and covered the floor in large blotches. After seemingly having hurled up all that I could, I felt my knees giving out and nearly fell to the floor in my own retch. Thankfully, I still had it in me to hold onto a chair nearby before falling completely.

I could still see his face even if I was no longer in front of him. It was that grey-ish color of a cadaver that had been dead for a while. As if things couldn't get any worse, I couldn't understand it. I was just talking to him yesterday yet he seemed like he had been dead for days. I still haven't managed to control my breathing. What truly was the most harrowing image of all this was not the hole in his crippled chest, not the pool of blood that had accumulated in his lap, not even the purple stains under his gunk-filled fingernails.

It was that look on his face. Those thinning eyelids gave away to something even more terrifying. His lack of eyes had never been as frightening as they were right then. His empty sockets were fixed in place, looking up at the ceiling as his mouth hung open. As if he would forever be screaming internally where no one could ever hear him. It was the look of a man who had seen something unimaginably horrifying before he died. That same something could have even potentially took his last breath.

I clung to the table leg, hung on to it as if it was my life support.

* * *

_Why is he taking so long?_

If I stayed here another second, I was sure that I would lose my mind. Nothing was safe. Nothing.

But I couldn't leave. I felt like there were these chains holding me down, shackling me to the ground. I couldn't leave him here. Alone. It wasn't right. I didn't know how long it had been since I sent Kagami out, but it had been way too long to be true. I sat here, knees to my chest, counting down the seconds till Madara burst through that door. Every time I would think he would barge in, he didn't. And I would continue counting. Anything to keep my mind off the nightmare in the room. Soon enough, I found myself weeping for someone I had barely knew but who didn't deserve to go the way he did.

_Where are you?_

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

He pushed the steel doors open and knew instantly just exactly what awaited him.

"Stay back." He warned the kid. Kagami had come running to him; out of breath and pale as a sheet. He had been in his study when he heard erratic knocking on his door. As he was about to give whoever that was a lashing, the door flew open and a small kid jumped in.

...

"Madara-sama!" He screamed. Madara was baffled at the sight, wondering what was wrong with him. The boy bent over, hands on his knees as he struggled to take a breath.

"What's wrong?" He had asked him. Chest still heaving, he answered;

"Mad-Madara-sama, you must come!" The urgency in his voice was more than apparent.

"Where?" But the Uchiha was still skeptical. Was it Izuna trying to play a trick on him by employing this kid to do his bidding? It sure as hell wouldn't be the first time he tried something like that. Then again, Kagami was never this agitated.

"To the library. I think... _I think someone's dead._ " He had whispered that last part. Though it was loud and clear to Madara's ears. He furrowed his brows in disbelief. Concern was growing ever more in his mind.

 _"What? How? Who?"_ He had so many questions and he needed so many answers. His demanding tone had unintentionally scared the kid. He couldn't help it, this was no laughing matter.  _Even if Izuna thought so._

 _"_ The..old man. I think it's the old man." Kagami admitted, still in shock. He had never seen a dead body before. Well, aside from his mother's. But it had not looked nearly as bad as the man did. Nor did it smell as awful. Kagami didn't really get a good look at the sitting man since Mina had immediately closed his eyes. Still, a glimpse was enough to have his stomach in knots.

As soon as the words were uttered, Madara was out the door. Rushing through the halls unceremoniously with Kagami at his tail, he was hurrying to the outdoors. The moment his feet hit the grass, he leapt to the roof and continued in the direction of the library. Jumping from roof to roof, he was getting nearer to his target. Had he used his full speed, he would have been there already but seeing that the child was having difficulty in keeping up with him, he had slowed down a bit. He glanced back and saw that he was a house away, still pale as ever, if not paler. He was beginning to doubt Izuna had a hand in any of this.

He landed on the ground with a loud thump. A few people who were standing by in the streets gave out startled gasps as he appeared before their eyes. Immediately after, they were bowing down to him. He couldn't care at the moment, what mattered to him what was right behind those steel doors. Kagami had just appeared as well.

_"Stay back."_

_..._

Death. It greeted him as he stepped in. The odor overwhelmed him. Although, he did not have much time to ponder that thought just as he nearly slipped to the floor.

_What the-?_

The smell suddenly became ten-folds worse when he realized that he had stepped in vomit. There was so much of it on the floor however; he caught himself just in time. His eyes readjusted as he tried to take in everything around him. But he could only look at one thing, or rather one person. She was sitting at the far end leaning against a bookcase while her arms wrapped around her knees, her head; lowered. His gaze quickly shifted to the source of the stench. He could not believe it at first, but as he drew nearer, the odds that there was indeed someone dead behind that chair only grew. His footsteps had pulled her out of her daze.

Her eyes were fixed and vacant, unsure of what she was seeing until his presence captured her attention. They widened when reality came calling her back. As for him, he had trouble understanding just what he was looking at. Takayama was dead, that was certain. What should have been his heart was now a gaping void in its place. Madara arched forward and picked up his resting hand, its coldness and its pallor shocked him. The violet hues of his lips, of his arms; his blood-stained beard, the puddle of gore that had gathered in the lap of his robe. It had trickled down to the floor beneath his feet. He had seen hundreds of dead bodies before, but this one...it disturbed him. It angered him. Angered him a lot.

_How could someone do this?_

This was not the only question that swamped his mind. What happened was another one. When, who, why? All of them. Every single one of them had his head running in circles; tormenting him.

 _"Is...is it really him?"_ He strained to see the owner of that hushed whisper. Madara rose to his feet and noticed that she had gotten up and was now standing a feet away, fidgeting with her fingers.

 _"What do you think?!"_ He snapped back, already agitated at the stupidity of that question. It wasn't her fault, he knew that. He just couldn't help it. Before he had the chance to judge her reaction, both doors slammed open with full force.

"Madara-sama, is everyth-?" One of the guard shinobi entered, his booming voice echoed across the hall. The long held concern soon turned into restlessness and then eventual panic. On her part, that is. Madara, on the other hand, was still stuck in that phase of becoming fully cognizant of the situation. He was only just beginning to grasp whatever the hell he was looking at when that ninja barged in. Unfortunate for him that he stumbled upon this, as he, too, was slowly understanding what had happened here.

 _"-thing okay?"_ He finally finished that long awaited sentence.

"No."  _Everything is not alright._ "I need you to take her away. And call the others. Inform the head Medic as well." He ordered him. In the blink of an eye, the shinobi was already by her side and grabbed her arm.  _She shouldn't be seeing any of this._  Mina shrieked.

"Wait! Madara!" She struggled to get him to let go as she called out to his leader. Panic was gripping her harder than this man ever could. Her wild eyes were searching his for some sort of...comfort?

 _"This isn't what it looks like. Madara, he can't be dead! Let me go!"_ She kicked and shouted at the man holding her and dragging her away, with he, himself, taking one last glance at the dead corpse before Madara. Her voice was slowly fading as she was hauled further and further away.

 _"I was speaking to him yesterday. He can't be dead."_  She repeated.  _"Tell me he's not dead! Mada-"_ And with that she was gone. It was only him now. And the old man. One of them was alive- and as much as it astounded Madara- it wasn't Takayama. The slain man still had many years to go before he called it quits, even if it seemed unlikely to most. He had lived this long, life wasn't bound to take him just yet. At the end, someone else did. Someone who shouldn't have been here in the first place.

_I wonder if he suffered._

With a wound like that, there was no doubt. Madara couldn't see any other visible injuries on him, only the one to his heart. Which was still missing. It certainly wasn't left around him and what purpose would the killer have in scattering it? Or even taking it in the first place? Then again, not everything had a purpose.  _This isn't what it looks like._ Her words kept repeating in his mind non-stop. _This man was dead for at least two days, how could she have talked to him yesterday?_ Something didn't add up. Either she was lying or Takayama was. The answer was obvious.

Dead men told no tales, wasn't that right?

As unfortunate as that was, he couldn't believe her.

As he was buried deep in thought, something had caught his attention right then. Broken pieces of glass laid shattered across the floor, black liquid having oozed out of it. The ink appeared to have dried by now while the glass vial broke into fragments. There was no signs of a struggle on the old man's end, so this could not have been a result from sort of scuffle.  _There would have been much more damage,_  Madara concluded. Maybe the small bottle had fallen when the killer ran in a hurry to get out of there.

_Ink?_

Perhaps, Takayama had been writing something before he-

Madara circled the desk and flipped the book open. His eyes skimmed rapidly through the pages until he randomly found a torn paper. This book was considerably large and its papers; heavy. It wouldn't be easy to miss a ripped sheet such as that. And he didn't. It was right at the center of the large hardback. He felt the page over and over using his thumb, though he found it rough to the touch. Like it had been torn recently.

He sensed them coming long before they shoved the doors open once more. Madara turned to face three of his shinobi, one of which he had not expected to see right there. All this time, he had been mentally preparing on how to tell him about this. It seems that he saved the Uchiha Head the trouble of doing so. Eiji stood there motionless, impassive as always. If he didn't know about his father's death before coming, then he sure did now.

* * *

They successfully managed to get the body to the clinic without alarming the neighborhood. Actually, Eiji had. He had insisted that he should be the one to carry his father back. Madara saw no problem with that. And so they had left, except for the other two Uchiha ninjas who stayed behind per his orders. Madara commanded them to guard the place until he returned again. In the meanwhile, they were to search the premises for any other signs of the perpetrator and for the missing...

heart.

...

"We should start making the funeral arrangements." She said, clearly distressed but more furious than she had ever been. Lady Chiho was unequivocally not ready to start autopsying her colleagues. She had preferred to be the first one of them to die so she would be spared from that gruesome task. It wasn't that she could not do it, she just did not feel  _right_  doing it. These people were her comrades once upon a time, a very long time. Though, she had to face the facts, they were older than her. Most of them were starting to show signs of ill health.

Still, Takayama was the last person she had wanted to cut open. He wasn't granted the comfort of dying a natural death. That was what had angered her the most.

"Did you find anything?" Madara asked, it had been three hours now since they retrieved the body and Eiji was nowhere to be seen. He didn't want to think too much about it, leaving the man alone was probably the only thing he could do for him right now.

"Nothing that you had not seen already. There were no other injuries; external or internal. Organs are intact. Except for the heart. And, well, the eyes." She stated as a matter-of-factly, trying to separate herself altogether from this situation.

"When did he-?" He asked. This was the most important question of all to him. He needed to confirm just when he had died. But it seems that Lady Chiho was also having trouble placing the time of death. She squirmed and shifted her position to look at Madara instead. Takayama's corpse was spread on a metal gurney with his body covered in a thin sheet of cloth.

"From first look, I would say a day to maybe thirty-six hours." She didn't seem convinced of her answer so, he waited for her to continue.

"But I highly doubt that. You see, a body decomposes at different sequences, each hugely affected by several factors. One of which is temperature. It had been so cold recently, I wouldn't be surprised if he had been dead for at the very least three days, if not more. The cold delays decomposition as you could see."

 _Hmm._ Just as he guessed. He may have been dead for longer than he looked. However, it wouldn't last for long, Madara noticed the discoloration already spreading all over his body. He was grateful that they had not found him much later. Otherwise, they would have been dealing with a bloated, insect-infested cadaver they could no longer recognize. The stench could have been worse, too.

Now that that question was answered, new ones paved their way through. In both their minds, though none of them dared to ask. It wasn't time for it. Not now. They needed to arrange for a funeral and only after could they start questioning.

"I suppose I should start the embalming." The elderly woman looked dejected. Her usually neatly kept hair was disheveled from standing on her feet for three hours, dissecting a man she had highly respected. Though, her grey hair was still tied in a high ponytail while the rest of her outfit was bloody and wrinkled. She took off the protective body suit as she called out to her assistants. "Get the materials ready. We're starting!"

"Embalming?" Madara repeated. He knew what it was, he just didn't know why she decided to go for the embalming instead of the traditional cremation they performed for each of their dead.

"Yes, he once asked me to do so in the wake of his death. He did not want to be cremated. I thought that this was the very least I could do for him, Madara-sama." She answered, no longer able to make this impersonal. She was clearly hurt by the sudden demise of her colleague. As much as Madara was as well, his mind was too busy trying to come up with how someone could have done this. How they snuck into the compound and killed him. Why they did it. Unless, it was one of their own. But Madara refused to believe it for a second.

He promised himself he wouldn't be thinking about this right now, he needed to pay his respects for the man.

"I see." Was the last thing he said before leaving the clinic. It was best if he did not interrupt her.

Walking down the hall, he tried to straighten his thoughts. Everyone must have received the news by now. That was when he saw him. Calling out to Eiji, he couldn't help but wonder what were  _his thoughts._

"Come along with me."

* * *

He knocked before opening the doors to their bedroom.

He found her sitting in the same position she had in the library, except this time, she was kneeling at the foot of the bed. She nearly jumped Madara when she saw him come in.

Grabbing his shoulders, she practically shouted,  _"Is it him?! Tell me!"_

She was already acting crazy. Or maybe she really was. Madara could see it in her eyes. How she could not focus on one thing, her pupils constantly moving as if in search of something. But most of all, she could not look him in his eyes. Her behavior was becoming more unstable by the second. He gently tugged her hands away and stepped back, trying to distance himself from her.

"Yes." He replied, curtly.  _Of course, it was him. How could she still be in denial?_  She crossed her arms, as if trying to comfort herself.

"It..it can't." Her voice was shaking. "I was just- just speaking to him yesterday. You have to believe me Madara. Maybe it was a mistake."

 _"There was no mistake!"_ He tried to drill it into her mind, the faster she accepted it, the easier it would be to move on. Besides, it wasn't that he didn't believe her. He did believe that she was talking to someone, it just wasn't Takayama. He closed his eyes and counted down to three. He let out a sigh. After calming down, he managed to soften his tone.

"Look, he's dead. I don't know who you were talking to-"

"It was him! I swear it was him. I'm not crazy, Madara." She had lost it. Pacing around, Mina truly did look mad as a hatter. He was having a hard time believing she was still sane. He understood just how to deal with things like this. Sort of. He knew well enough that you didn't meet crazy with crazy. At least one of them had to be sensible in order for this conversation to take place. And it wasn't going to be her, apparently. She found her way to the windows and looked out hastily. She checked the locks several times- something she began doing two days ago- before going back to pacing across the room.

"I never said that you were." He tried to soothe her. Deep down, he knew it probably wasn't working. And as such, he was more than expecting an angry blow-out to his face. He expected wrong. She had become still, dropping her arms to her side as she appeared to return back to normal.

 _"Then why are you looking at me like that?"_  She whispered. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"No." Honesty was the best policy. In some cases. Others, not as much. "He's been dead for three days, Mina."

It shocked him. How strange her name felt on his lips. Had he really never called her by her name before? His thoughts didn't count. It was a bit awkward; to hear her name in his voice like that. He tried to brush it off by calling in the man waiting outside.

"Come in." He demanded. The doors opened to let in Eiji. Expressionless as always, he bowed down to his leader and continued on with the little charade.

"Yes, Madara-sama?"

With his eyes still remaining on her, he asked,

_"When was the last time you've seen your father?"_

Not a second later, "Three nights ago."  _On the night of the storm, it seems._  Though the only thing memorable about that night to Madara was the spontaneous earthquake that shook the household. What was more intriguing was that glint of apprehension in her eyes. Then, panic. Like something had dawned on her. It was so small, but that had been her reaction. Something that he was searching for. Her focus seemed to be on Eiji as she tried to make sense of his admission. It appeared that his words had more of an effect on her than Madara's ever did. Eiji, on the other hand, did not appear to be fazed by her silent gaze. Although, the man was known to easily mask his emotions and, well- everything. Deadpan was the only way to describe his inscrutable countenance. Madara quickly caught on and was itching to know what exactly they were hiding from him.

"My condolences." She said, bowing respectfully in turn.

 _What the hell has gotten into her?_ Her actions stunned him sometimes. Her irrationality confounded him even more. Acting hysterical in one moment, and the gaining full control of herself in the next, it was something only she could do. Or rather, women in general.

"You may leave." He told him. At his order, the shinobi left silently. And quickly. Disappearing into thin air was one of Eiji's ideal means in getting out of anything. He was good at it, too. "Satisfied?" His question was rhetorical. Although, judging from her response, she did not see it that way.

"What if you're right? What if-"

 _"I am right!" What more proof did she want?_  He was exasperated. Madara couldn't wait to get out of here.

"Then who was I talking to? I'm not lying Madara! It was him. Or-"

"Or what? What is it?"  _Couldn't she make up her fucking mind?!_

"Or someone who looked like him."

 _Yes, an impersonator. She had been talking to an impersonator._  Sound logic; it was something that she seemed to be lacking. What was more distressing was that this was not her first time acting like this and he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last either. Madara made sure that he would have to get her checked out by a medic later. Maybe she had fallen and hit her head during the quakes, who knew? He had one last thing to say to her before he left.

"Take my words as they are or don't, I couldn't care less. What I do care for is that you  _stop this nonsense_  at the wake. Is that understood?  _You are to be present at the funeral, clear?"_ He turned to leave before things got any more explosive than they already were. He heard her calling after him as he closed the doors.

"You're wrong! Madara, listen to me. I th-think it's..back.  _It_ ' _s back Madara!"_ The fear in her voice resonated much, much louder as her shouts echoed down the hall. He was not used to dealing with women's hysteria. Neither did he have the patience to. It was a miracle that he was able to stand down that long without blowing a fuse himself. He was getting better at it, or so he liked to think. Her tantrums were the last things he wanted to deal with at the moment. At any moment, for that matter.

_Great._

* * *

**_Eiji's POV_ **

The numbness of his loss had just begun. Torment awaited him. For many years to come, the only thing that he would be looking for is the agony and the misery of having left his father with a bitter memory of his actions and his words. Of the pain that he had caused him. Of the sorrow he had overwhelmed him with. And most of all, for every blame he had placed on his frail shoulders.

The pain would hit him out of nowhere, nearly doubling him over as disgust overcame him.  _Where are you?_  He would cry out in his mind.  _Where have you gone?_  Of course, his dead father couldn't answer him. Nausea swirled unrestrained in his empty stomach, twisting it in knots he never thought possible. His mind drowned in regrets and shame. His heart felt as if it was sinking and sinking so deep into absolute nothingness; an everlasting void he had no control over. A void much like the one his old man had. Except, his still had a beating heart which was very much alive and burning. Burning for his lost father. His only father. The one who had given up everything for him.  _Everything._  This melancholic mood hung over him like a black cloud, ready to burst forth the fires of hell. A place he knew he would end up going to a long time ago.

This was not just a metaphorical cloud, though. It was indeed a cloudy night. Cold and bitter, as usual.

Eiji didn't have it in him to attend the funeral. He had offended his father enough, he did not deserve to step a mere foot on his consecrated grave. Instead, he found himself sitting on a bench near a pond. Looking at his own reflection. He did not recognize himself at first; that horrid scar running along the sides of his cheek, the hardened edges of his face, the graying long hair pulled back in a plait, those fragile and weak folds in his pale skin. His dark eyes and his growing beard reminded Eiji of  _him_. Though, his own beard would pale in comparison to Takayama's. It only reached the tip of his sternum, he still had a long way to go if he wanted to beat his old man.

He couldn't help but touch it, stroke it until his memories returned. How he would always play with his father's beard as a child, always pulling and tugging at it as if it was a toy. He never minded his foolishness, in fact, he had enjoyed it when he caught hold of it. Excluding the times when he tried to rip it off his face, Takayama had hated those painful pulls.

The shrine was one of the few places his father cherished. And all Eiji ever wanted was to feel close to him again. Not like those past few years when they were gradually growing apart. No, he desperately wanted to get back to his father, to talk to him, to tell him he was sorry for everything. For the failures he had done all his life, for the failure he turned out to be. He had even brought food for the ducks, knowing that they would never return. Never. They were gone, not just for the winter but for Takayama, too. They would only eat from his hands.

 _"I'm sorry for your loss."_ Her voice was full of pity and sadness. It appeared that she, too, hadn't attended the funeral. Against Madara's wishes.  _She had guts._  It wasn't the first time she disobeyed him.

He didn't answer her. Staring at his reflection while hanging on to his father's cane was the only thing he could do without splitting this earth open. It had taken too soon.

"May I?" She asked, wondering if she could take the seat next to him. Not too long ago, it was the same seat she had taken, not next to the son, but next to his father. Again, he didn't answer. She took his silence as an affirmation and sat down gently. Eiji continued feeding the imaginary ducks and sprinkled food into the water. At least the fishes were benefiting from his little bout of madness. A while had passed and none of them spoke a work. Surprisingly, he was the one to break that tranquility.

"He spoke very fondly of you." He said in all honestly. It truly wasn't a lie. Takayama had a soft spot for her. Admittedly, on some level, Eiji had felt jealous of such a bizarre passion his father had for an extra-terrestrial. Because that was exactly who she was; an alien. Forever was and forever will be in his eyes. This wasn't her world and she had no right to just barge in an-and..

"He was a very kind man." She responded. For the first time that day, he looked at her. He had never taken notice of her appearance before. Now that he bothered to concentrate on her, he found nothing special. She was an ordinary woman. She wasn't Uchiha of course, but she managed fine. Plain, but fine. She was wearing black, for the funeral she was supposed to attend that evening and which she so incidentally skipped.

Eiji stood up, his father's cane still steady in his hands. He began walking to the shrine's steps. His whole body hung limp and listless as he took each step, as if each of his limbs weighed ten times what they used to. It weighed him down, sunk him deeper into despair. Mina was following his steps, copying each of his movements, mimicking each of his rinsing under the streams of the trough.

He came to a stop at the Ema. Dust had amassed all over it. A testament to how long his father has not been to this place. He had always been the one to clean it, to brush it off and keep it in shape so it did not perish along with time. It was odd, Takayama had become recluse from most people during his last days, complaining that it was getting too cold and that his feet were aching. The only reason that he had found it strange was because it did not fit with Takayama's persistence. Never had a winter thwarted him off his game, never did the coldness push him away. Whatever the season was, whether it was scorching hot or freezing cold, he was always here. Taking care of his mother's legacy. As long as body allowed him to. As long as he had a pair of feet to get him where he wanted, as long as he had a pair of lungs that allowed him to breathe; there was virtually nothing that could stop him in all these years.

Asides from  _this_  year. Since her unexpected arrival, everything around here seemed to have taken a turn. For the worst. She stood behind him, quiet and unable to speak. While he was beginning to find his voice.  _Just_  beginning to.

"You're lucky, he never took well to strangers. He seemed to have had high regards for you however." He admitted again. He didn't really believe it whenever his father talked about her. Had he had eyes, Eiji was sure that they would have been bright as the sun whenever he mentioned her. Frankly, he never saw the similarities his dad pointed out. What was there to see? He never knew either of them. "All because you reminded him of his wife. Fucked, is it not?" The hint of venom in his tone took him by surprise as much as it did her. He heard her gulp back her discomfort and stood her ground firmly.

"I-" He did not let her speak another word beyond that.

"You see, her name was Mina, too." What was probably awkwardness for her was slowly turning into frustration for him as he recalled all those useless arguments with his father about how she was in no way near his mother. That he would not let his father tarnish his memories of her by comparing her to a mere woman like this one. She did not possess that grace his mother possessed, nor that poise or elegance she had. Even her beauty could not parallel that of the woman who birthed him. All this time, he had built a perfect image of a mother he never knew, but in reality, only added qualities to a great deal he had already heard of from his father.

"He never told me her name." She muttered.

"Of course he wouldn't, how awkward would you think it would be?"

Despite all the disagreements and quarrels, Takayama always held true to his beliefs. And the longer she stayed here, the more outrageous his beliefs had become. At some point, they had disputed about how his mother had miraculously came back from the dead and oh-so happened to reincarnate in some young woman who wasn't even from this world. Perhaps he was biased, seeing that he didn't really believe in reincarnation. But his father had taken it a whole new level. Which frustrated him. Infuriated him, even. Since then, the contempt he felt for her only grew.

His words shut her up for good this time. He wiped a line of dust off the surface using his thumb and analyzed it as if it was the most intriguing thing in the world.

"Father has even gone as far as claiming that you were her reincarnation."  _How crazy was that?_ From where he was standing, nothing made sense anymore. He was running with the flow. Still, she said nothing. He was expecting her to leave. To go back home and hide under her bed from the scary monsters. It was quite ironic actually, considering that she was sleeping with one. If she wasn't going to talk, then he was. It was about time he made his opinion heard.

"He wasn't doing too well in his last days. I wo-"

"How did she die?" She interrupted him, catching him slightly off guard. He turned to look at her. Mina couldn't meet his eyes, suddenly ashamed of her question. "Sorry if I was so blunt, I didn't-"

"Assassinated." If she wanted to know so bad, then by all means, he would go ahead and tell her. "Long ago when the Senju and the Uchiha attempted a treaty that would have ended all the wars between them, father met a woman who was a healer. Just for your information, your husband was not the first one to sign a peace treaty with that clan, just the first one who made it last this long."

Over the course of history, the Senju and the Uchiha had attempted many times to reach a permanent solution that would end the bloodshed between them. Sometimes, there was even hope that it would last. As time would prove it, hope would only bring the downfall of these men. None of these so-called treaties ever lasted.

"Unknowing to him, she was from a distant clan related to the Senju. But as you can see, I exist. So, such a thing did not matter to my father when he found out. The romantic he was. He even gifted her that pendant you're wearing." That certainly caught her attention.

"How? He told me it went missing after it was given to his-"

"I told you he wasn't doing well, didn't I? And it wasn't given to his great-grandmother, but rather one of her aunts. Excuse him, being the old man that he was, his memory often played tricks on him." She tore her gaze away, embarrassed at her own dubiety. He sighed. "It did really go missing. I cannot tell you what had happened in that time where it was given to that ancestor and when he had found it." Eiji couldn't tell her, because he honestly didn't know. And neither did Takayama, which said a lot.

As it was known, history had a nasty habit of repeating itself. And such accord that was signed in Takayama's time would not hold out much longer. When relations between the two clans were gradually deteriorating, tensions rose between the clan members themselves. Those who wanted the treaty to continue and those who opposed it. Favor had fallen into the latter group. Soon enough, his mother was to be ostracized by his clan until she could no longer bear it. Sadly, for her, she had just given birth to a child.

In their world, their heritage determined their loyalty. And well, his mother's loyalty was often question by his dad's kin.

"I'm sorry." He heard her say.

"For what?"

"For what's about to happen." _Huh, so she thinks she already knows what's going to happen?_

"Oh don't be sorry just yet." He smiled, he couldn't help it. "Mother was a strong woman, but she had her flaws. You know how well the Uchiha could be savages, no? I'm sure you've seen it, hm." He taunted her, all that irritation he held on for so long was starting to seep from under that mask.

"Her only option was to flee. Hard enough as it was, she had no choice. Father agreed to help her escape before the Uchiha got to her head first. Luckily, they didn't but something else did."

Something. Something that wasn't human.

"When it was found out, her husband was accused of treason- and seeing the intolerable bunch that we were- he was sentenced to death and any living descendants of his, as well. By this time, she was already half way across the forest. Alone."

All the while, the husband was doing everything he could in his power to save his newborn infant from having his head severed off. He gave himself up. The only thing he had that was valuable to him as an Uchiha. At the end, he sacrificed his eyes, his everything just so Eiji could have a chance to live.  _Ah, what a wonderful life it turned out to be._

 _"_ She never made it out of those woods. And I'm sure you could guess why." He said through clenched teeth.

She stepped back as he stepped forward. Her face was whiter than the clouds hovering far above , as if she had seen a ghost.  _"Come on, guess?"_  That venomous tone was returning, this time, willingly.

"You brought  _it_  back didn't you?" He kept walking, trying to close the distance while she kept retreating. Until she almost slipped down the steps to the shrine.

"How do you know it killed her?!" She finally fought back. This was his chance. He gripped her arms and pulled her back in so she could not fall off and then he would be blamed for whatever happened to her. Even so, he did not let go of her. His grip tightened around her wrist.

"How do you think you got that fucking necklace?" Anger. So much anger and resentment inside of him. "In a last ditch effort to get that pendant away from its grasp, she had tried to seal it away as she died. It didn't work. And somehow it ended up teleporting into your goddamn world!" He couldn't understand how his mother did it, he didn't  _want to_  understand either. He only knew one thing, and one thing only.

"If you had just stayed put in whatever  _hell_  you came from, _this demon_ wouldn't be here. And my father would still be _ALIVE!"_

 _Alive. Breathing. Smiling at him._ Now, he was just some old corpse with a hole in the place of his heart, buried underneath them and waiting for the earth to devour him, to eat away his flesh until his bones were his only remains.

"Please let me go." She pleaded, he could see the tears in her eyes as they began to form. He didn't know when his sharingans had activated, but it  _felt good. So good._

 _"We weren't the only ones alone that night._ " He informed her, in case it wasn't clear enough back when Madara had invited him into the room.

 _"I know."_ Her voice cracked as she held back the tears.

"It's all your fault that it's back. That it was even here in the first place." That revelation only sparked up the flames burning within.

"I'm sorry, Eiji. Please let me go." Her lips began to quiver the closer she got to her breakdown.

"Sorry will not bring my father back from the dead. You know what could help, though?" He couldn't help but smirk at the defenseless woman right in front of him. She was like putty in his hands. The stark contrast between the same woman who had acted so fearlessly against that Hyuga and the one clearly over the edge right now, it amused him.

 _"Go. Back. To. Where. You. Came. From."_ He paused between each word to make sure that the message got through to her thick skull. That was when she began squirming and twisting to get away from him.

"I want to! But I ca-can't!" She screamed. She kept repeating that she wanted to, but he didn't buy it.

 _"Oh really?_  Because you're not trying hard enough. You know what I think?  _I think you want to stay here."_ He felt a sharp pain in his left cheek as she back-handed him, forcing her to release his grasp on her. Seizing the opportunity, she turned around and rushed down the steps, nearly falling and colliding with the ground. She continued running and running, putting more distance between them.

Eiji wasn't moving. He stood in his place, his fingers brushing against his red cheek. She threw a good slap, that was for sure.

He noticed her figure disappearing steadily through the smoke. _No, not smoke._ He looked up at the night sky and saw the smallest of speckles falling lazily from above. Not long after, the whole area was covered with a thin sheet of snow, just like a carpet. He needn't worry about her. Whatever that  _thing_  was that killed his father, was going to get rid of her, just as it went after his mother.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The more I discover about this site, the more I surprise myself. I just realized what a close-knit community AO3 is, everyone is so supportive and everything. Which is amazing honestly. But here I am, a stranger potato, who's trying to make her way through xD  
> It's kinda hilarious yet so awkward. So, so awkward.


	38. Secrets

 

_**Mina's POV** _

Breathless.

I was breathless by the time I went back to the house. Even then, I was still straining to get my lungs to work properly. Running through the dark and miry path was scary enough, but the exertion I had to put on my body so it would get me far, far away from him in this cold winter night, it...it robbed my ability to breathe just as the night robbed away the daylight. I only realized that it had been snowing once I made it to the steps of the house. Feeling as if my legs were abandoning me, that my muscles were ready to give up fighting; I slumped against the wooden stairs, my ribs heaved up and down, up and down until the pressure inside my chest eased just slightly. The tightness in my throat was slowly ebbing away as I made my way down these halls.

My mind was in turmoil.

This was too much; too much for my brain to handle and too much for my heart to bear. It wasn't supposed to go like this.  _This wasn't right!_ I denied myself the truth, hoping that as long as I pretended that it didn't happen, then it didn't happen. But it  _didn't_  matter how long I was in denial, I couldn't ignore everything that was going on around me- as much as I wished I could. Couldn't ignore the impetuous footsteps outside the room, couldn't ignore the massive shuffling in the household, nor the swarm of maids preparing for the funeral and the tense and the downright depressive state everyone was in. The heavy atmosphere that hung over the place was a constant reminder of the very same thing that I was trying to avoid.

I didn't have it in me to go to the funeral. As always, I chickened out. The coward that I was, I just couldn't get my feet out the door. I was appropriately dressed, somewhat prepared and ready to head out, except; I really wasn't. My hands hovered over the bathroom knob for what seemed like hours as my mind tried to unblock itself, to untie the tangled knots that had me incapacitated. I thought I had heard Madara come into the room, looking for me probably. He dragged his feet around for a while before coming to a stop in front of the washwroom door. He stood there, waiting. I leaned against the door. He was angry, I had guessed. I was to be expected at the funeral, wasn't I?

"I'm sorry." I unconsciously whispered, hoping that maybe he was close enough to hear so that I wouldn't have to repeat it again. His loud sigh was proof enough that he did hear me. I was eternally grateful that he had left me alone.

And alone I was. Sitting on the tiled floor, I finally let go of that denial I had been clinging onto and in its place came a wave of emotions rushing through, some of which I could never put a finger on, much less a name.

I thought that I could maybe make up for my foolish behavior if I paid my respects directly to his son. Perhaps it was impertinence on my part or even presumptuousness, still I had meant no disrespect to Takayama by not attending his funeral. I regretted it. I regretted it deeply. I should have never went to Eiji. I knew he was mourning the loss of his father, how he was suffering. His grief had just begun, I knew that. I knew that so well and yet, I decided to go. I just never imagined it would turn out this awful.

Dizziness was getting the better of me. I wouldn't have been able to walk down the corridors if I had not held onto the walls for support. Yellow light from the faintest bulbs brightened the narrow wooden alleyway, engulfing it in a distinctive orange glow. This light illuminated a path I would have otherwise had a hard time roaming through. Even with the light, there was one thing I couldn't have seen. Or maybe it had been my brain that chose not to see it, but that figure that was leaning against one of the pillars was waiting for me. Apparently, I really couldn't tell. I just wanted to go to bed. Bed was the only safe place right now. I continued walking, paying no attention to whoever it was even as I passed him by. Although, he could have stopped me if he wanted, seeing that I was barely lifting my feet to move. I feared that if I tried to hurry up in my unbalanced condition, I would end up falling face-first to the floor and my wobbly legs wouldn't have been able to help me up. The world was spinning round and round and I couldn't see properly.

"Where have you been?" Izuna asked.

I didn't answer him and continued down the lobby, towards the room.

"Silent treatment?" He said sarcastically, though there was barely any hint of it in his voice. He was as gloomy as everyone else. Which wasn't really a surprise. I heard footsteps behind me, following my own unsteady ones. I didn't need to look at him to reply back.

"I will not-" I took a deep breath before I could go on any further. " _-and can not_ -" Another gulp of air. " _Deal with your shit right now."_ I didn't stop to see his reaction. I didn't need to nor want to. Keep on going forward was my only concern at the moment. And I was not about to let him- of all people- to interrupt it. His footsteps never ceased either.

"Never said that you should."

I clenched my hands at his unnecessary comment. I had wished that he knew boundaries when boundaries were needed. Such as now. He needed to leave. Far away where my fingers wouldn't be able to reach his delicate throat and wring his useless neck.

_Keep walking._

_"Where were you?"_ He repeated. He could ask all he wanted, I wasn't about to answer him. Suddenly, I felt a grip on my arms. It had become almost instinctive, something I didn't need to think about. I swiftly turned around and slapped him across his cheeks. Couldn't see his face properly as everything was still blurry. For a second, I thought it was Eiji back again. It only occurred to me a few moments later that it was still Izuna. He took a step back, startled at my immediate response. So was I. Although, I was pretty sure that he wasn't actually hurt.

"What's wrong with you?" Izuna questioned, skeptic and obviously puzzled. What was wrong with  _him?_  What kind...kind of sick pervert does what he did? I didn't forget, I just didn't want to cope with his idiocies at this time. It wasn't right. Ignoring him, I headed back into my direction and tried to forget that he was even there at all. I succeeded.

And now, I found myself quietly sneaking into the room so I didn't wake him up. If he was even awake in the first place. I wasn't in the mood for a lecture from him, though a lecture wouldn't be half bad, when in reality, I never really knew what he had in store for me. I stood there at the doorway, aimlessly staring at the bed. Even if I did hide under the covers, sleep wouldn't come to me tonight. My brain was turning on me. It wouldn't stop thinking, no matter how hard I tried to will myself. Every word, every syllable Eiji uttered was etched into the depths of my mind. I shook my head violently. I pounded it down again and again in the palms of my hands, but my thoughts wouldn't dislodge themselves. They were stuck there and they were going to drive me insane as they always did.

 _Takayama couldn't have had a wife._ Didn't he, though?

 _Her name couldn't have been Mina._ But then, he never revealed her name.

 _She couldn't have been killed by goddamn Black Zetsu in a goddamn forest in the middle of goddamn nowhere as she tried to hide the goddamn pendant from him._ No one could possibly know what truly happened in that forest asides from her and the devil himself.

It didn't matter how many times I repeated those three sentences, they didn't seem to fit. I highly doubted that Eiji would have lied about something like this. He wouldn't admit to something so personal just to creep me out in hopes of scaring me off. No, he wanted me to know. To know that I was the reason his father was in the ground; to  _know_  that it was ultimately my fault, my fault for everything going wrong in his world. And to  _feel_  the fear and the blame. His words were cruel but his eyes were crueler. They were what convinced me just how deep his hate went. I never understood how much he had despised me and for this long. All this time, I had been completely oblivious to his contempt for me.

I stare on, longing to be under the covers and asleep. I yearned for that feeling, the one that overwhelms one's senses until the they stood on the verge of their consciousness. That threshold that made you wonder whether you were still tiptoeing on the brink of reality or whether you were far gone into the realm of sleep. I wanted nothing more than to lay down and be enveloped by the warmth of silence. His warmth. I wanted to hide and fall back into his arms. Though, if I was to be honest with myself, it wasn't really for his heat. But rather to escape this horror that was my life. It didn't seem like a good way to deal with things; to just hide away from my fears, much less in another person's embrace. It was a cowardly way, I knew that, but still...I couldn't care at this point. Yet here I was, finally succumbing to my own desires as I pulled aside the covers and sunk into the bed gently. I didn't bother with taking my clothes off.

Madara's back was to me as he faced the other side, he really was asleep and a part of me envied him for that. It had become an unspoken agreement between us. During the last few days, each would find an excuse to huddle together; he got whatever he wanted out of it, and I got the heat I craved for as the days got colder. But tonight was different.

I turned to face my side as well.

My eyes were wide open, unable to shut even for a mere second. A second I could have used to rest.

_"Go. Back. To. Where. You. Came. From."_

_"You know what I think? I think you want to stay here."_ The raw disgust in his eyes made me feel so small and so insignificant, it was numbing. I could still see them even now. I had no doubt that they were nothing like his father's. If Takayama had had eyes, I could only imagine them being filled with anything but the revulsion Eiji seemed to have a load of.

 _"It's all your fault that it's back. That it was even here in the first place." Was it? Did I really...bring it back?_ If what he said about his mother was true, was Zetsu waiting for me all this time?

...

_"Maybe."_

I opened my eyes- eyes I didn't even know I closed- and found myself looking into a pair of yellow orbs I would have never thought of seeing again. That voice, that malice-

I screamed as loud as I could. As hard as I could. I wouldn't stop, not until my voice cracked or until my vocal cords were damaged. I had expected shrill cries, haunting echoes, I had even expected Madara to wake up; except I heard none of these things. There were no screams, no shouts, nothing. Only darkness. Everywhere. I couldn't see anything. I couldn't move. I felt like my whole body was paralyzed, with only my head being able to shift sideways. I was in that place again, that strange place where one never knew if they were dreaming or not. I turned my head and found Madara facing me now, though he was still asleep. His head was propped up on the pillow while his black mane was sprawled all over the sheets. One of his hands were outstretched to me, as if it was trying to pull me out of this nightmare.

 _"Madara! Wake up!"_ I called out to him, louder and louder. _"Wake up! Come on! Please!"_ I wanted to shake him desperately, to knock him out of that peaceful daze. But my arms were stuck to my side, frozen in place. Just as my legs and feet were. I wanted to take his hands so bad.

Long, knife-like claws touched the tip of my chin and slowly turned my head back in its direction. I began hyperventilating as I came face-to-face with it once more.

 _"Aren't you going to greet me?"_ Black Zetsu said, each word out of its mouth was poison, toxic vile to my ears. Its teeth were serrated just like a saw, ready to tear into one's flesh. My eyes were wide open; looking, searching for a way out of this heinous nightmare.

 _"Hello, to you too."_ His grin, it sent chills up my spine. It was the sort that stretched from ear to ear, like a Cheshire cat. Beneath its glowing eyes, it wore a smirk that appeared wide enough to split its unfathomable face with its rows of viciously jagged teeth apart. Even so, a Cheshire cat would have been much more merciful and pleasing to look at. This...this monster- the sickening creature that it was- it hunched over me. Its strange and twisted proportions were reminiscent of a human, something it seemed to enjoy impersonating as it took on a distorted humanoid form.

Yet, it still retained its jet-black mass of glob as skin. But there was something wrong about it- like the rest of this cursed world.

_No. Please, no._

"Leave me alone."I cried. Tears were spilling down my face, I could feel my cheeks dampen as the panic inside me sparked like an angry fire. The tightness in my chest returned and it was not even in contact with me. It looked down on me with such malignant glee, I couldn't help it as I broke down. My wracking sobs were the only things I heard. I couldn't scream for help; no one was listening, not even the man who was less than a feet away from me.

 _"Shh, don't cry, Mina-sama."_ I felt its disgustingly long talons brush my lips. The sudden burning sensation had me wailing even louder, though my useless attempts were met in vain. I shook my head to the sides, begging for it to leave me alone before my flesh melted away. I had never been this close to Black Zetsu before, and it hurt. It physically hurt. Whether it was merely my mind finally snapping or it was Zetsu; whatever he had done to me, it made me want to shed my own skin, to rip it off and crawl out of this wretched body. I never felt anything like it. Not the fear, not the physical hurting of having my ribs cave in on my lungs, making it excruciatingly harder to breathe.

"No no no. Get out." I pleaded in despair. It didn't respond.

The longer he stood next to me, the further I found myself from this reality. It didn't belong to this world and neither did I.

"You..you killed him, didn't you?" I asked, tear drops still streaming down my cheeks. I couldn't dare look at it, so it looked at me instead. No matter where I stared, it would always end up in my field of vision until it occupied every inch of this room or whatever hell I was in. I could only look at it for so long before finding myself wanting to spout out my innards, my guts, everything. I couldn't stand it being this close as it crouched further down. Our eyes were less than an inch apart.

 _"Yes. I did."_ He confessed nonchalantly, though that hidden pride seemed so evident in his brutal admission.

"Why you-" I wanted to curse at him, damn him to hell, tear him to pieces but I couldn't even get my body to obey me.

 _"He was old. Useless. And knew too much. He was bound to die."_ That grin never seemed to dissipate, it grew wider if that was even possible. His mouth parted just slightly and I couldn't hold myself back from looking. It was- black. Empty. Bottomless.  _Just like a rabbit hole._  This monster, he- no, it- whatever the fuck it was was, there was no end to him and no beginning to its entity either. He was everything, and yet absolute nothing at the same time. It terrified me to the core. If he could devour me, I was sure he would have done it already. I pulled my gaze away and looked to the side, only to find Madara had retreated back ten feet, still sound asleep. _What the-?_ He was far now, I couldn't understand how. Was this an illusion?  _What was this? Where was I?!_

_"Should have killed him back then with his lovely wife. What a beauty, she was."_

My eyes widened.

 _"But I didn't want to orphan the poor child. What kind of monster would I be if I took both his parents so soon?"_ His sinister laugh was nothing like anything I had ever heard before. I couldn't speak, but the tears had stopped, now replaced by something completely different.

"Madara! Wake up! Someone help!"

 _"He can't hear you."_ I looked at him again, he wasn't moving.  _Oh God, was he-?_

_"Don't you worry about him."_

How could I not? He was motionless, I couldn't see the normal rise and fall of his chest, he couldn't have been breathing.

"What do you want from me?! Please ju-just-" I began sobbing again. "Leave me alone." I quivered as the tingling sensation made its way up my body. I looked down and saw that this strange black matter was slowly engulfing every part of me. I didn't think he could get any closer, but as he did, his shape started to blur all the while his body gradually morphed with mine. His talons went straight for my neck and took hold of the pendant. He held it with such gentle care, looking it over and over until he was satisfied that it was the real one.

 _"I have waited so long. All these years and here you are. She thought she could hide it away from me forever."_ The rasping in his breathe was unnatural, it was awful and it made me want scratch my ears off. My eyes were burning like the rest of my body. If I had the chance to pluck them out of their orbits, I would have. Being this near to Black Zetsu made me want to things to my body I never would have imagined doing. Anything that would get me away from him.

His hands let go of the necklace and wrapped its sharp claws around my neck.

 _"What a futile attempt. I could already see her rolling over in her grave had I bothered to put her in one."_ His implication was clear. And it only added more to my sickness. He made me want to gag, by just imagining it. He had left her body- if it was anywhere near as bad as Takayama's- out there in the wild for animals to feed on, for time to tear it down until she was nothing but a bag of bones.

"You disgusting piece of shit, I-"

 _"But-"_ I felt light tapping on the base of my nape.  _"I should thank you. You've brought me a much more valuable gift."_

_Gift?_

His grip on my neck suddenly tightened. I wheezed, trying to draw in air before I passed out. Instead, I felt like the air was being forced out of me as he sat on top of my limp body. That familiar dizziness returned, my eyesight was becoming blurry as I fought to stay conscious. His cold and slimy fingers squeezed my neck harder and harder, like their was no limit to his strength before he could purposely snap my spine.

_"He's a perfect vessel, quite intriguing if you ask me."_

My eyes began to close, no longer able to stand the sight in front of me. Eventually, I stopped gasping for air, too. My head stood still and I couldn't fight back anymore. Everything came to a halt in those moments as I was willingly losing myself to this never-ending pit of darkness.

_Madara..._

My head was snapped back into place as his other hand caught hold of my face.

 _"I will be taking this now, if that is alright by you?"_  He daunted. I was only kept conscious because he had wanted me to.  _"I should probably thank you for this, too."_ He continued pinning me down into the bed as his fingers clasped tightly around my neck while his other hand pushed my head deeper and deeper into- nothing. This wasn't a bed. It couldn't have been a bed.

The crisp, cold and sharp water filled my vision. It pulled me back to reality as I felt my limbs begin to move. Regaining control of them, I tried to frantically push him off, to unlatch his tight grip on my head. I squirmed, twisted, turned. Which proved to be ineffective. It didn't matter if I could now move my hands or if I had stayed paralyzed, I was still struggling to get him off. I felt the chains around my come apart as he yanked the pendant off my neck.

_No!_

This coal-black water, it was filling my lungs as much as it dimmed my vision. And I was grateful. Grateful that I didn't have to see his face, thankful that I may end up losing consciousness after all.

 _"I am sure we will meet again."_  His sickening voice rippled through the water.  _"Until then, shall we play a little game of hide and seek?"_

My arms flailed around, desperate to hang onto something- anything- to clutch to, to save me from this terror. Until I couldn't anymore. I let my hands fall to my sides, floating in this water lifelessly. Zetsu's arms still restrained me as he was about to finally force the last breath out of me.

 _"Though, here's a little secret."_  He bent forward until his gleaming yellow orbs were visible through the dark water. " _No matter where you hide..."_

In a spur of a moment, his hands faded away, his fingers that were once curled around my neck; vanished. The rest of my body felt much lighter as his weight was lifted off of me. The water quickly drained away, disappearing as mysteriously as it had appeared.

_"I'll always be watching."_

I straightened up abruptly. I found myself back in the room, sitting on a bed and completely drenched.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

He woke up to a pair of lips entangled with his own. Air was blown into his mouth as he felt her hands on his torso. She sat up, straddling him, and began pressing down on his chest. Each compression stronger than the last.

 _"Come on. Wake up Madara!"_ She shouted hysterically. It didn't seem that she realized he  _was_  awake, she bent forward and locked lips again. He pushed her back gently.

_What on earth-?_

She was soaking wet, he could feel the water dripping from her clothes. He couldn't see her very well in this darkness, but he definitely noticed those large tears that brimmed her eyes. They were red- red as any sharingan he had seen- like she had been crying for days. He sat up, with her legs still wrapped around him. She grabbed his bare shoulders.

_"He was here Madara! He was right here! I thought you were dead."_

She shook him violently as she tried to assure herself that he was in fact alive. He gripped her wrists roughly and tugged them away.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" He didn't mean to snap at her, but this was disturbing. She was acting crazier than she had been that afternoon. She had not attended the funeral- against his wishes- but, he really had no choice than to let her be. He couldn't drag her to the interment, solely out of respect for Takayama. But now, her condition seemed to deteriorate. Faster than he had imagined.

 _"HE WAS HERE!"_ She freaked out. Her eyes were running wild, her pupils constantly shifting and never resting in one place. "You have to believe me Madara. I swear to you,  _it_  was right here!"

He tried to look into her eyes, to see if there was still any rationality within her. She was still avoiding his gaze.

"Who was it?" He asked calmly. Madara was half expecting to hear Takayama's name, perhaps this was nothing more than a bad dream of hers.

_"He. It. Whatever that monster was. Zetsu was here."_

_Zetsu?_

He heard that name before, he knew it. It took him a while before he could remember where exactly. It was a long time before he said anything. Mina was growing restless as the seconds passed. They sat there in the darkness. She wasn't budging as she sat in his lap. Madara's hand went to her side of the bed and felt the doused sheets. It couldn't have been entirely sweat, the mattress was completely saturated and water oozed out from between the threads of the covers.

He looked back at her and saw that her expression had changed. She became still. Deadly quiet. As if something had taken hold of her. Her panic was overridden by confusion and then apprehension.

 _"You still don't believe me, do you?"_ Her soft voice when she had whispered that phrase was a sharp contrast to the words she had been screaming not even a minute ago. Or a few minutes, actually. He couldn't tell just how slow time could pass in this room when he was with her.

She pushed herself off and stumbled off the bed. Nearly falling to her face, she held onto the bed for support as she gathered herself.

 _Where was she going?_ Fully conscious now, he turned on the lamplight and stood up.

"Where do you think you're going?" He called out to her. She turned around to face him.

 _"Far away from you."_ She hissed.

He was taken aback by what he saw. She was a mess, that was clear. Her hair was somewhat disheveled and yet, still soaked. Her black kimono clung to her body as water drenched her. What truly caught his eyes were the large red markings embedded deep into the pale skin around her neck. Like claws, they circled around her as if she was being strangled to death. Some of the same imprints were present on her face; around her mouth and forehead.  _These weren't ordinary prints._ She couldn't have done it to herself. They were large and appeared to have left burn marks, like some sort of warped branding.

That mild anger had unexpectedly turned into great concern.  _Where was she?_ What the fuck happened? He took a step forward, wanting to comfort her though she retreated every time he attempted to get close.

 _"Would you stop looking at me like that?!"_ She snapped back at him. Madara was confounded as much as he was surprised by her words. " _Like...like I'm crazy. That I'm out of my mind. I'm not! He was here, Madara!"_

Was that how he was looking at her? He couldn't tell. He was genuinely worried; perturbed by what could have happened to her. He did not mean for his gaze to appear that harsh; but it seemed like it did, if she had taken it that way. She was growing angry, standing there feeling cornered. He took it to his advantage as she held still and walked towards her.

 _"Why won't you trust me?"_ Her voice softened as she pleaded with him. He ignored her and continued on, closing the distance between them.  _"He. It. No. Dammit. Zetsu. From the forest that night. Was here. Here, I swear it. Came back for it. Wanted the pendant. I..it's go-gone-"_

She was becoming incoherent, her words barely made sense as she struggled to form complete sentences or even stick to one pronoun. He could see her body tremble as the cold night air washed over her dampened clothes.

 _"You have to believe me, please, Madara."_ Her voice cracked. This time, she wasn't able to hold it in anymore. Those tears that were threatening to spill out finally did. That wall that she had seemed to have built around herself ever since he met her came crashing down. He had only seen it fracture once before, but this- this was vastly different. Seeing her cry from afar was nothing compared to seeing her chin tremble, nor the slight quiver of her lips, not even the sound of her gasping breath as she begged for air.

 _"I..I.."_  She tried to speak, failing to catch herself.  _"I."_ The moment the soft whimper escaped her lips, she spun her head and buried it deep into the palms of her hands. He couldn't see her as she let it all out. Her whimpers soon transformed into stifled sobs. Her voice was so fragile, as if it was on the verge of breaking. Just as she was. She had never been this way, not even back then, in the bathroom where he found her-

It wasn't the same. Despite that, he still didn't know what to do, time hadn't taught him a thing. All he knew was that he wanted her to stop. He didn't want to her those sounds; her raw cries, her pleas, her vulnerability. Madara didn't know how to handle it, all he wanted was for her to stop before he fell to his own emotions. Before they overcame him, tore him down. But it was too late, his defenses were crumbling, one by one, they were washed away with the salty tears that streamed down her wet cheeks.

"Stop crying." He asked her, his own voice barely above a whisper. He frowned when she wouldn't.  _"Come on, stop-"_  He added, something he wasn't used to saying. His frown softened as he gently swiped her hands away. Her sounds seemed to have ceased, her tears however, did not. Her long dark lashes batted them away heavily, her eyes glued to the ground. She wouldn't face him; refused to look up at him. Hiding her face so maybe he wouldn't have to see her cry. Just as she always stopped mid-way during her laughs, the few times he had actually heard her chuckle. It was something she did subtly, and he couldn't help but think that she was embarrassed of her own emotions; whether it was content or sorrow.

Did she really not want him to see her cry?

"What's wrong?" He asked. Her hands were still in his. Realizing that, he let her go and they fell to her sides. She didn't answer him.

Madara was clueless. All this time, he thought he couldn't care less when people cried- a part of him still didn't- though when it came to her, this inexplicable feeling inside of him was telling him otherwise. He was conflicted; was he supposed to leave her alone, give her privacy or to stay and watch her cry endlessly?

He grabbed her shoulders, as tenderly as his hands would let him- which wasn't as gentle as he thought it to be. Her shaking stopped shortly after. He pulled her closer and closer until her head rested on his chest. He didn't feel right following through with the first option, so he decided to stay. But that didn't mean that he had to watch her weep. His hands still laid on her shoulders, not knowing where else to go. He was frozen in place, fire of shame and anger burned just under his skin and a deep emptiness filled his breaking heart as the sentiments brewed over and boiled past the seams he could no longer hold together. Ashamed of himself for not being able to protect someone he was bound to, even when said person were sleeping right next him. And anger at everything in this world, for nothing would ever go his way without someone getting hurt in the process.

 _"He wants you."_ She murmured into his chest, tears drying off as they stopped flowing. Mina took a step back, at long last, able to look into his eyes.

 _"He's going to use you, Madara."_ Her wide eyes and her ominous tone did nothing to reassure him. Perhaps, it was better if she had continued crying instead. This still, motionless and impassive expression of hers were somewhat worse than hearing her sobs, because beneath all that indifference and unresponsiveness in her sudden change of attitude, Madara could not tell just what were her true intentions behind her words, what was he supposed to make them out to be.

 _"Listen to me-"_  She began but he interrupted her. Brushing his warm lips against hers, their foreheads touching; he couldn't contain it anymore. He kissed her. His hands rested below her ears, his thumb caressing her cheek as their breaths mingled together. He pulled her closer until there was not a single column of space between them. He could feel the beating of her racing heart against his chest just as he could feel the wetness of her cheeks rubbing against his. Her arms reached up and snaked around his strong neck, tangling with his long and thick hair. She started to return the kiss, smoothly and ever-so-slowly.

Her heart, that fist-sized muscle that pumped continuously and tirelessly until a person took their last breath, it was all that he could feel. Everything he needed to feel. He could tell that she had begun to calm down just from the lulling beats. They were loud but they were steadying and returning back to a normal rhythm, slowly but surely. It was then that he pulled away, as much as he didn't want to, he had to. She looked up at him, calm yet confused.

Her ragged breathing had even dwindled.

His firm hands moved down to her throat, stroking the revolting marks lightly. Tracing each rough outline, he cursed himself.

* * *

They laid on the bed, with her on his side while he took the center. He didn't want her to sleep on the wet mattress. Speaking of which, he could not come up with a plausible explanation as to how the bed became drenched, and how it seemingly affected her side only. She laid in his arms, already asleep. He hadn't anticipated that she would have fallen into a deep slumber so quickly, though exhaustion and pressure certainly tire one out.

After the kiss, he had brought more blankets and wrapped them tightly around her freezing figure. He ushered her to the bed and she complied, never protesting, never uttering another word. He led her to his side and the instant her head touched his warm pillow, she dozed off. Well, somewhat. She was still clinging onto reality. He got into the bed right after and curled up against her, trying to avoid her side as much as possible before it sapped the heat out of him as well.

Mina had fallen asleep soon after.

He looked down at the sleeping figure in his arms and a pang of guilt tugged at his heart. For reasons he had been trying his best to deny for as long as he could remember. Or rather wanted to remember.

Truth was, Madara knew exactly what she was talking about. The mere mention of that night in the forest brought his memories back to life. One memory in particular would not stop repeating.

...

After defeating that Kaguya clansman, he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop. He had to rip him apart, every limb, every damn bone, until he was no longer comparable to a human being. All Madara saw was a glob of glutinous flesh becoming softer and softer as he pierced his sword through it swiftly. Blood splattered everywhere as he did so, all in all, he didn't care. As long as that hideous man never got up, Madara had no problem with it. Pleased that he had done enough and that the man was beyond dead, he withdrew his katana. Standing there, he admired his work but even though he was content with how it turned out, a part of him was damning himself for having let his anger take the better part of him.

He had enough of looking at the pile of trash in front of him, as he turned around to walk away, the feeling that had been gnawing at him since arriving there told him there was something wrong. He knew it.

There really was someone watching from the shadows.

"Show yourself." He demanded. Turning back and looking through the dense forest trees, he saw the shadows extend and expand out towards him. Like a mass of black blob moving seamlessly in the air.

_What is that?_

This clearly wasn't someone, but something.

It stood before him, changing shape and transforming into a more human-like form, its black mass made his skin crawl. Madara was determined not to let it show.

 _"Hi."_ It said.

Yellow eyes appeared at the center of what he supposed was its head. Large, fang-like teeth opened wide as it spoke its first words. There was something about, he just couldn't stare away. Its repulsiveness was alluring in a very twisted and questionably disturbing kind of way. It stood at just above six feet, slightly taller than Madara, and it was hunched forward. However, as he looked closer he noticed a hump; it was hunchbacked. It must have been much taller than it actually looked. Its disproportionately long arms hung to its sides like over-sized rods.

He wouldn't lie to himself, Madara was alarmed. He had never seen such a creature before. But that wasn't what truly bothered him. What troubled him was that feeling inside, the one that was telling him everything but to run away or even kill it. He only stood there, in a trance.

 _"Do you not like how I look?"_ It taunted him, grinning at Madara's surprisingly tranquil and unflinching resolve. In a blink of an eye, the creature was gone. Completely dissolved, almost as if it dematerialized and melted to the ground where it began diffusing. He stepped back, trying not to get caught in that black- whatever it was. Before he could even think about leaping back into the trees, the ground was already buried in that dark substance.

There were no trees. Everything was black. Dark. He couldn't tell if he was even standing on soil. His eyes searched frantically for the light, for anything out of this massive oblivion.

 _"Better?"_ It was no longer in sight, but it's voice echoed through this strange place.

He felt as if he had been floating in space, in a void of emptiness and hollows, not knowing a way out nor how those feelings came to be.  _Is this...a genjutsu?_ It had been his first guess. Though as soon as the suggestion popped into his mind, he shot it down. He would have known if someone was intercepting his chakra flow. Besides, the Uchiha leader had never been the one to easily fall under an illusion, if ever.

"What are you?" He asked to no one in particular. How could he, there was no one around.

_"Hmm, nothing."_

Madara was slowly losing patience, this darkness was starting to get to his mind. Using his katana, he tried to cut his way through. Any ways that would get him out of this madness. Though, his efforts were useless, it was like he had been cutting through air. Nevertheless, he didn't stop. Striking and thrusting his blade, it made no difference. He was still stuck.

_"I am quite happy she had brought you to me. It saves me the trouble of doing so myself."_

The voice, it seemed to originate from his right side. He turned his head in its direction, ready to attack it. But it wasn't there.

 _"Hear me, Madara."_ He whirled his head back into the other direction, expecting to see it there; still, Madara was going around in circles, confused. Never had he ever felt this...lost. For the first time in his life, he wasn't angry, just...astray _._

"What the fuck are you?!" He shouted _._  He thought that he had heard laughter; mocking him, ridiculing _him._

 _"Fear, suspicion, resentment."_ He was going crazy, it had to be it. Madara felt unhinged, unbalanced even.  _What was this?_

 _"Will never subside."_ The words continued on and on, but he had stopped existing long before. His palms, his hands, his arms and his body stopped responding. Every fiber in his very being didn't belong to him anymore; but rather to this invisible voice.

_"That dream, that goal. The one you and Hashirama are working for. It will never happen."_

_Stop it!_ He screamed at the far corners of his mind. He couldn't bear it. "What would you know about it!?"

_"I know more than you think. I have been around far longer than you could imagine, mhm."_

He wasn't able to imagine anything.

_"This doomed shinobi world of yours, the same world that sent barely grown children out to war-"_

Madara couldn't shut it off; the voice. He couldn't block his ears, because that wasn't the problem. He was convinced the problem was within his head, like a little bug eating away at his brain, consuming him inch by inch until his mind rotted away.

_"The world that you are trying to fix by creating a shinobi village; it will never result in true peace."_

_True. Peace?_

_"People cannot show each other their true feelings. They never will and your opinions will be pushed to the side. They won't care about you. Or the Uchiha."_

_"Heed my words, Madara. The shinobi world will move on in accordance to Hashirama's vision, leaving you behind to rot like a dead animal."_

Hashirama's vision was his vision, that was what he had always thought. Was he wrong? Was he wrong about everything? Their shared dreams, their goals, was it truly all for nothing?

_"A vision that will bring more destruction to this world. Fighting will never cease. Battles will turn into wars. Countless lives will be lost, lives you tried to avoid all this time, and I wonder, all this calamity because of what?"_

"What?" He felt compelled to answer as if something was pulling him towards the odd entity calling out for him. Madara's alertness was beginning to wane, making place for a more frightening premonition.

_"Violence will grow. All due to your childish ideas to establishing ninja villages. You are not the first, nor will you be the last. You are blind, Madara. These villages will never serve to protect the children. You will see, that your ideals will be used as nothing more than a stepping stone for more wars."_

It was becoming louder and louder, the booming voice was almost deafening.

 _"In time, you will see."_  It repeated. " _The true purpose of your dream. You will see that it will lead to increased military build-up, renewed hatred, overwhelming contempt for each other. Tragedies upon tragedies, it is all you people will ever know. The wars waged will be considerably worse. Ahh yes-"_

_"Can you imagine it, Madara?"_

Now, this he could. He could because he had lived that reality his whole life and to hear the mere possibility of his long-held ambitions to backfire, it hurt. Although, a deep part of him wanted to laugh. At the irony that was life. To think that their vision of peace could lead to more wars, it wasn't a thought that had crossed his mind. He heard footsteps approaching him.

_"The first Great Ninja war-"_

The steps were getting closer.

_"The second Great Ninja War-"_

Faint yellow orbs were starting to take shape.

_"The third Great Ninja War-"_

It had finally appeared before him, much shorter now as it took on another form.  _"The fighting will never stop."_  It hissed, the sharp sibilant sound was death to his ears.  _"This will be Hashirama's legacy to the world. Is this what you want?"_

 _What I want?_ He never thought about it that way, to leave behind a legacy. It wasn't something he read too much into. Madara had always been a simple man, or so he liked to think. Once he had a plan in mind, he would do everything to bring it to life. The details that went into each action were not always in his main focus. But now, now that he had to think about it-

"You know nothing about me." He shot back. It was weird, hearing his own voice sound so...apathetic. Stagnant and heavy, he was feeling anything but. In fact, he had never felt so in control.

_"On the contrary, I would say I know the most about you. No one knows who you truly are more than your will, now do they?"_

_My will, huh?_

_"It doesn't have to be that way, Uchiha. Follow me."_  The way it was looking at him, it peered right into his soul. No- he would not let this demented being play with his psyche.

 _"Follow me and I'll make you Uchiha Madara the King of this world. A God. A Savior that will ultimately put_ _an end to the eternal bloodshed."_

It extended its hands to him, its claws spread apart. Madara took a good look at it and for the longest time, he had contemplated of what it would be like shaking his hands, of what it would actually feel to have the world at his feet, to have the fighting end for good. Where fear and despair did not drive people to meet their ends sooner than they should have. And he was about to as his body was moving on its own.

Images of of his his younger brother, of his clan, of his dead family and of the blood-stained memories; and then there was it. The creature. Its devious nature as obvious as daylight.

He reached out his hands and the moment it brushed with his counterpart, he brought up his sword and severed the monster's arm off. He heard a loud shriek followed by a thunderous sneer. His hand that came in contact with it was on fire; felt as if he had been burned to a crisp. But he didn't care. Everything was beginning to clear up. He was back at the forest, on the ground.

"Come out you damn beast!" He howled, his anger coming back to him. He felt...whole again. That snickering wouldn't shut up. It was nowhere in sight, though Madara guessed it had retreated back into darkness of the woods.

_"Ahh, when she leaves, you will come to me. Until we meet again, Madara Uchiha."_

It was gone. There was not a hint of it, not that he could sense anyhow.

...

Madara didn't know why he hadn't told her about that encounter. Or why he lied about it later on, he really didn't know. She had asked him that night if he had met someone called Black Zetsu, he denied it at first. Not knowing exactly what she was talking about. But then, it had become abundantly clear that she was aware of its presence. Recognized it well enough that she knew its name.

He had to wonder, just how much she knew about them. It seemed that she was familiar with the setbacks when overusing the Mangekyou, as she so casually mentioned before. Or the fact that she knew that Tobirama would have killed his brother. Things he didn't give it much thought at first- wishing now that he did- but it was becoming difficult to ignore how far her knowledge extended.

She was still asleep. He couldn't. Not when he knew that that creature had managed to infiltrate this deep into his home, right next to his bed. He didn't even sense it this time.

_Fuck._

Madara played it off as a side-effect of the poison, that everything he felt and saw in that forest was a hallucination. As a result of getting hit with the poison-laced sword, he convinced himself. It worked for a while, but his suspicions always wore him down. As time passed, that memory only grew more vivid and he was starting to believe that the so-called Zetsu played a more critical role into his ninja's disappearance. Or rather their murder. He doubted that the Kaguya were strong enough to perform such a feat alone. It was a worrying thought, because it only cemented the idea that this foe- whatever it was- was on another level. He couldn't even tell what the hell it was, how could he ever know what it was capable of doing?

When Izuna had returned and confessed to what he found, that raw feeling- such as the one he felt that night in the woods- returned. Madara wouldn't have been surprised if it was trying to pin the Inuzuka on them by feeding them false information. As if it was trying to prove its point; that catastrophe would befall them, and if it didn't, then  _it_  would create disaster itself.

It wasn't a bad idea, to pin clans against each other instigating more fights between them, though Madara failed to see the bigger picture. He couldn't understand why. What did it want? More importantly, what did it want from  _him?_

All that he could think of at the moment was how nothing seemed to be safe anymore. Nowhere. Nothing. No-one. He took another glimpse at her, every few seconds, he would do so. Checking that she was still in his arms, despite feeling her head rest on his shoulder, Madara was getting paranoid.

And for the rest of the night, he would argue with himself on whether he should tell her about his own confrontation with Black Zetsu or,  _not._

* * *

**_Mito's POV_ **

"Sometimes, I truly do wonder about your mental health, Hashirama." She spoke softly, though her words were meant as anything but.

"Is that so? What a coincidence, I do, too." He joked. But was he? Mito did have her doubts about Hashirama's wits, though he would always find a way back to her heart. Of course, she would never forget, she just let it slide. Time after another, she let things pass but there was a line to be drawn. Her husband seemed to have crossed that when he decided to bet on Madara's wedding night. The mere thought about it gave her the creeps.

She would never admit it to anyone- not over her dead body- but she too would have liked to put a wager on it.  _Secrets, secrets, secrets._  She would prefer to keep this little confession to herself. The only reason she had not placed a bet was very simple; she did not know there was one. It had always been an inner thought of hers, until Hashirama came out with it. It was actually a good thing that she did not, she would have also lost. Miserably.

It appeared that the only winner was Izuna Uchiha.

How completely and utterly  _non-_ coincidental that was. She would bend over backwards if she got to prove that he had a hand in that, but well- she would keep that to herself, too.

Her husband edged nearer. She was sitting on a tatami mat outside. It was still snowing lightly and she liked the view. It was a bit cold but it wasn't something a woolen shawl couldn't take care of. Hashirama joined her on the porch connecting to their room and sat down on his own mat.

"Here, you should drink this." He offered her a steaming cup of tea, she could smell the intoxicating scent of mint wafting through the chilly night air. Her favorite.

"Thank you." She was grateful for such a treat at this time of night, and she made sure to show her gratitude.

"You're still mad because of the bet, aren't you?" He treaded carefully, she could hear it in his voice. As if it wasn't obvious enough from the painfully awkward smirk on his face. She sighed, it was a quiet moment that had to be ruined.

"No, Hashirama, I am not mad about you betting on your friend having intimate relations with his wife on their wedding night." She said it as casual as she could, not trying to be pretentious of course. Mito figured that if she spelled it out enough times, maybe the message would get across to his brain and he would stop getting himself into these idiotic situations. She knew it was too much to ask for, though it didn't prevent her from continuously trying. He was blushing madly as embarrassment filled him.

"I said I was sorry."

She knows he did, but-

"Do you think Madara Uchiha knows?"

"I doubt Izuna would do that to himself." He said, and he had a point. Mito had to agree, unless the younger Uchiha brother wanted a death sentence, there was no logical reason for him to tell his brother. A part of her always knew that, still, it did not hurt to make sure.

"Speaking of which, how did Izuna come to know that- that they consummated the marriage?" That was another thing that piqued her interest. He wouldn't lie about something such as that. At least she thought so. If he did, he must have known that Hashirama was in no place to verify his assertions without-  _what was it that they said, again?_ \- without 'scratching the surface' of the whole matter.

"I wish I knew, but he never replied about it when I asked him. Though, his friend seemed to corroborate his claims." He shrugged, not fully reassured. He put his cup down and stared ahead.  _How could he stand the cold so easily?_  She wondered. This man. This big,  _very big_  man was her husband. She would surprise herself sometimes when she would forget how she ended up marrying him. A part of her brain was still wondering after all these months.

His soft features, his tanned skin, his meticulously sculpted body, even that sharp jawline...she had always found him handsome from the moment she met him. Too bad he had to open his mouth.  _Kami, it ruined everything._

"You know, I find it quite strange. How sudden it all was." She admitted, referring back to the wedding. The whole concept seemed rushed in her mind, and the wedding, even more hurried. Not in that sense, Mito had enjoyed the ceremony; it was indeed beautiful and pretty tame compared to hers. It was small, but it was quite elegant. Though, she couldn't help but feeling that there was more going on than what met the eyes. All she had done was analyze their body language and it was an intriguing sight. Not one you would expect from a groom and his bride. Tension was heavy between them.

"Yeah, I thought so too. Madara never mentioned her. And she seems quite odd." Hashirama noted; even when he was dazed, he still had a knack for listening to people. She looked down at her tea, curling her fingers around the beautifully ornate clay cup. Its warmth soothed her.

"Perhaps we should invite them, I would like to get to know her." She confessed. Hashirama laughed; that deep, guttural sound always brought some sort of joy to her. A comforting laugh.

"Ha! Trust me I have tried. It appears that Madara is ignoring my letters." She had heard. There were developments regarding the settlements and Hashirama wanted to inform his friend of the matters. More clans were stepping forward; wanting to join on this little alliance between the Senju and the Uchiha. And the benefits they would gain if they contributed to the construction of the village. It started with the Sarutobi and now the Yamanaka. She felt happy for her husband, this was what he wanted all his life. He was finally achieving his dream.

"Well, I'm sure he won't the next time around." She smiled playfully.

"Ah, fine. I'll try again. Though, I don't think I'll be able to handle the rejection well this time." He pouted. That depressive alter-ego of his was...a piece of work. It didn't last long this time-  _thankfully_ \- he cheered up as quickly as he sulked.

"So, what clan is she from?" She asked, intrigued. Mina- whom she came to know her name not too long ago- had a character. An interesting one, too.  _Children aren't really my concern,_  that was what she said if Mito recalled correctly.  _Good for her._ She must have been brave if she could easily turn those elders down, and as bluntly as she did.

"I don't believe she relates to any clan." He sounded confused with his own answer. Though, she found it hilarious for some reason. She couldn't hold back her laugh.

_"Oh really? A commoner? Well, that's a first."_

She detested him. If she went by the legends that surrounded the man, then he was the very worse of the worst. Arrogant, prideful, pompous and imperious. As powerful and renowned as Madara was, she didn't care. She did not bother with rumors nor legends and she certainly did not believe in them, she rather preferred to meet such people head on. Perhaps, it was wrong of her to judge him from a single meeting, but it was hard not to.

Madara also happened to be Hashirama's friend- for some reason that went way beyond her pretty little red head- and as such, was invited to her wedding. Mito did her best to wipe that memory clean from her mind forever.

She just never thought humility would be one of his traits. Yes, she had meant it as pure sarcasm, but it hid a much deeper meaning. The Uchiha had always been boastful about their bloodline- though, it was nothing compared to the Hyuga's ostentatiousness- they were proud of their heritage, their eyes and their skills. Which were nothing to take lightly of course, still, it was peculiarly funny to her that an Uchiha- the clan head no less- would stoop down and marry a commoner by their standards. One would think that they would try and keep their kekkei genkei within the clan, by marrying one of their lineage. She was wrong.

_Maybe things were changing._

Just maybe the Uchiha were as serious as they claimed to be about the peace treaty.

"Mito, are you there?" A pair of brown eyes were squinting at her, trying to catch her attention. She had been day-dreaming quite a lot recently. Unable to think straight, either.

"Oh, yes, I apologize."  _Snap out of it,_ she scolded herself. Placing the now empty cup down beside her, she shifted her gaze to her growing belly.

"You have been acting strange the past few days, are you alright?" His concern was heartwarming, especially in times like these. Except, it wasn't what she was looking for.

_No._

"Would you read this?" She handed him the envelop that has been sitting in her lap all this time. She had only received it this afternoon, but her guts seemed to have already predicted the contents of that letter days ago.

Hashirama's eyes scanned the written missive over and over, several times until every word was practically fixed into his mind. His concern for his wife was turning into distress and disquietude for her homeland.

"It seems the situation was worse than we thought." He commented.

"Yes."

Tensions weren't easing back home and she was beginning to get worried. A few months ago, Uzushio had gotten into a so-called 'scuffle' with a clan from the Water Country, something she had long suspected as an act by the opposing shinobi to withdraw from the agreement they had between them. Before it had escalated into a larger fight, Mito had agreed that both clans settle for a compromise. They did and she hadn't heard from the Hōzuki clan ever since. And now, she receives a letter saying there were reports of them mobilizing on the outer shores. But this wasn't the only thing that troubled her. She would not forget the number of allies they recently lost. How? She could not fathom. Why? Petty excuses were told left and right until she found her beloved home growing isolated from others as days went by. The Yuki, the Yotsuki and the Taketori were all clans to whom they had ties with for centuries but who seemingly disappeared as of late. Mito had tried to salvage whatever she could of the relations that they had left. It was blatantly obvious that something was going on.

"Are they sure these reports were accurate?" He demanded, skeptical.

"Of course. Ashina would never relay information he didn't trust. If he had even the slightest suspicion that these reports were false, he would have undeniably verified them himself." She was becoming defensive and jittery. It was nerve-wracking just sitting there. She wouldn't have chosen Ashina as leader by proxy if she did not trust him implicitly. She had known him all her life and considered him a father figure. His opinions mattered on everything and she would be sure to take them into account no matter how silly the issues were. Truth be told, she had missed the elderly man, who had long, white hair and an accompanying mustache, with a ridiculously squared-off goatee.

"Do you want to go back?" Hashirama confronted her with a possibility she had already considered ten times over.

_Did I?_

This was her moment to decide. She placed her hands gently over her stomach. The journey to Uzushio wasn't an easy one. All the lands that they would have to traverse before even reaching the sea were interminable. The waters near her land's coastline were unforgiving and ruthless at this time of year. It would be impossible in her condition to travel such a long distance. That was what logic dictated. But her heart...

It was telling her something else.

She looked into his eyes. He, to whom she was bound to until her death, was sitting next to her eyes wide with hope. Hope that she wouldn't go. He wanted her to stay, she understood that. It was still hard to believe that she was now carrying two hearts within her. Another being, who was alive; breathing and kicking with all its might. The red-head Uzumaki was only just realizing what a responsibility she was bearing. It was another living being.

Going on this journey would be neglecting her responsibility, putting it at risk as well as herself. It was a tough decision, one that she had been mulling over for days.

"I can send our shinobi there as backup as of now, if you are comfortable with that?" He suggested. It was the only rational proposal he could think of, one that didn't necessarily put her in danger and didn't also simultaneously leave her people out to dry.

"Yes, that would be good." She replied.

Her breath rose in visible puffs to join the darkened clouded night sky as she fell into a trance, staring at the dancing snowflakes that captivated every part of her soul. Winter had always been a mysterious season to her.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you could see, I have used some of Madara's own quotes during his talk with Zetsu. I believe he said them in ep 458? I don't remember lol. It's been a while since I watched the anime.
> 
> Anyways, the quotes belong to Kishimoto. I guess?


	39. Black Zetsu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He, his, etc = White Zetsu (Italic, underlined)
> 
> It, its = Black Zetsu
> 
> Now, you're probably wondering why white Zetsu exists this far back into the time-line. I will attempt to explain that in the chapter, please see the end notes for any more references.
> 
> A big shout-out to Ivegotpurple, because, in all truths, they are the one who came with the story-line regarding the pendant, and well- if it wasn't for them, I'd still be stuck on chapter 15 or something with no idea on how to advance the plot. So, there ya have it. Credit is given to where credit is due, and they deserve all the credit. Especially since there are more ideas that I plan to adapt. To which I fully credit them as well. Ooups, sorry , and a big-assed thank you!

 

 

**_Black Zetsu's POV_ **

It was a cave of impenetrable darkness. A gaping hole in a mountain waiting to devour any living being that dared step a foot inside its walls. The cavern itself was a beauty, extraordinary; the perfect place for something like it. Inside the cave where blackness reigned for eternity, it would easily find itself dissolving into the background. The lack of light never bothered Black Zetsu, though it certainly did for the brainless rats that lurked around. Their desperate squeaks echoed through the damp underground chamber where the only other sounds were of dripping water. The little idiots they were, they ran around searching for a way out, unbeknownst to them that they would never see the light of day again.

_"Ooh so, you're back?"_

"Yesss-"

Its other half emerged from the ground, smirking.

_"That's no fun, you promised you would take me."_

It ignored his annoying voice and continued on.

_"The poor woman must have been scared to death, wasn't she?"_

"Shut up."

_Finally._

Years. It had waited for years, and now it had it. In its hands. It felt good; surreal and unbelievably _right._

The entrance to the cavern gave way to narrow tunnels that wormed their way half a mile into the mountain while its caves curved to rocky floors. Walking further down the pitted path, the walls above it would widen and grow gradually until they arched another hundred feet up into sparkling crystals in the form of giant stalactites and bat roosts. Though there were no more bats; no birds, no living creatures. Nothing could withstand living here more than a day. Nothing but it. Bones of various sizes littered the grounds, remnants of its old inhabitants.

That squealing never stopped.

It appeared that a rat was stuck somewhere around here, not knowing where to go. Its constant cries were getting on its nerves, not that it had any. Still, it couldn't help but realize how insignificant these living beings were. A rodent or a human, they were all the same; they all seemed to share this habit of crying out, pleading for their lives shamelessly before they ended. Petty creatures, they were.

_"Hey there, little fella."_

Its companion ran after it, trying to catch the small mouse. He was going around in circles after the fleeing animal and it couldn't decide which was truly stupider; the scoundrel or the actual rat.

He caught it at long last and held it by its tail.

_"Aren't you a cute furball?"_

Its squeals only got louder from here on out. It probably felt fear, something it seemed to share with humans too. Soon enough, the idiot gobbled it down. Whole. Its screams quietened as it made its way down his throat. It could practically see the lump as he tried to digest it. In no time, Black Zetsu no longer heard its screeches.

 _" What?"_ He said casually, as if he found no repulsiveness in what he had just done, not to mention the pointlessness of it all. It only stared at him.  _"You seem to forget that I was once a human. I like to pretend that I could enjoy such indulgences every once in a while."_

"You disgust me."

 _"I'm glad."_  White Zetsu grinned. It was a ghastly sight. Perhaps not as harrowing as his counterpart's, but still horrific nonetheless. Especially since he was missing the right side of his body. For the most part. The right side of his face was nonexistent as opposed to his right leg; which was terribly deformed, just like his personality. As for his upper right side and its attached appendage; well, they were also missing. His hideous green hair was as bad as he looked. But, who was it to judge? Strictly speaking, just  _what_ was _it_ to judge?

It was odd at first. When it met him. In fact, it hadn't expected to see so many of them, even if they were no more than half a dozen. They- the first victims of the Infinite Tsukuyomi- were a sight to behold. Though, Zetsu had to admit, it was a bit disappointing. To see them transform into this white blob of stupidity. It surmised that being tethered to the Divine Tree for so long- for centuries really- had completely obliterated their original personalities along with their individuality. And apparently, their brains as well.

However, what certainly did boggle its mind was how they were even able to detach from the beast's husk and right before it was sealed by those ungrateful brats, Hagoromo and Hamura. It suspected that the ones he met were the first ones to fully convert into what they were now, with no way of ever reverting back to who they were. There was undoubtedly more of them; still ensnared in cocoons of their former selves. Nothing but mere shells. They also happened to be on the moon, not exactly a place it could  _easily_  visit. It liked to think that they were a parting gift from his Mother before she was taken away.

Stumbling upon them was truly an accident. Coincidence, it did not think so. Whichever it was, the whole situation ended up being quite a happy one. Over time, it may or may not have gotten rid of a few. Oh did they really get on its nerves. Their stupidity was unrivaled, and it had no sufferance for mindless morons. Even so, it had to admit that they did come in handy.

Weeks turned to months to years and finally, centuries. Centuries upon centuries, it was nearing the milestone; a millennium. A thousand years since Mother had been sealed. It had waited this long; Zetsu had no problem if everything took just a bit longer in order to achieve what had been its life-long ambition. It only meant that it would have to scheme for a while more. Nothing it hadn't done before.

Footsteps. They were following it deeper into the cave.

" _You're no fun."_ He teased- voice smooth as honey- managing to simultaneously irritate the darker half in the process. It was something he was good at and was growing even better.  _"You could at least show it to me."_

"You have already seen it."

_"No, I haven't. I've seen the other seven."_

"What difference does it make?" It didn't try to hide its lack of restraint.

_"What difference does it make to you?"_

"I asked you first."

_" No, I asked you first."_

...

"You are an imbecile."

The other's manic laugh reverberated across the cave walls, making it sound horrendously more annoying than what it usually was. Ignoring White Zetsu was easier said than done.

Eventually, it had found its way to the core of the hollow cave. The very same one it had been using for years. The unlucky souls that ventured off onto its territory never came out alive. It assumed that they had wanted to die, why else would they set forth into its  _home?_ Lost or not, they were all weak humans whose purpose meant nothing to it.

It went straight for the boulder at the end. Pushing the large rock to the side, it lifted up the wooden doors that led to a lower chamber. The musty smell was a welcoming sign.

At the far corner of the room stood a tablet. Underneath it, rested a small wrapped cloth. The only thing protecting the rest of the stones from an intruder; a mere fabric, a thin material that would easily rip in its hands. In truth, there was no need for any further protective measures. It itself was enough, or if it wasn't here, then the others would. It didn't matter now. All the stones have been collected. Almost.

It was so close, _it_  could feel it.

Flickers of light shone through the door.

 _"To withstand this darkness, you might as well be blind."_  He commented as he made his way through with a wooden torch, coming up to its side. Black Zetsu held the precious gems in his hands. There were seven of them, each as black as the darkness surrounding them. And now, the eighth. It seemed to have had quite a lot of trouble with this particular one. Decades, it took decades to finally grab hold of it. And it never felt sweeter. Its revolting grin widened at the mere thought of setting things right; to garner the Chakra Fruit and return it to its true owner. The stone was in its late stages, it may not have been as dark as the rest but it was getting there.

 _"This one's a pretty color."_  The enthusiasm in White Zetsu's voice about the color of the stone was disturbing. Anyhow, his opinion about such a matter was of no use to it, if truth be told, his comment was actually quite worthless, like most of his opinions.

It ripped the silver chains off and threw them away. The brilliantly blue gemstone glowed under the flames of the fire. It outshone the rest of its duplicates.

"Give it to me." It ordered. It was _patiently_ waiting for the last puzzle piece to be handed over.

...

 _" About that-"_He took a step back.

 _"Give it to me."_  It hissed loudly. The last stone- the ninth piece- should have been with him. The only order that was given to White Zetsu considering that it was a pretty easy task; to take it from the Inuzuka. A strange reaction, it was. He kept retreating.

 _"Where is it?"_ It repeated, losing composure with this retard stalling for time.

_" Who knew that the Inuzuka were such a forgetful bunch-" _

Black Zetsu never let him finish that sentence. Stretching its arms, it wrapped its claws right around his throat and squeezed it. Squeezed it tight until his head had popped off his shoulders and rolled onto the ground. His white and distorted body fell listlessly next to his head. Grabbing the torch, it said,

_"You had one job."_

As it expected, another one sprung up from the grounds. Technically, the ceiling.

_"Congratulations, that was the last one of us."_

"You impotent fool."

_"Would you just listen to me, if you did then you would know that it's useful having me around."_

His body had fully materialized as he came to surface. His short-cropped green hair, the missing right side and the one yellow eye; he was as identical as the one who laid on the cold floor less than a feet away. The same grin, as well. Emerging from one of the hardened stalactites, he hung down like a tapered icicle swinging from the cavern's roof. He leaped down, nearly knocking the tablet over as he did so.

_"Your idea to have me keep an eye on her wasn't as bad as it seemed."_

_Keep an eye on her, he did._

That day, when she had arrived. If there were such things as miracles, then this surely would have counted as one. For over four decades- forty years, seven-hundred and fifty-one days to be exact- it had been waiting in that same exact spot, biding its time until the stone returned to its world. It needed to complete the Fruit's restoration. That hag thought that she could seal it away with her dying breaths, she was sadly mistaken. All she did was delay its plans for a few measly years, nothing more. However, it did bring joy to its twisted- albeit, non-existent- heart to have seen the girl laying over the exact spot in which that Uzumaki had died. The same exact spot where she spoke her last words, where her dismembered limbs, her broken bones had once been, though unfortunately they had withered away with time. Humans were such fragile creatures; truly pathetic.

Still, that had not dulled an ounce of the excitement it had felt when it saw her. Or rather, the pendant she had been wearing. Luckily, this idiot- or one of his clones, it mattered not- had been accompanying it back then. Having him plant his spores all over the ground was only to have her come in contact with them without her recognizing it. Not that she seemed conscious at all right then, it doubted that she was aware of them even now. Nor would anyone, these spores possessed no chakra of their own. It was a spur of the moment idea, so it could monitor her whenever it liked. While it appeared to be the perfect moment to snatch it from her, Black Zetsu chose otherwise. Patience. It chose to take its time as nothing good would ever come out of being impulsive. It wasn't in its nature. It did not wait all this time so it could even attempt to  _risk_  throwing everything away at the last step. Besides, that Uchiha's presence was more than enough to have it play cautious.

A presence it had not accounted for but had seemingly fit into its plan. It was as if everything was falling into place, perfectly and the way it should be. It couldn't have asked for more. It was intrigued; how things came to be. And all it had to do was watch from the shadows and let so-called fate take care of the rest. It had always been in the darkness; watching her, watching everything. There was nothing that went on unforeseen by its eyes. Except for one thing. One single thing.

_"Spit it out."_

_"Well, for some very strange reason and not as inexplicable as you might think-"_

It shot him a glare- if one could even call it that- that was quickly unveiling how little tolerance it had left.

 _"Long story short, the last stone is now in their possession. Oops."_  He rattled off, the words came tumbling out in a manner that mimicked the ludicrous caricature that he was. White Zetsu shrugged, as if what he had just confessed meant nothing. His smirk never faded, almost like he was  _happy._

"Their?"

 _"That guy, Eiji, to be precise."_  He added.

_Eiji._

_..._

If it thought this through, then perhaps things weren't as bad as it appeared.  _It_  did not need to know how the last necklace even ended up in that man's hands, but if it could manipulate this new change- as sudden as it was- to its advantage rather than having to reorient things back the way they were, it might end up with something just as valuable as the rest of the Chakra Fruit. Letting things take their natural course would certainly be fun to watch.

"You will retrieve it."

 _"Huh? Well you're taking this unexpectedly well."_  He was surprised at how dismissive the other Zetsu was acting. Taking into account, the fact that it had just ripped his clone's head of his shoulders. It didn't matter, he had no choice. He sighed and conceded to his new command.

 _"Fine, I guess it was fun messing with her mind while it lasted."_  He let out a long exasperated moan- more like a screech- as he began walking away. It could not understand why he was acting like that, his actions contradicted his very own words. Was he not just complaining about how he was left out of the 'fun' of not being taken there? Even so-

"Not this instant you idiot. They will be on high alert now, more than ever." It warned him. Its words were not meant to be taken literally; not at this time in any case. Attempting to take the last stone now would be unwise. Apart from the fact that White Zetsu had the greater chance of obtaining the final piece seeing that he was already inside the compound; more importantly, inside of her. Things would not be easy for it to infiltrate once again, not this time around. It had to be more careful. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face the towering black mass of, well- nothing.

"Besides, we still have time."

Time, something it had in generous amounts. It had been unsuccessful before. Over and over, reincarnations after reincarnations, it had failed in obtaining the right host. But not this turn. It would not fail in getting Uchiha Madara to bend to  _its_  will. This was not a chance it would easily let go without a fight. A fight in which it will win, no matter what it would take. An opportunity was what they, humans, called it.

 _"Yes, time we only have because failed to see something you never thought would happen."_  He was about to burst into another fit of giggles but Black Zetsu's stare shut him up quickly before he, too, found his head rolling on the floor.  _"Just sayin'."_

Yes, there had been an oversight it had not anticipated.  _That one single thing._  As graciously as its companion would never hesitate to bring up, it would also continuously wonder how things might have turned out had Uchiha Izuna died that day- when he was supposed to. His death could have significantly affected how things were going now. But he wasn't dead. He was alive, breathing and right next to Madara.

That was a miscalculation it had never counted on happening. A grave mistake on its part but no matter. It had other ways to draw the Uchiha clan head.

"Don't you worry about it, I'll make sure he loses something else far more preciousss-"  _And then, he will come to me, begging and on his knees._

_"Ouh, I like the way you think. Is that why you kept her alive?"_

White Zetsu approached it, drawing nearer and nearer. Finally, beginning to grasp why it had let her live when it could have so easily wrung her neck. Or skinned her. Maybe drown her in a pool of her own blood. There were so many possibilities, so many choices. He personally preferred the first option. There was nothing like the sound of a snapped neck.

It pushed the tablet to the side and freed up space to hide the stones back to where they were.

"-something much more invaluable than she could ever be." It grinned, unable to contain its malicious glee any further. The fire of the torch was blown out and darkness was once again restored.

After all, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

Who could be bigger than Uchiha Madara himself?

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

She was awake.

And staring at him. Has been for a while now.

Her eyes lazily rolled open, glazed over with despair. Hopelessness. Dejection and pain. Like the remnants of a bad dream.

"Last night wasn't a nightmare, was it?" She asked, her voice still groggy from sleep.

"No."

They were sharing the same pillow, their heads were less than an inch apart. From this distance, he could see everything. Everything there was to see. Mina's eyes held nothing back. It amazed him how her big and wide brown eyes could be so..ever-changing, much like the seasons. He remembered vividly how they were that rich chocolate hue with the smallest flecks of hazel bursting through. And now- her glistening eyes were were a much finer shade, even if they were barely discernible.

Sometimes, he would feel like time would stop. Other times, he would feel like there was never enough of it. But in this moment, time really did stop existing. Where it was reduced to nothing but a fundamental concept used to measure anything and everything that occurs between  _what was_  and  _what will be_. He was merely transfixed in place; in time, just by looking in the deep swirls of her cinnamon-colored eyes. The dark rims surrounding her irises were a stark contrast to what he had always assumed were hazel patches. They were in fact golden, almost amber-like specks; incredibly bright and reflective. Though, he knew it was probably due to nothing more than the tears that had welled up at the corners of her eyes, how they coated the surface her orbs making her look more sentimental than she usually was.

The vibrant caramel undertone of her hair was a compliment to her eyes. Strands of it fell over her eyes, masking her exhaustion. Brown was such a redundant color, he had always thought. Boring, dull and unremarkable, always reminding him of mud; wet, earthy soil that made him want to vomit. It hid nothing and was always so banal. Just plain old ordinary with nothing exciting to offer. But she somehow twisted that notion of his and made it peculiarly attractive; unique, even.

The marks around her neck haven't disappeared. They were mending, although much slower than he had anticipated. Normally, they would have been gone by now. Wasn't that what her healing was for? His fingers traced the outlines of the imprints, brushing against her skin lightly. She flinched at his touch and straightened up. He wished that he had not done that, because now, everything had to go back to the way they were. Time had to resume, and she had to get up. All he wanted was just to lay down, not  _move_. Not  _do anything_. Just sleep there, next to her.

Yes, that was what he wanted.

But she wouldn't let it happen.

She swept her locks to the side, uncovering her face as she sat up. Slowly and reluctantly, she dragged her feet off the bed and stood up. He did the same, though more brisk in his actions. Despite not having shut an eye the whole night, he felt tireless; full of vim and vigor.

"Where are you going?" He said softly, echoing yesterday's same words. However, this time, it really wasn't meant to berate her as much as it was meant to- it was a simple question. That was all it was.

"To the bathroom?" She sounded puzzled, whether it was because of his question or because of the whole situation, he couldn't really tell. He only followed. Unconsciously, his footsteps were tailing hers until he she stopped abruptly. Bumping into her, he was pulled back into reality and only then did he realize that he was standing in the bathroom. Half-naked and barefoot. She pulled away and turned to face him.

"Is something wrong?" If she wasn't confused before, she sure was now. It was evident from the expression on her face that she could not comprehend what Madara was doing in the bathroom. Attached to her back. In his defense- he didn't know either.

"No." He answered, not consciously aware of his own mouth.

"Uhm-" She seemed to ponder on how to ask him to leave without sounding too blunt. "Can you please leave? I'd like to take a shower now."

Blunt was the way to go. When he made no attempt to step out as he  _clearly_  did not hear her and was  _not_   _purposely_  ignoring her, she whispered,

"I very much doubt that it would be hiding in the bathroom, Madara." She stood on her toes trying to reach his height as she murmured. If he didn't know better, he would say that there was a bit of humor in her words. Her impression said otherwise. It was strange for someone who couldn't even focus on his own act to be awfully fixed on hers.

"It already got what it wanted." She added, lowering back to her height.

_The pendant._

That was what she had said yesterday night when she was full-on panicking. He couldn't understand what she had wanted to say but caught on to the few words that seemed coherent. And how she was referring to it with an empty pronoun, as if it was an object, or rather- a monster. He couldn't fault her for that. He, too, didn't know what to call it.

She took the first step forward leading him to take a step back in response. And so it went on until he found himself on the other side of the door. Locked out. It took him a second for everything to settle. He was pushed out. He, the Uchiha Madara, was locked out off his own bathroom.

_It could have been worse._

It could. It probably will. One never knew when it came to fate or whatever it was that seemed to have had it out for him since the moment he was born. Actually, perhaps from the moment of his conception. If that was the case, then his life was probably doomed from the start. He didn't really care for that right now. What he did care for was-

* * *

He had searched for Izuna everywhere.

He wasn't inside the house, so there was only one other place he could possibly be. Madara had a difficult time imagining his younger brother out there, training. Not in this weather at least.

The wind howled, piling up the snow in drifts. Snow that had barely started less than twelve hours ago and yet was coming at them in full force. This was not a good sign. This winter was going to be harsh this year, he could feel it. He had anticipated the bitter coldness, even the sting of the minuscule crystals flurrying around him, but what he really had not expected was the ferocity of the winds; the sudden gusts of air.

The morning light struggled to pierce through the murky clouds, but that was not what was blinding him. It was the endless sea of white that covered the ground, it wasn't a lot but it was about to get much greater. Eyes squinting, he strained to see through the whirlwind of snow as made his way through the fields. He had to wonder, what has become of him. His life. It felt foreign to him, as if it wasn't his anymore. He was just filling someone else's shoes and failing miserably at it. The winds were starting to pick up, pulling him further into the forest as life was pulling him forward into the unknown with one hand and erasing his past with the other. Wiping it like the clean slate it was; a blank page white as the carpet of snow underneath him. His thoughts were becoming thicker than the blizzard this was turning out to be.

Following the chakra signatures he had sensed, he found his brother almost immediately.

Less than a mile into the woods, he noticed wide-ranging flames engulfing every surrounding tree bark there was. Leaving in its place darkened patched of charred wood. As soon as Izuna came into view, everything else did as well. It was a surprising sight. How the area here did not seem to be affected by the developing storm out there. The ground upon which he stood on was more wet than it was white. Whatever snow that was falling instantly melted once it came in contact with the bare tree branches. The air here...was just warmer. The bright flames soon extinguished.

"Your fire style is weak." Madara commented as he came up behind his younger brother. Izuna stood motionless, back to his clan head.

"Yes, well I'm not trying to start wildfires." He retorted, a strange nuance in his voice.

The trees looked pretty unstable. Had Madara leaned on the one to his left, the hundred-year old large ash tree would have easily fallen to the sides, knocking the ones next to it as well and everything else along the way, just like a domino. Their bases were practically singed, badly, making them unable to effectively support the rest of the eighty foot long trees. For now. Izuna was using minimum force, though he doubted it was because he wanted to avoid starting a forest fire. It wouldn't have been the first time in which he tried to actually start one.

Unlike Madara, Izuna knew when to hold back when venting his anger. Although, this seemed to be an incredibly stupid place to be training.

He walked over to the trees and removed the several wedged kunai from their places. He paced around, moving from one place to another, withdrawing shurikens, blades and various other tools from their targets. All the while Madara watched from the sideline. Izuna still refused to meet his eyes, which he found quite odd.

"So, have you figured out who did it?" The younger one asked as he turned around. His sharingans deactivated the moment they were laid on Madara. He was referring to Takayama's death, something that seemed to have occurred a long time ago in Madara's mind.

"No."

He never hid anything from Izuna before, it didn't feel right. He didn't feel proud lying to his brother. Well, partly lying. No one truly knew who did it nor had the faintest clue. He, on the other hand, already had a suspicion, something he didn't really doubt at this point. The only other person who knew of it was her. At least, he thought. If Eiji knew anything, he certainly wasn't sharing it. Much like Madara.

"I see." Izuna sat down on a boulder, unsheathing his katana. "Do you have any idea who it could be?" He pushed.

 _Yes_.

"No." Was what he reiterated instead. After what happened yesterday night, a new fear slowly crept into Madara's mind. A fear that entailed of having to lose his brother to it. That it would come after his only sibling just as it came after her. He tried to comfort himself by saying that it had a purpose, in which it wanted something from her personally. Her necklace. So, what reason would it have to go after Izuna? He didn't have to answer that question as he was momentarily brought back into that nightmare. The one he dreamed of yesterday. And the day before. And the day before that as well. It haunted his nights. He was reminded that it didn't need to have reasons for its actions, it could do whatever it wanted. Take whatever it wanted and kill whoever it wanted with no purpose to it. Not one that Madara could see. Even if he did, he didn't think he would comprehend it either.

In truth, there was no telling what that creature wanted or what it was going to do next. How, was another question that seemed to elude him. Perhaps it was out of sheer malice or maybe it didn't need a motive to go for his younger brother. It didn't matter. Whatever his rationale was or however he liked to justify it, Madara wouldn't let Izuna know of its existence. Not until he found a way to get rid of it first.

He brought out a sharpening stone and started honing his blade on its surface. The sound of metal grating against the gritty exterior of the whetted stone made for some very unpleasant rasping sounds. He only sat there, focusing on nothing but his katana. In no time at all, his hair was coated with clumps of wet flakes drifting down and landing on his head. Though, it did not seem to bother him.

"You need to go back inside."

Izuna didn't look up from what he was doing, not even to answer him.

"Why?"

Something was clearly off about him and it irked Madara. What if he knew he was hiding something?  _Is that why he was acting so sullen?_

"I need you to help in inventory. And get rid of those old shacks while you're at it. Bring those weapons to a blacksmith if they're still useful." He was about to turn away and leave-

"Oh really?" Izuna didn't buy it. It was clear in his voice. Madara didn't sound convincing enough. He could have had a number of shinobi do it for him. This wasn't a task usually left for a second-in-command to do. He just wanted his brother inside, in case it was still lurking around. Swallowing his pride, he turned to face his brother.

"No. I need you to tighten security around the compound." At the very least, that statement did hold some truth to it and that surprised Izuna.

"How much tighter do you want it to get?"

_Tight enough so it doesn't worm its way back into the house._

Izuna jokingly said, even if it was meant more as a jab against his brother. At his growing paranoia and his increasing wariness. Something even he was unable to understand.

"Just do it." He demanded. Madara felt uneasy. About everything. More so at having to mislead his brother like this. But if it was to protect him, then he had no choice.  _Right?_

He tried to convince himself. And he would continue to do so until he believed it.

"If you say so." He went back to refining the edge of his sword.  _"I'll be right in!"_  He exclaimed in a mock-cheerful tone, evidently irritated with his elder sibling. Madara had this eerie feeling that he would soon regret not confiding in his brother. There was one way to find out. And time would be the one to tell.

* * *

_Dearest friend,_

_The high-tone of your letters- or rather, the lack of- suggests that you are sincerely avoiding the topic of discussion. I have been trying with all my might and have trod with due diligence in the case that you have been preoccupied with one matter or the other- I fear that this has gone long far enough. There have been new developments in regard to the settlement, though I am quite certain you know of this if you have read my previous letters. Such developments requires your attention and approvals as it will not solely end up in our benefits but to your clan's as well. I believe a meeting is in order. Albeit, you seem to think otherwise._

_I have no right to resent, even so, I do regret that it should be so unfavorable of me to request this; however, I have the right to demand your grounds for attendance. As long as you still deem the treaty still fit, that this._

_You are cordially invited for an extended stay. Needless to say, Uchiha-sama is invited as well and we would be honored to bide in her company. We urge you to accept our offer for a much-needed visit._

_Yours respectfully,_

_Senju Hashirama._

How many times had he read that letter? _No._

Actually, how many letters had he read that said the same thing over and over?

_What was this? The goddamn fifth?!_

Each missive that was sent appeared to get angrier and angrier at his lack of response. Could he be blamed, though? In all honesty, Madara had forgotten about them. They have not crossed his mind. Not once. Not ever since the first written letter from Hashirama. And then they just kept coming, one after the other. And each time, he would just throw them out.  _One after the other._

Be that as it may, this particular letter screamed urgency, as if it was begging him to read it. And read it he did.

He regretted it. He just wanted to bang his head onto the desk repeatedly until those words were scraped off. Just like the rest, he threw this one back into its respective pile that was growing ever so subtly near the window.

Hashirama had never been so formal, his handwriting was never this 'neat' and he definitely never sounded this displeased. The scribbled writings on the side, the hideously dashed words and how he so abruptly changed from _I_  to  _we_  made Madara think that someone was surely watching him over his shoulders while he was writing it. It had to be that. But what really persuaded him was that little footnote at the end of the letter that read;

_For Kami's sake, answer me you dic-_

It was good that he cut himself short. Or that person that was standing by cut him off instead. Kami bless their heart- whoever they were. He would love to see Hashirama call him a dickhead to his face and watch what happened then, what would occur afterwards would not be Madara's responsibility nor liability. Unable to think anymore, he let his head hit the mahogany desk. His study was his only refuge he had at the moment.

But only for oh-so long.

He heard a knock.

"Come in." He replied, his dark mood returning.

The doors opened to let a well-composed Eiji to enter.

"Uchiha-sama." The six foot giant bowed down as he greeted his clan head. He seemed...alright. Considering. Expressionless as always, his high-collared dark shirt did nothing to assuage his blank demeanor. Madara couldn't tell exactly what was wrong with the man. Granted, he had just lost his father, but he had always been this way. Reclusive, just like Takayama was. However, Eiji was ten-folds worse. Horrifyingly so.

"I'm...sorry for your loss." He stated as he got up from his seat. "He was a great shinobi." He would have offered his condolences sooner had he seen him at the funeral. Except he didn't. Eiji was nowhere to be seen. A funeral his wife had also so incidentally avoided from the start.

"Thank you." He accepted his words apathetically. "You called me?"

 _Yes._ He did. It took him a moment to remember why he had asked to see him. He might as well cut to the chase.

"I need you to follow her. Make sure that she's...safe. When I'm not around."

...

He didn't react, as he expected. Eiji's stoic and phlegmatic character had never troubled Madara. Not until now. That was because he had never bothered to communicate with him unless it was necessary. He couldn't read him, at all. It's what was agitating him.

"Huh." Was the only thing he said. Or muttered, was more like it.

_Huh? That's it?_

Madara knew he must still be...grieving. Mourning. Or whatever they called it. But in their time, they weren't allowed to grieve. Not publicly and not this long. The wars may have ended, but things were still the same. Things like societal values and so-called 'norms', expectations and duties, judgements and convictions. Things like that did not change over night, it would take a while, perhaps longer than he would stay in this world. He didn't know, what he did know was people rather got their grievance over with so they didn't have to ground themselves in the past. When in reality, they never really stopped mourning, did they?

Besides, some work would provide him a few distractions.

"With all due respect, Madara-sama, correct me if I'm wrong. Am I supposed to act as her protector or make sure she doesn't go somewhere she's not  _supposed to?"_

What a carefully thought out question.

"Both." Too bad his answer wasn't nearly as thought out as its question was. His response heavily implied that he didn't trust her enough to walk around by herself. Which wasn't the case. All this time he could have assigned someone to watch her, but he didn't. The only reason he would resort to asking this of Eiji in particular was because he somewhat trusted the man. He was more than capable of handling a guard position. This was a simple mission. Perhaps the easiest he had encountered in his life. Hopefully.

He wasn't always going to be around her, he just wanted to make sure that she was...competently guarded.

"I see." He let out a sigh. Even that alone seemed as monotonous as his attitude was. "Shall I make my presence known?"

"Do what you see fit."

With that last command, Eiji disappeared. Apparently, walking out the door was becoming a task below his standards. Madara slumped to the chair. The lack of sleep was beginning to affect him now; half-way into the day. Turning around, he looked out the window and saw nothing but white. Whiteness everywhere. The light drizzles of last night was turning into a full-scale storm. It was dizzying, returning back to the stacks of papers on his desk; he couldn't concentrate on the paperwork. Just how dismissive his shinobi was. He didn't even ask about his father or the prospect of even searching for his killer. Not a single mention. Not anything. Like he did not care nor did he want to know, which was a bit of a far-fetched idea. Still, the lack of interest; inquisitiveness was odd. To Madara. He would have died trying to know who had done it if it was his father. But it wasn't, his father had died long ago in battle.

_Maybe he already knew._

It was a possibility. One Madara didn't like very much. Which meant that he also knew of  _its_  existence. It opened doors to even more questions, like just what else did he know. And was that what he secretly tried to tell her when he asked him to enter the bedroom? He did not forget that subtle glance she gave him nor the way her face contorted as if something truly horrible dawned on her. Eiji, true to his nature, stood there void of any expressions, or life for that matter. Then or now, it didn't matter. Something was unsettling Madara deeply.

He was paranoid. That thought had not crossed his mind until now; that the real problem was him.

He was irrationally anxious and it was maddening. Pushing the piles of sheets to the side, he stood up and hurried out the door. The place he had just called refuge a while ago was transforming into his own prison. And he couldn't bear it any longer.

He walked down the halls aimlessly. Roaming corridor after corridor. Passing multiple maids along the way. It cleared his mind for a while. He only realized how cold this place really was when he walked past his old room. The fact that it opened onto a garden that was now turning into very pale dust didn't help. Madara walked back to the other section of the house, it just seemed ridiculous; what he was doing.

_What was I doing?_

This incessant meowing was getting louder as he walked back into the warmth of the closed space that was the new wing. He thought that he had been imagining it at first as he didn't actually care enough to turn around. But then he felt this weird fur-like creature snuggling up against his ankles. He stopped in his tracks and looked down to find a tiny kitten- no more than three weeks old- rubbing itself on him. He attempted to continue on, but it followed him and latched onto his feet. Its meows were near ear-piercing as he bent down and held it up by the thin skin of its neck.

Being face-to-face with such a mini creature was astonishing. He felt humongous next to it. So very humongous, it was unnatural. His face was practically the size of its whole body.

It cried louder and louder.

_It's just cold._

Its newly formed fur was still developing and it barely suited the kitten for a weather like this.

"What to do with you?" He whispered as its wide blue eyes stared into his jet-black ones. Its cries softened as it finally realized that he was no longer a threat. As sudden as this baby kitten appeared, so did an idea in his mind. He brought it down and let it settle in his arms as he went on bringing that objective to life.

* * *

She slid the doors open roughly before he even had the chance to knock.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, curious. She was dressed down to the tee. She really was going out. Now, where could that possibly be?

"I- No." She stepped back, letting him in. Mina was startled by his unexpected arrival. He placed the small box that he was holding down on a dresser, almost knocking down a vase as he did so. A gauze roll was set atop the case.

He looked at the burn marks around her neck and they seemed much better than that morning, but they were still there.  _Still_  healing. It wasn't quite as fast as it once was, but it wasn't as slow as any normal mending, especially if it wasn't healed using chakra. The ones on her face were almost gone, with only pinkish blemishes in what used to be shallow imprints. Ho took hold of her chin and scrutinized every little detail of the injury. Whatever that had caused it- which he reckoned to be claws of some sort- had entirely wrapped around her neck as he saw the marks had extended to the back of her neck, down to the base of her nape.

"You need to see a medic." He said, though that was pretty clear from the start.

"I feel better now. It doesn't hurt anymore." She spoke quietly. He gave a half-hearted frown, partially at the fact that she refused to get treated and the other-

"Madara?"

"Hm?"

"Why is that box moving?"

He looked back and saw that the cardboard box was slowly slinking its way to the edge of the dresser, barely an inch away from falling to the ground and exposing itself. He grabbed it in time and looked back at her. She was staring at him warily, unable to decipher his actions. At least that made the two of them, because he, too, could not make sense of his own actions. Yet, here he was, holding a boxed container with a giant hole in its lid. He figured that way, it wouldn't die on him.

"Here." He handed it to her, more carelessly than he had intended. The box hit her chest rather harder than he had anticipated, but that didn't faze her.

"Thanks?" She said, confused. He let go of the box when he was sure that she had a firm grip on it. Opening the lid, a small head appeared little by little until it was in full view, its meowing never ceased. Though, he guessed it was just glad that it was finally out of the darkness. Madara didn't know if he should gift wrap the box or not, he ended up deciding not to as it would have seemed like a little too much effort was put on his part. He was just grateful that it hadn't died, he didn't necessarily have the greatest of lucks when it came to cats.

Her jaws dropped, even if it was momentarily, he saw it. He also saw that faint glint in her eyes, between all the sadness and dejection, it was nice seeing that glimmer of excitement in them.  _Even if it was just momentarily._

She held up the pocket-sized kitten gently and carefully with both of her hands, something he couldn't say when she threw the box half-way across the room. She brought it up to eye-level, just as he did. The kitten's meows turned into low purrs as she rubbed its belly.

"It's so... _small. And cold."_ That excitement he thought he saw was now new-found wonder. He could hear it in her voice. He was relieved to know that he wasn't the only one who thought it was too small for its own good. She took it away and walked over to the bed. Taking one of the pillowcases, she began swaddling the poor little feline. He couldn't see what was going on from where he stood, he only noticed how she leaned over it and then straightening up. Again and again, nuzzling it.

_What the- what the hell was she doing?_

He walked over to the other side of the bed.

He knew she liked cats- with the exception of the one that Izuna flung at her- he just didn't know to what extent. And now he knows. It was a bit unsettling at how she was treating it like a baby. How she swathed it so it wouldn't feel cold, how she seemed to play with it like it had a brain's capacity of a human child. Speaking of which, did an infant even have any brain capacity? Now that he thought about it, perhaps the kitten didn't really differ from a baby, after all. In spite of that, it had not brought a smile to her face. It made everything that she was doing seem so senseless.

The new-born cat had predominantly white fur with patches of bright orange and black in various spots. He recognized it as a tobi mi-ke, for its triple fur color. It was considered a good-luck charm by many sailors around the areas, as they always carried one on their ships to protect them against misfortunes at sea. That, or one of those maneki-neko figurines that everyone seemed to like. He actually found them quite creepy.

"You're handsome, you know." She whispered.

...

That had caught him off guard. Very. He was not prepared for such a comment. Out of the blue, it just sounded...bizarre. Bizarre and unusual. He knew he had the looks, he did not need to hear it from another woman. If he had to admit to himself though, then he would say it was kind of gratifying hearing it from her.

"Hmm." He muttered in agreement.

Except, that compliment wasn't meant for him, was it? It only occurred to Madara that she wasn't really talking about him. Just the kitten. She was talking about the kitten. He felt his brows twitch involuntarily as his brain was struggling to keep up. At this moment, his own capacity was no better than the cat's or a damn child's. He summoned up the courage to look her in the face. He saw the faint curves of her lips as she tried to hide away her smile. She did not need to say it, but she did not hold herself back from mouthing it either.

 _I was talking about the cat,_  he read the words off her lips.

"Hmpf." He stood up, looking away and crossing his arms. Embarrassment filled him but he wouldn't let it show.

"Don't worry. I think you're handsome, too." She said, her voice full of mirth. Her smile was no longer a smile, but a quiet chuckle he wouldn't have heard if he wasn't seeing it for himself. The cat crawled out of the sheets and climbed up over her before finding its way to the floor. She went after it, walking steadily but silently, behind it.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Madara's paranoia is getting out of hand, he needs to be stopped. Or maybe it was part of Black zetsu's plan all along. Get him to doubt everyone. Or you know, maybe not. XD Who knows?
> 
> So, why does White Zetsu exist this far back into the timeline?
> 
> While White Zetsu was technically a victim of the infinite Tsukuyomi back in Kaguya's era and was originally (and secretly) pulled from the Gedo statue (or you know, the Demonic Statue of the Outer Path- whichever you want to call it) by Black Zetsu- This statue as we all know was only summoned when Madara had awakened the Rinnegan. Anyways, White Zetsu along with other victims were removed from the statue (which is the husk of the Ten-tails, if I recall correctly) by Black Zetsu accordingly to his own plan. He also went on to lead Madara to believe that they were simply accidents from his experiments when he tried to fuse Hashirama's DNA with the statue, etc...blablablah. Pretty sure you all know where this is going.
> 
> This ended up with White zetsu able to use a weaker version of the wood release Kekkei Genkei, etc.  
> I introduced him this far back in the era because I need him for the plot. So, just imagine this Zetsu as a Venus flytrap-less, kekkei Genkei- less and ultimately just more...witless. Lol


	40. Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Up until now, I've been writing this fic with no concrete plan. Which I came to find to be such a pain. Wish I knew this sooner, lol. But yeah, I feel like this is stretching out way longer than I had anticipated, so I've decided to actually put a time-line on how I'm going to end this. Hopefully, by the end of this summer. Which probably won't happen considering my lazy ass. So, don't worry.
> 
> Just know that when we reach the point of Konoha's founding, I would say this story would be about 50% to 55% done. Which won't occur before another arc or two. I don't even know anymore, honestly. In fact, I don't know why I'm writing this, it's really nothing more than a reminder for myself to hurry the fuck up. XD.
> 
> Also, I will be rewriting precious chapters due to the lack of coherent writing, it was pretty awful when I started this story. It's basically just editing, fixing grammatical/syntax/punctuation/etc mistakes. And most of all, the plot holes. They are a pain in the neck and it's about time I got rid of them. Cheers!

_**Mina's POV** _

It was an adorable calico.

Male calico cats were pretty rare in general. So, it was a nice surprise. Though, I doubted this was a planned one. I was- somewhat- certain that he had just found it wandering somewhere and...took it. Madara took a cat.  _That didn't sound right._  I repeated it again in my mind;

Uchiha Madara took a kitten.

That didn't make sense either. I tried voicing it out loud which sounded even more unbelievable. The only images that would come to mind had someone told me that exact phrase was of a particular long-haired ninja with red eyes sneaking around looking for a litter of kittens and just...snatching one out of the pile randomly. Incredible and as sad as it was, it probably did not happen.

What was even more surprising than his ingenious idea of gifting it, was the fact that he hadn't left it out there to die. I had not expected that. Maybe Madara had a secret soft spot for kitties and didn't want anyone to know about it. That would be weird. Very weird. Or, he could have a heart after all. Yes, the latter seemed the most valid reason.

It was extremely small, it couldn't have possibly been more than two to three weeks old. The calico was walking in front of me with its tiny paws soft as cushions, carrying its little frame with each silent step it took. It meowed as it prowled the halls of this mansion. It drifted deeper and deeper into the Uchiha main household- searching for God knows what- like it owned the place. Like the leader it was and I; its ever-faithful servant, a mere follower. Its short tail wagged behind with every move, exposing what I assumed must be its...

_ball-sack?_

It had to be male.  _At least, I think it is._  That dangling fleshy piece between its hind legs was too small to distinguish. While this nice present did distract me from the pain, I couldn't shake off that feeling.

I had nowhere to go, no one to meet. Nothing was safe anymore. I didn't feel safe. It robbed me of every ounce of false security I could have ever felt and left me with nothing. That fear that had overwhelmed my senses from the very start paved way to another feeling that was just as awful. Something akin to dread, but worse. Ten times worse, because now...now I knew things were only going to get more painful than they had ever been. It finally had the necklace, it stole it from me. And all I could do was lay there, helpless as the coward I was. I couldn't even put up a fight for all that counted. It had me bound to it somehow; I couldn't move, couldn't breathe nor could I think unless it wanted me to. As if its will was powerful enough to control me, or anything for that matter.  _How did it even get past the guards?_ My mind jumped through hoops, twists and turns to dig up some logical explanation when the answer had been right there all along.

 _It_  was Black Zetsu. That alone was enough reason. It wouldn't have fallen short of its capabilities to infiltrate a home or a base or whatever it needed to accomplish what it wanted. What it wanted was clear to me and me alone. I didn't think anyone here- aside from Eiji- even knew of its existence. Madara once said he never saw a creature in the woods back when he fought the Kaguya clan head, but every time I looked into his eyes, I saw it. He was hiding something.  _What?_  I had no clue but I hope he had the sense of mind to tell me.

 _Did he have reason to, though?_  If I thought about it, I wasn't  _always necessarily_  honest with him either. I was sure to have lied to him once or twice, good cause or not, I still lied.

And now, Zetsu has it. The bastard has the pendant in its hands and I couldn't do a thing about it. I had no idea what he would use the chains- rather, the stone- for. In fact, I didn't doubt that more of them may have existed, or still do. I had already seen two; mine and the one Eiji retrieved. Who's to say that there weren't more stones out there?

 _Moonstone?_  That was what Sora's father had called it back then.  _Whatever the hell that meant._

_And just how many could there be? Five? Ten? Fifteen? Were they all parts of a larger stone or were they lone pieces? Where did they come from?_

In spite of all the questions and all the secrets, only one thing was undeniably true and that was Zetsu's intentions. _Or was it?_  As far as the gripping narrative portrayed the story-line, it always had its one and only objective; to revive Kaguya. But this was no longer the narrative, was it? Being here- which is in itself is pretty inconceivable- may have had adverse effects, events that shouldn't have happened, _have_  happened.  _What if its motives changed as a result?_  Did it not want to resurrect its mother?

_No, that couldn't be it._

Its words kept echoing inside my mind. Gift.  _Valuable gift_. It said that I had brought it a valuable gift. If I had understood correctly, it had referred to Madara.

_"He's a perfect vessel, quite intriguing if you ask me."_

Vessel. Maybe it didn't matter what time-line it was, Black Zetsu would never change. Neither would its incentives. Which meant that it planned on using Madara the same way it manipulated him into contriving everything to its will.

The thought of having to live those heart-aching moments sent a shiver up my spine. It was one thing to just sit there and watch these two-dimensional characters fight on a screen or on paper, but it was another thing to have these characters spring to life, in flesh and blood, with the whole package that came along with being human. Emotions, compassion, sympathy, pity and sorrow next to every single trait that made them who they are; these people were alive. All this time, I had seen myself as nothing but a backdrop to something greater than a theater set, a play that had been magically concocted into something that far outstretched the boundaries of reality.

The thing was, it wasn't just a play anymore.

And that frightened me. So much so, I had stopped in my tracks while the kitten wandered on.

I lost everything. My world. My family. My friend. Now, the only thing that connected me to them was gone.  _Just...gone_. I made a promise to myself long ago that I would do whatever it took to find my way back to home, although now, I was finding a great difficulty in keeping up with that promise. Things here weren't much better, I could already see it happening. The bonds I had formed with people here- as much as I hated to admit it, I couldn't anymore- were going to wither away. Just like that, because of some black blob who had an unhealthy obsession with his mother and with no other purpose in life than to get her back.

Even if it meant that it stomped on other's; to use people like-

_Madara._

It may have had the stone- or stones, whichever it was- but I still had Madara. It couldn't do anything unless it had Madara in its grasp, and as long as Izuna Uchiha lived, there was no reason for him to slip through the cracks. No reason for him to fall into its claws.  _Right? Right Mina?!_

_Fuck._

Izuna was the sole abnormality, the oddball that did not fit into the equation. Which was quite impossible, but here he was. Alive and the one whose loss could have affected Madara more than anything in this world. Other than him, I couldn't see any major oversight in this universe. The settlement was being built, Konoha was soon to be founded, and well- I couldn't exactly predict anything after that. Everything that came later was like a blank page waiting to be written over by today's events.

Lost in my thoughts, I failed to see those stacks of books in front of me and lost my footing as I fell to the ground, bringing the pile down with me.

_What the-?_

I was on my knees, surrounded by a see of books that I now had to rearrange. The fall resonated across the hall, amplifying the sound loud enough to alert anyone in hearing distance so that they were already on their way here. There were heaps of them still standing, blocking the corridor. Why?

_Where was I?_

I didn't recall ever coming to this place, never before had I seen these hallways whose walls were made of dry stone. Swirling patterns of refined granite marbles were flawlessly etched into the larger hard rocks. The cat was nowhere in sight.  _How did I even get here?_  This place looked more like a fortress than a simple hall in a traditional home. I searched around for any way out, but this aisle seemed to stretch out for miles in both directions. I must have been walking for quite some time. Maybe this was another cut-off section of the house that I never got to see. Until now. Why did I always get lost in the strangest of places?

But things were just getting stranger. The mountains of books were placed in front of extraordinarily large wooden doors. A stark contrast to the rest of the place, but that it did not mean it was any less sturdy. It was a giant piece of work, decorated with bronze rivets and hinges with the central piece being an antique-ish door knocker. The Uchiha emblem engraved beautifully into the ebony wood.

I stood up slowly, fascinated with such a view.  _Was I even in the same house?_

The books were littered across the floor, some of which I had recognized back in the days when I still visited the library. The good days, when I was still ignorant. Ignorance  _was_  bliss. That phrase had never rung truer in my mind. The fact that all these paperbacks were dumped here meant that- that this was Madara's private archive. It had to be. I inched closer to the high-end vintage door and bent down to peer through the keyhole. The lock- consisting of those old vintage bronze casts and key plates- itself was positioned so far up, it reached my upper sternum. I knew I was short, but not this short. The bronze-ornate hole was purposely placed at great height.

Looking through narrowed eyes, I struggled to see what was in there.

The sharp edges at the far end belonged to something more of a-  _a table?_  It was a table. The soft orange glow of the room behind the doors wasn't due to a non-existent fire in- what I suspected was- a fireplace. Perhaps a bulb, or a candle in the corner.

_Was someone in there?_

There were a couple of books on that table, but that was all that I managed to discern. It did not matter how hard I squinted or how narrowed my eyes became, it was beyond difficult to make out anything else. I retreated and took a step back, rubbing my sore eyes.

"Uchiha-sama?"Her voice came as a surprise.

_Crap._

I almost stumbled back. Again. Thankfully, I caught myself this time before I tore down the rest of the towering stockpiles. It was a maid who had called out to me.

"Yes?" I responded with as much confidence as I could muster in that moment. Which wasn't much to begin with. The five-foot servant with typical Uchiha features stood there staring at me. Her long black hair was tied back into a ponytail. Her grey and black uniform was the only indication that she was a simple servant who worked for her living. The kimono that she wore was just as dark as her eyes.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." I was too focused on the box she was carrying to be able to think of even formulating another word. My mind resorted to the only thing I knew how to say and that so happened to be no more than three letters long. She placed the box down and went to the bundle of scattered books, I took advantage of it and stole a glance at the contents of the carton. Only to find more books.

She was so busy with rearranging the tumbled ones, she forgot the ones that laid a few feet back. I couldn't let her do it alone, especially seeing that I was the one that caused it. Bending down beside her, I grabbed a few and began regrouping them into a stack like how I assumed they were.

"Uchiha-sama, you should not concern yourself with such-"

"I don't mind." I told her. I really didn't. I also didn't mind if she let a few words slip. Like why these books were dumped here. I had no more suspicions about it anymore, these books- all of them, without a question- belonged to the public library. Asides from recognizing some of the volumes, there was nothing more to go on. But I didn't need anything else.

"Don't these books already have a home?" I asked.

"Yes, but after Takayama-sama's death, Madara-sama had ordered for all of them to be transported here for safekeeping." She didn't tear her eyes away from the task at hand, not once looking at me as she stacked books upon books in an impeccably neat manner. All the while I strained to get a half-dozen hardbacks to stand still. Though, that could partly be blamed on my shaking hands.

"Will they be stored in here?" I gestured towards the enormous doors behind us.  _It was his library after all._

"I believe so." She nodded. Her hands suddenly halted and everything came to a stop. She turned around to face me; her eyes meeting mine, she warned me, "No one is allowed to enter there. Madara-sama likes his possessions  _private_." We sat there for some time, looking at each other. I knew what she meant, I just didn't understand why. Wasn't I his 'wife'? Should I not be allowed to enter whatever chamber I wanted? Or was it because I wasn't Uchiha? What kind of secrets were being hidden in there?

"Oh, that's a shame." I blurted out thoughtlessly and returned to reorganizing the tomes before me. It really was a shame. I needed to get in there, maybe I would find anything that was useful or indicated anything about the pendant. Any documents or papers or whatever that was locked behind that door. And that book, the red-leathered one which I had been reading back then. I didn't remember quite well what it had been about but if Madara thought it necessary to hide it away from me upon seeing me reading it at the library; then yes, I would say there were some pretty interesting things that he did not want me to see. Or know, for that matter.

She didn't say anything and continued with reordering the mess that surrounded us. More books were probably on the way. How were they going to fit everything in that room? The library was more than twice its size.

It hadn't taken long before we finished.

"Can you please show me the way out?" Truth was, I didn't even know how I got here. I could only imagine what must be going on in her mind. But I really was lost and couldn't tell right from left in this place. Grateful that she didn't inquire further about how I found my way here, I chose to follow her out quietly, taking mental notes about the route along the way. It wasn't difficult as there were no other turns or intersections that were potentially confusing. About a few hundred yards later, a staircase I didn't even knew existed came into view. One that led to an upper floor with those all-too-familiar rice paper doors.

"After walking up the stairs, you should take your first right and continue down that corridor. Once you start seeing the windows, take the next left. You will find yourself in the main hall."

She wasn't coming along, that was heavily implied in her words.  _So, just where was she going?_

"Thank you."

"If you'll excuse me." She bowed down and walked down the other direction. It could be that she went to retrieve more books, I didn't know. The wooden steps creaked beneath my feet as I made my way up. I didn't even remember walking down here. _What is wrong with me?_ I slid the doors open gently and a rush of cold air breezed past me. The night air was refreshing, but it was also deadly.

_First right. Then the next left. Right then left._

I kept repeating her instructions, that way I wouldn't forget and stumble upon something else I probably shouldn't. The further I walked, the more familiar things began to look. While everything did appear to carbon-copies of each other, there were tiny details that differentiate one hall from another. It was hard to believe I had managed to stray from my usual walks and ended up down there; underground. This was the first floor, but it seemed that Madara liked his  _private_  collections far from plain sight. I was surprised that the place wasn't even more secured. Anyone who was half decent enough- unlike me where my incoordination was more of an inherent quality- could easily walk through those doors.

The moment I took a right on the first intersection, I instantly flinched as I recognized the presence behind me.

"You're still alive." He said.

I couldn't tell if that was meant as a mere statement or a question, though there was no mistaking it. That mirthful undertone of Eiji's voice spoke louder than the same words he just uttered. He was... _happy?_  A bit surprised, but happy. Not the kind you feel when you're genuinely content, no- it was the sort that held animosity and spite underneath that mock smile. It was as if he expected me to be...dead.

"Yes I'm still alive. And so are you?" What was an appropriate response to something like that? He stood a few feet away, watching me closely. His vacant expression seemed to be engraved onto his face the same way a frown was on Tobirama's. I didn't want to get any closer to him, he was dangerous. He clearly didn't see what I saw and instead drew nearer.

"I'm shocked." He confessed, a bit too casually.  _Why? Why was it such a surprise that I was alive?_ Did he think I would have a heart attack? Fall and hit my head? Drown? Kill myself? Or did he think Black Zetsu would have finished the job? He knew, didn't he? Eiji knew it was lurking in the shadows, waiting until the perfect opportunity to take the gemstone.

"Stop." I cautioned him. "Don't ta-...not another step." I raised my hands as a futile attempt to warn him off; to keep him at an arms length. Seemingly startled by my reaction, he didn't move an inch closer. It was his turn to raise his arms in surrender, releasing his grip on the hilt of his katana.

"I won't hurt you. I am not stupid."

He wasn't stupid, far from it actually. Although, I still didn't believe him. I know he had saved my life once before, that he was probably the only reason that I still walked down these hallways and not was dancing in my grave. He took that Hyuga down before he could have gotten to me instead. Even so, I couldn't help but feel that he thought of it as nothing more than his duty as one of Madara's henchmen. He had no intentions of coming to my rescue because he felt compelled to save a person's life nor out of 'the kindness of his heart'. It was no more than a service he was obliged to carry out for his clan head.

"You knew, didn't you? You knew it was there all along." I searched frantically for a reaction in those empty eyes of his. Trying to gauge a response out of him, anything. He was as indecipherable as a stone, I might as well have been talking to a wall.

"It never left. I figured you would have known that."

 _Figured, my ass._ He wanted me dead, except, he couldn't do it himself. For obvious reasons.

"You thought it...it would kill me?" My eyes unconsciously widened as the realization of such horrors were beginning to dawn on me.

"I saw no reason why it would let you live. But here you are."

 _Yes, here I am._ And scared shitless. I wanted nothing more than to turn the other way and dart out of here. Which was exactly what I had begun to do. If only he hadn't been treading on my heels.

"Would you stop following me?!" I turned around and shouted at him.  _Was he insane? Deranged? Did he lose his mind?_ For all I knew, he might not have had one to start with. "Just what do you want from me? I have done noth-"

"I don't really have a choice. If I did, I would be doing something worth my time."

_Wasn't his choice?_

"Mina-sama?" A second, more feminine voice called out to me. I could tell it was another maid. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw her approaching us. When I returned my attention back to him, he was already gone; nowhere to be found. In that single second in which I momentarily gazed away, he had left as if he was never even there. _How was it not his choice?_ How do you force someone to follow another one? Unless he was ordered to-

"Supper is ready. Madara-sama would like you to join."

"Please tell him that I am tired and that I would rather rest." I informed her. "If it's not a bother." I was exhausted, despite the fact that I had done nothing today. I was just mentally drained, but that excuse certainly wouldn't have gone by well with Madara. The housemaid didn't move, she only stood there fidgeting with her fingers.

"He insists."

* * *

_He seemed to be insisting about a lot of things recently._

But I never expected this to be one of them.

It was a dining room. A gorgeous one. And warm, too. The walls- or rather, doors- were of a shimmering gold paper with hand-painted decorative details. The rest of the grand room was just as aesthetic; very elegant. However, my weary mind wasn't up for the task to analyze every single attribute to every single piece of furniture. I was having a hard time enough as it is, taking in the view in front of me. I thought I would only be meeting with Madara but it appeared that there was another guest. His unwelcomed presence had never been more deplorable than it was right now.

I almost preferred sitting alone with Madara than having Izuna join anything that concerned either of us. He should have kept his distance. Every time I saw his sorry face, I was always reminded of what he did on the wedding night. And then I would just get angry. So angry. I didn't want to be this irritated over someone like him. I didn't have it in me right now.

But seeing him sit there at the table...it filled me with renewed rage. Most of which wasn't even directed at Izuna, really but at myself. For being taken advantage of, for allowing my feelings to get in the way and letting them spill right in front of _him_ ; but most of all, for not being able to follow through with my own promise and ended up failing to protect the only thing that belonged to  _me_  and me alone.

And here they were, sitting there at the center of the glowing room. With Madara looking like he had fallen asleep right there on spot and his idiotic brother...looking plain idiotic. The pain inside my head was throbbing against my temples the longer I stood there.

_Might as well put this rage to good use._

_I'll make him pay._

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

_About time._

He was beginning to fall asleep when she had entered.

He thought that he had looked terrible; shabby and worn-out, like he usually did. Even with bathing and cleansing herself, she looked just as horrible. Which was odd, considering that she was the one who slept through the night. Yet, the heavy and dark bags under her eyes were testament to anything but.  _Just how?_ How did she manage to dishevel her hair, wrinkle her clothes and look nearly as bad as he did without so much of an ounce of effort? Maybe she had fallen down some stairs. Or crawled into a hole. A hole she would have probably never left had he not sent someone after her.

She went for a seat on the right side of the table, opposing Izuna. The short-legged table was quite long, especially for a chabudai. The maid stopped her before she could even kneel and ushered her towards the tatami mat next to Madara. He couldn't care less, he just wanted to lay his head down. Anywhere. Even the bowl of rice right under his nose was strangely inviting, as if it wanted him to- to...stick it in. It wasn't the delicious smell that wafted through the air that had him, it was the mere fact that it looked like a pillow. A soft pillow. One where he could easily rest if he could-.

Grappling with his inner conscious, he glared at the tiny white rice grains as an intense battle ensued within him, which ultimately ended with his defeat. She sat down, falling to her knees unceremoniously. She looked... _pissed?_

_Where was the kitten? Did she lose it?_

As for the maid, she took her own seat at the far back, behind the sliding doors awaiting further orders.

A heavy silence settled over them, clouding the atmosphere with uneasy tension thicker than the snowstorm going on out there. Restless eyes glanced hastily around the table and tried to avoid catching other glances that passed by.  _Some-_ mainly Izuna _-_ shifted uncomfortably in their seat, grasping their sweaty palms under the table. On his right side, she sat, quiet as a mouse and still as a statue. None of them said anything for a while nor did they touch their food. It was just too painfully awkward. He didn't know what was going on between them but they would have to resolve it. Preferably, sooner rather than later. He was growing tired of this little game of theirs. Right from the start, they never seemed to get along. Madara had to wonder just what Izuna did to her. It wasn't something he gave much thought to. But seeing his younger brother acting...this tense around her, well, there had to be more to it.

It wasn't obvious to anyone, but Madara noticed those little changes in his sibling's attitude. Actually, he had sensed them since he first arrived back from the settlement.

She was the first to pick up her sticks and began eating. Izuna soon followed.

 _"Mmm, Madara?"_  She broke the silence after a while, calling out to him. There was something off about her tone.

"What?" He answered.

"I heard this really amazing story recently. Would you like to know what it is?" He glanced at her, not once did she take her eyes of her bowl.

"What is it?" He replied as he ate. His eyes met Izuna's when he took a quick look over. His brother wasn't just eating any longer, he was devouring everything as if he was in a hurry to leave.  _Already?_  Madara was just starting to enjoy this little family reunion.

_"Well, do you remember our wedding night?"_

_Of course._ How could he forget? He would sometimes fall back on the images of that night to, well- they came in handy. So, did his right hand. It had been a while, though.

"So you see, we weren't the only ones."

Now, things were getting interesting. He would have surely remembered if they had invited others to bed with them. She turned to look at him, mischief glowing in her eyes.

 _"Not in the bed, silly."_ It was uncanny how she so easily read his mind, maybe he wasn't trying hard enough to hide his thoughts. "Oh no, I meant outside the bedroom door."

_Outside the door?_

He set down his chopsticks and was completely immersed in his thoughts. Never truly forgetting how Izuna seemed to go rigid, listening in on everything. Not that he couldn't even if he tried, they were deliberately making it loud in order for him to hear. Everything. He couldn't tell if he was horrified or if he was simply appalled. Both, probably.

"Is that so? That's quite funny." Madara recalled something he only found to be  _just that_  amusing in light of recent revelations.

"Oh really?" She feigned surprise, her expression growing darker with each passing second

"There seems to be a hole in that bedroom door as well."

He held Izuna's gaze for as long as he could. He wasn't exactly certain of what he was looking for. Guilt? Regret? A confession? _What the hell has he done?_ He had accomplished his fair share of idiocies, shenanigans and stunts all throughout his life, but Madara couldn't help but think he might have outdone himself this time.

"Hmm, that is funny. We should get it fixed." She said solemnly.

_We should._

There was a sudden rumbling underneath the table and the kitten that he had found earlier jumped out, using her lap as a cushion to hoist itself up. It crawled onto the table, knocking plates and bowls to the side. Cups shattered to the ground as it sniffed the food, searching for something that appeased its tastes, he surmised. No one dared to move a muscle. Not out of fear for disturbing the cat which was having the time of its life picking through the dishes, but out of- No one knew what else to say. Chances were that the next person who spoke was more likely to explode into a fit of rage rather than remain civilized, and that could have been either of them. She was a bigger risk than he was.

That cat was a blessing in disguise; a good thing that happened to walk in at the right time.

The only sound in the room was the soft meows. It settled for nibbling at his bowl of rice, leaving everyone else in the room with a sublime view of its bum. The doors opened and the maid walked in after hearing the clattering of plates.

"Forgive me Uchiha-sama! I did not see it coming through!" She panicked. It didn't matter, he had lost all appetite a long time ago. She ran to the table, trying to catch it but Mina beat her to it. Grabbing the kitty with both her arms, she said,

"It's alright. I will take him now. If you'll excuse me." She stood up to leave, the kitten in her left arm and the bowl in her right.

"Madara-sama, pardon me. I shall go-"

"There's no need. You may leave." He relieved her of her duties and she was soon out the door, mirroring Mina's exit. There was no one else but him in the room. Both brothers sat there for the longest time, not saying anything. Doing nothing but staring at each other. They didn't need words to communicate, their thoughts were nearly the same. Izuna's hands went towards the sole cup that wasn't smashed and poured himself a drink. As his lips were about to touch the rim of the cup, Madara spoke with a tone that far transcended a calmness no one knew he had, not even Izuna. He was unparalleled in his anger, but this was different.

"I don't know what you have done Izuna, but I would be careful if I were you."

He could only hope that he took his words to heart. Madara warned him, he did what he had to and it was done. Now, he simply awaited when the time came and he would be there to shove the 'I told you so' down his throat. Because that was exactly was going to happen; what always happened, this time would be no different. He crossed his arms as he sighed. Truthfully, he did not even want to know what he did. It was probably nothing good, that was all he needed to know. Something was telling him that  _someone else_  would be taking care of his problem this time.

The doors that opened onto the garden shot open and a shinobi burst through, covered in a fine sheen of sweat and snow. He knelt on one knee and bowed to his commanders. Though, his words were directed solely at the elder brother.

"Madara-sama, we found something."

* * *

He had refused for Izuna to tag along. It was not a punishment per-se, he just did not want to see his face.

It was enough just standing here in the midst of a storm. Looking at a severed body they had dug up from the ground.

He knew it. He knew she had not simply 'fallen down the steps of the shrine'. She may have hit her head somewhere, but she certainly did not fall like she had claimed.  _She lied._  And he could understand why. Partly. It was a headless corpse badly scorched. Not in the manner his other shinobi had been, no- this was done by a plain katon jutsu. A child's play, a five year old would have been able to do it. Except a five year old didn't do this. Whoever it was didn't care enough to completely incinerate the body. From the multiple lacerations seen all over the cadaver, the broken bones and the most prominent attribute,  _the missing head_ ; Madara would say that whoever this individual was, had been dead before they were set ablaze.

The clean cut of his gullet, it was incredibly...neat. Straight and smooth as the blade that had slit his throat. There were no rough edges around the tissue, no serrations, nothing. Madara could virtually imagine his head popping off and bouncing onto the floor. The slash was precise and slick, inch-perfect even. Poor guy probably didn't even know the sword was passing through his flesh until it was too late. He couldn't lie to himself, he was a bit impressed by such a meticulous handling. The perpetrator was far from a beginner. If anything, he was an excellent swordsman. Which made him think that they had intentionally avoided burning the body beyond recognition, burning it just enough to dispose of any evidence. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about its head. The skull was found to be buried further than where they had initially found the body, in a worse state than the other remains. It looked like it had taken the worst of the flames. He didn't touch it.  _Just in case._  No one was able to identify the body. Its eyes were those of a ghost, ashen and colorless. Similar to the body, they too were burned.  _Was this intended?_ If so, it definitively shot a hole into his theory.

After seeing her walking down the path down that night, he swore to himself that he would find out what really went on back there. He took her home right then but had returned the next day for a thorough search. Ordering Jiro and the others to scour the surrounding areas for anything. Including a body. A bone. A feather. Anything that seemed out of the ordinary. As for him, he had searched through the shrine and the proximate grounds. Grounds that no longer resembled a solid surface. By then, he had determined that it was the epicenter of the so-called earthquake. To this day, he was still not convinced it was as such. Putting his thoughts to the side, he continued searching. Until Izuna had decided to show up asking for a beating. And a beating he got. However, this had been nearly a week ago.

This decapitated body must have been dead just as long. Or so he assumed. He would have to get it to Chiho to confirm.

It was fortunate that they had stumbled upon it now, just when he was about to call everything off. Each day they expanded their search areas, and each day they found nothing. And now...on a day like this nevertheless, where snow was their one and only enemy. Fate must have been truly on their sides.

"He's not ours, is he?" One of the ninjas present asked, voicing everyone's thoughts.

"No. At least, I hope not." His companion answered him.

Doubt began creeping into everyone's minds. Aside from Madara's. He was positive that this wasn't one of them, he didn't know why, he just...knew.

 _Was this what she had to hide?_ She couldn't have done it. She wouldn't have killed one of his own men, in fact, she wouldn't have killed anybody.  _So, who on earth was with her that night?_  Was he jumping to conclusions? He hoped not, but his intuitions were telling him differently.

 _What if it was related to Takayama's death instead?_ He did not see that line of thinking going anywhere but to hell. He just did not have anything to tie it to that particular murder.

Madara couldn't bear standing there in the cold a second more. "Retrieve the body and get it to Lady Chiho. Fast."

Before it was completely covered by snow. They needed the body intact and as untainted as it could get. Something that they had already failed at.

 _"Move it."_ He barked at them, impatience starting to seep in.

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

He felt a presence in the room.

A presence that was not wanted but still decided to show her face anyways.

He felt uncomfortable in his bed as he squirmed and shifted underneath the covers. The harder he tried to toss and turn, the more...restricted he felt. Izuna finally opened his tired eyes. He couldn't see well in the darkness. The candle that he had lit before he went to sleep was long extinguished and the only source of light in the room was from the thin airspace that was under the door, it originated from the hall's lanterns. It took his eyes a while to adjust to the dim lighting. He tried to pull back his arms but found them restrained. As much as he tried, he wasn't able to.

_Huh?_

He tugged again and still, his hands weren't budging. His consciousness was returning to him slowly, alertness taking hold of him. Squinting his eyes, he saw that his wrists were... _tied?_ He could make out the faint outlines of a rope. He tested it out with his other arm. It wouldn't move either. Fully awake now, his eyes widened as attempted to take in every detail of his surroundings. He laid on his back with both his arms were tied to the edges of the bedpost. He shook his head and forcefully yanked his wrists away. He jerked and jerked to no avail.

_"Wakey-wakey, sleepyhead."_

That ominous voice was oddly sweet, like honey. But venomous. And bitter, frightfully bitter. He wasn't fooled.

She was sitting on the rear bedsteads, watching him. His legs were spread and tethered to the other posts, like an animal.

"What? Can't move?" She taunted him. He was sprawled under the covers with each limb bound to each corner of the bed. Izuna turned his attention to her.

"I think you should leave." He told her calmly. His moment of panic had subsided and gave way to something else. It wasn't fear, nor dread or even apprehension. Something he hasn't quite put a finger on it yet.

 _"I think not."_ Her smile broadened.  _"There's so much we need to talk about."_ She hunched forward, revealing the rest of her face that had been shrouded in darkness. The light didn't make it any better. He wished that she could just...draw back. Or better yet, to leave him alone.

"This is inappropriate." He tried to remind her. "You need to leave." Perhaps repeating the words may knock some sense into her. It didn't. In fact, it had the opposite effect. She bent down even further and quirked her brows. Things had never been more clearer than it was in that moment. She was crazy. _Out of her fucking mind, was more like it_. He could see it in her eyes and her overall look didn't seem to disagree with him either. She belonged in a madhouse, not in his brother's bed. And definitely not in his.

 _"Oh really? Is it anymore inappropriate than what you've done?"_ She straightened up with her hands leaning on the iron posts. He needed to distract her while he tried to find a way to undo these knots. They weren't terribly tight and the loops were wide enough for him to wriggle his hands through. He had to be subtle so she wouldn't catch on.  _How did I even get myself into this?_

By betting on them, one would say. But Izuna wasn't one to dwell on the past. Instead, he would rather think about how he got into this exceptional situation. He had been training restlessly all day. His body was exhausted as much as his mind was. Even then, he had not went to sleep. He couldn't, not while he had a task to fulfill. Standing guard and exchanging shifts with one of the shinobi as he made the rounds around the compound. There was nothing unusual going on. Not that he could see. The only unusual thing that was taking place- asides from the weather- was the bizarre change in his brother's behavior. Madara was acting more out of sync with reality than she was. Maybe her lunacy was rubbing off on him. It was the only reason Izuna could come up with that explained Madara's sudden distrust and paranoia about everything. He would have said that it was normal, seeing the recent death of that old man. But there was something else  _clearly_  bothering him but he wouldn't come out with it. And she was in on it, he was sure of it. Somewhat.

By then, his body was ready to drop to the floor; worn-out and strained with only one wish- to sleep. But no, life wouldn't let him have it. Not before he sat through a disturbing dinner with both of them. That had been, quite frankly, the most horrifying moments of his life.

He couldn't understand how he fell asleep that quick. It wasn't just a shut-eye, it was a deep slumber unlike any he had before. As he was thinking about nailing planks to his doors, to keep the demons out and such. It didn't work. That beast already made her way in and tied him up while he was comatose. Izuna had severely underestimated the strain that he put on his body earlier that day, especially after only just recovering from his wounds.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He lied. He knew exactly what she was talking about. It was about time she faced him. It was the other way around from where she was standing, he was the one who had to face her. His elbows were propped up on the pillows to a certain extent as he leaned against the headboard.

 _"You know exactly what I'm talking about. How about you just come out with it, it will be easier for you."_ She swung the kunai round and round with a sway of her index finger. A kunai that was now more than apparent. It baffled him how he hadn't noticed it before. In spite of the circumstances, he found it a bit amusing.

"Oh? What are you going to do with that?" He teased. Izuna couldn't help it, it was the way he was.

 _"What am I going to do with it, you ask? Well, I'm going to cut stuff, dear! What else?"_ Just as she pronounced those oh-so gleeful words, she raised a handful of what he presumed to be hair. It was too dark to tell, but the long strands slipping effortlessly between her fingers were undoubtedly locks of hair. He was confused at first. Why was she holding her hair like that? Why did she cut it? It took him a moment to realize that it wasn't hers. His jaw nearly dropped at the unexpected realization that she was clutching a good portion of his hair in her clenched hand. All of a sudden, it was no longer just a handful anymore, she ripped out most of it. The worst part was that he couldn't feel his head, he couldn't see anything...to make sure that-

He was growing more distraught by the second. He gave a violent jerk of his hands as he tried to free his wrists from the bindings. The bedposts shook as he did the same with his feet, almost knocking her off the bed.

 _"Hey there, calm down big boy."_  She grinned. Her disparaging tone was infuriating. He glared at her, it took everything in him not to break this bed and tackle her to the ground.

"You-"

 _"Me what? A bitch? I agree."_ She lowered herself slowly and sat down on his sheets, kneeling between his spread legs. With a single pull, Mina threw the covers to the floor, exposing his bare chest to the cold night air.

"Fuck you."

She ignored his little derogatory comment and said what she had to.  _"Choose your words carefully. You see Izuna, I'm not in a really good place right now. So, be nice, would you?"_

"You depraved woman-" Before he could go on cursing her any further- wittingly disregarding her advice-, he felt a deathly grip around his member. Her scrawny little fingers wrapped around his dick in a harrowingly painful manner. It shut him up instantly. Leaning forward, she spoke,

 _"I told you to choose your words. Or I'll shove something else so hideous down your throat, you're going to be begging for my spit."_ Her grasp was tightening as she squeezed the living soul out of him. He squirmed and wriggled his hips away from her, but she held onto him firmly. He could still taste it; that salty and pasty fluid that was her saliva, trickling down his throat. She spat into his mouth that fateful day. He still remembered it like he memorized every single crease on the back of his hands. It was hard to believe that same woman was now holding his cock hostage. He tried to calm himself, there was no way he was getting out of this raging. Izuna stopped moving. He laid there, staring at her. He did not want his balls shoved down his throat. Even with that image in mind, that did not deter him.

...

"As long as you're holding it, why don't you rub it?"

...

She tipped her head to the side, still trying to comprehend his remark. "It itches. Yeah, right there." He added. What could he say? He never learned from his mistakes.  _Did she think she was the only one who could taunt me?_ He could make this more embarrassing for her as much as she was making it for him.

 _"How about I do you something better?"_ In that split second, he saw his life flash before his eyes. No, that wasn't it. What he saw wasn't his life, but her right hand- the one holding the kunai fiercely- raised above her head and about to thrust the sharp-edged knife hard into his-

"No! WAIT-" He dreaded that inevitable moment when the blade would cut through his testicles, tearing through his sensitive flesh.

Except, it didn't. He waited and waited, but it didn't slice through his tissue.

He felt the tip of the cold metal of the weapon graze against, well- his own tip. It barely pierced through his pants and- He opened his eyes, carefully. Sweat beads rolled off his forehead and landed onto his torso as a wave of relief overcame him. She was grinning, the kunai still aimed at his precious family jewels. _How did nii-san ever sleep next to this woman without wearing his armor?_ Speaking of armors, he regretted not going to sleep with his own on. He would have to make a habit of doing so from now on.

 _"You're scared, aren't you? Your sharingans are activated..."_ She practically sung those words. He didn't realize that he had activated them, Izuna was  _very_  concentrated- reasonably so- on the tool that she was about to jab into his nuts.  _"Pssh, relax, killing you isn't really in my best interest."_

"And permanently deforming me, is?" He questioned, still not believing her little act.

_"Yesss-"_

"What do you want?" He got serious. He just wanted her out of here, as soon as possible.

_"Ahh, now we're getting somewhere. We're going to play a little game, okay?"_

He nodded.

_"I'm going to be asking you questions and you are going to answer them. Unless you want me to chop them off this time. What do you say?"_

He didn't think he had a choice in the matter, not when she was dangling the kunai in front of him while her left hand had not moved an inch.

 _"What were you doing in front of the bedroom door on the wedding night?"_  She asked.  _So, she knew._ How? He hadn't the faintest clue. He was sure that they had left before she or Madara had the chance to look for themselves.

"Who told you?"

_"A little birdie. Now, answer."_

_So, Kagami, hmm?_  Izuna had sensed that little kid's chakra but thought nothing of it since his room was right next to Madara's. He thought wrong. It didn't make any difference now, there was no going back on this.

"Watching you."

_"Why?"_

"To make sure you consummated the marriage."

_"Continue."_

"It was for a bet, okay? There was a wager on whether you and Madara would sleep together or not." He let that sink in before he said what he really wanted to.  _"Oh, and I won."_ He shot her the toothiest smile he had as he saw her smug expression fall to one of confusion, then horror and finally anger. Silence reigned for eternity. Or what seemed like it.

She jumped on him and gave him a back handed slap right across his face that would have left a mark for days. The sound resonated throughout the room like a thunderclap.

_"You fucker! You...you not only listened in on us, yo-you watched us have sex and got paid for it!"_

The springs of the bed screeched as she bounced on him, slapping him nonstop and occasionally banging on his chest along with the random name-calling, cussing and shouts. In all honesty, he did not mind it, as long as she got it over with and left.  _Disgusting perv_  was her favorite. _I hate you_  came as a close second and  _I'll kill you_  was not far behind.

Even with all the commotion, he was still able to hear the heavy footsteps walking down the hall. Towards his room. For a second, he was filled with joy at the prospect of having someone take this crazy bitch away from him. Apparently, she, too, had heard the sounds of the approaching steps. She stopped midway through her little tantrum and gazed at the door.

"Leave." Now that he got a foothold over this situation, he found enough confidence to order her around. He felt the knots over his right wrist loosen, just a slip and he could free his right hand. He could have unshackled himself a minute ago but he did not want to risk being castrated. She met his eyes with such intense hatred he never thought she was capable of.

 _"This is far from over, Izuna."_ Before he could attempt to understand what was happening, that same handful of hair she once held was rammed into his mouth. He nearly chocked on his own dark strands as she slithered down his body, pulling his pants down in the process, revealing his lower abs and areas of his groin. Whoever was walking was two steps from opening the door on them. On  _him._  She jumped off and hid underneath the bed. Leaving him tied up, hair shoved down his windpipe and his pants half down. He did not feel so confident anymore. Quite the opposite actually. He was mortified.

Izuna yanked his right hand with such force, he almost knocked the bedpost over. As the door creaked open, he sat up and hurriedly pulled his pants back up, spitting out every strand there was in his mouth. It was of no use, he couldn't hide his growing erection. He didn't like it. He didn't like it  _at all,_ his body was simply responding naturally.

_No!_

A large figure stood at the doorway, looking onto a sight one could not possibly ever dream of.

Izuna froze; hand clutching his pants while the rest of his limbs were still hitched to the bed. Blood speckled down his chin while red scratch marks adorned his already pale chest. Madara's expression was unreadable. So was Izuna's. No one knew what to say that exact moment the elder brother decided to walk in on him. They may have been bothers, they have even shared thoughts at some point in their lives if not more; but tonight, they couldn't have been farther apart. That stoic, no-nonsense impression Madara gave off was the polar opposite of the impression he wore.

He didn't know how long he had been standing there holding the knob, but it felt long enough. Izuna had been silently praying that Madara wasn't judging him. It was too late, he could already see it in his eyes. When enough was enough, Madara took a step back slowly. And another step.

He had to defend himself somehow, in some way.

"Madara?" He called out to him, unsure if whether he was angry or...ashamed.

The door was closing.

 _"Madara! It isn't what you think!"_ Izuna shouted with hair still stuck in between his teeth, desperate for his older brother to believe him. The door was slammed shut and his nii-san was nowhere to be seen. "Come back here!"

On second thought, perhaps it wouldn't be such a good idea if he came back. Both were traumatized plenty.  _Damn it!_ He tried to stand up, briefly forgetting that he was still shackled to the bed. He heard shuffling under him and then a giggle. They became louder and louder until she reappeared fully in front of him, shaking with laughter.

_"My, my. That was intriguing. Who knew you had such erotic sado-masochistic proclivities Izuna? Your tendencies shock me as I'm sure it does your brother."_

She could mock him all she wanted, he wasn't staying here a moment longer. Izuna took advantage of his free hand and used it to untie his other. He had no one to rely on for help, not that he needed one right now. What he needed was to talk to Madara and convince him that he was not a closeted sado-masochist and that his wife was a savage. Ironically, Izuna was the one who picked her out and she just managed to wreck his relationship with his brother for now. He tried not to worry about it, at the end of the day, it was nothing time couldn't fix. He hoped.

_"Where are you going? There's still so much to talk about. Like who were the other assholes who were with you that night."_

_So she knew that too, huh?_ He ignored her and continued to unbind the rope. That kunai that she seemed to adore made its way to his head and brushed against his skin as it moved southern until it landed on the same place it had been a few minutes ago.

 _"I said, who were those people? And were they in on the bet?"_ She inched closer. The bridges of their noses touched as she spoke.

 _This is what it comes down to?_ He looked into Mina's eyes and saw...nothing but blackness. This wasn't a human, how could she be?

She grinned. _"It's okay if you don't want to answer now. We still have the rest of the night to ourselves."_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uhmmm....


	41. Humiliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes! I have successfully edited the first 16 chapters! Yay .-. Only 25 left to go! *arg@#$$#%$&&fjk*  
> Fuck.

 

**_Izuna's POV_ **

He should have known there was a clan meeting today.

There wasn't a pair of eyes in the room that was not staring at him. All but one, his brother's. As for every elder, every councilor, every adviser, even  _her;_  they were all gazing at him. Mocking him, silently laughing at his pain, he could see it in their eyes. Mostly hers, but the others were just as worse. He could feel them judging him like he had done something atrocious. He would be inclined to agree, except; it wasn't him who had done it. As much as he wanted to rip their heads off their shoulders, he could understand why they might see him the way they did. Somewhat.

She had cut off his ponytail, leaving his hair in a mess; on edge and spiky, just like Madara's but significantly shorter. She didn't even leave his bangs alone, the bitch had to botch them up as well. They were just as jagged as the rest of his hair. It made his facial features all that more high-lighted, particularly his already pointed chin. She messed with everything. The anger from yesterday night was just starting to settle in now.

Despite all the horrors she had done to him and his hair, it did not compare to the kunai that she stabbed right into the center of his palm. It hurt. Badly. Not as much as the element of surprise that she had taken to her advantage, but just as painful. He got it stitched and bandaged the moment she left his room, still-

The scar it would leave was not one he would be proud of.

But here he was, sitting a feet away from her and a feet back from the clan head, staring onto a dozen councilors.

 _"What are you all looking at?!"_  He snapped at them when their stares became unbearably irritating.

"Come on, say it. Come out with it, you elderly fools!" He dared them, but no one was willing to answer. How could they? Everyone's gazes instantly shifted to the table before them, not wanting to look at either brothers. On most occurrences, Madara was the one who lost his control over the issues; he was the one that had no problem scolding them. His voice was the only one that rose angrily between these four walls. Never once had Izuna lost his temper, not in front of them and he certainly did not when it came to her. Her stare was the sole one in the room that mattered. She looked at him intently, trying to peer into his subconscious. Fortunately for every soul in the room, she was the first to speak.

 _"Please don't anger yourself, Izuna-sama."_  Her soothing voice resonated across the room. It was soft, gentle and caring. To anyone who didn't know her. But to Izuna, it was hell. Cold and bitter, yet oozed with poisonous tenor. "They are just surprised by your...sudden choice for a new haircut."

"Don't worry, I think it looks good. I actually like it." She batted her long dark lashes and gave him the most heart-warming smile she could muster. Perhaps, one that Madara never even got to see.

_Of course you do, you fucking cut it._

It irked him, how she could so openly admire her handiwork in front of everyone and not a single person had an inkling of suspicion that it was her. It had always been her. And It was driving him crazy.

"Oh, you must have hurt your hand while cutting it." She gestured to his wounded hand, which was also a courtesy of her manic hysteria. He couldn't help it, instead of wringing her neck in front of his brother- who was also her husband- he clenched his fists tightly, holding in the anger as much as he could while trying to simultaneously ignore the pain in his palms. Blood began to seep through the bandages much to his annoyance.

_Can't this meeting end already?_

He was growing impatient and restless. Last night didn't end on a very good note. As far as he recalled, it went something along the lines of-

...

She grinned. _"It's okay if you don't want to answer now. We still have the rest of the night to ourselves."_

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. In fact, he couldn't believe that this was even happening.

"You should leave." He repeated. What else was he supposed to say, what  _could_  he say? His hands stopped fidgeting with the rope. As he sat down on the bed- both legs tied and one arm free- he was lost in her eyes. Or rather, the darkness. He couldn't see much in this room. His only untied hand laid beside him, unwilling to move another inch as long as she pointed the kunai to his member. Izuna knew she was capable of it, very capable and he didn't want to test it out. This had gone on long enough.

"I'll do what you want, just go." He offered. But he knew she wouldn't take it, judging from that smirk of hers, he could only guess that this night was just about to get longer. She returned to seating herself on top of him, not a care in the world that Madara could have caught her in the same position. At the end of the day, he didn't and Izuna was the one who took in all the embarrassment, he was stuck with the shame and the forever traumatic memories that would haunt him- and his brother, no one forgot Madara- to their graves.

_"Oh, you will do what I want you to. But the fun and games end now."_

_"_ What do you want?"

_"Who were the idiots with you that night?"_

"Three elders. And a councilor." There was no point in acting the dummy right now, when so much was at stake.

He didn't waste a second in ratting them out. Not a slight hesitation in his voice. While what he said may have been true- to an extent- he wasn't being straightforward. In other words, not really being completely honest. What reason did he have to? She didn't know how many of them were there on the wedding night; she didn't make allusions to knowing and neither did Kagami. Or so he concluded. Unlike these pervy old elders- who could do nothing more at this point than let her walk over their heads if it meant that they would escape Madara's wrath-, Eiji and Jiro were not likely to let her petty retributions go unpunished. Maybe not Jiro, but he was still young. Far too young to have himself castrated by this woman and her madness. The shinobi had his whole existence ahead of him; he still deserved to live a normal life, have children, grow a family...or whatever people did nowadays. He deserved a chance as much as Izuna did. He couldn't divulge his name.

As for Eiji, he couldn't really guarantee her safety for whatever stunt she would play on him. That man had no patience for insufferable fools, much like she was. He seemed crazy enough to actually take a pass at her if she started it. This was the last thing Izuna wanted right now. A fight between Eiji and her- technically, the Uchiha matriarch- would not end well. For either of them. Especially if Madara decided to get involved, then everyone was screwed. Even Izuna, because as far as he knew, Madara  _didn't._

 _"Names."_  She commanded, pulling him out of his daze.

"You don't know them." Was all he said.

_"It's okay. I will get to know them. Tomorrow. At the clan meeting."_

_Dammit._

There was a meeting tomorrow that he had completely forgotten about. They were to discuss the circumstances of Takayama's death. And what happened now, that he was dead. Murdered. Above all, Izuna was itching to know what his brother had in mind, as far as he could tell, Madara had nothing planned. Then again, he could be wrong. Perhaps he did, but chose not to disclose it to Izuna, making him all the more uneasy towards the other.

_"Who else was in on the bet, Izuna? I see it in your eyes, you can't lie to me."_

She read his mind the same way a dog smelled fear. Maybe she was the dog, and it was his fear that made her catch whiff of his not-so-honest honesty. She shifted the kunai and aimed it at the tip of his nose, pressing and pressing until she drew out blood. Her other hand caught his untied one before he could even yank it away. Her gnarly fingers wrapped around his wrist, twisting it with all her force. If she pressed the metallic tip any further into his skin, it would form a permanent dent if it didn't fully rip into his muscles first.

This shouldn't be a hard decision, but should he really-?

"Hashirama." He blurted out. He was the least out of the bunch to which he felt sympathy for. Also, it was highly unlikely that she could ever get to the Senju head.  _So, win-win._  He thought.

 _"Hashi-rama?"_ Mina was confused. It wasn't an answer that she had been expecting. Still, that had not made her loosen her grips on both his wrist or the kunai handle. Before he could say anything else-

_"How much?"_

He might as well tell her the price. A price he has yet to collect, in more ways than one.

"Fifteen thousand." He smiled. He couldn't help it. Who wouldn't smile? Voluntarily or not, he enjoyed it. She, on the other hand, did not. She made that awfully clear when she suddenly thrust the kunai into his palm.

 _"Fuck!"_ Izuna screamed in pain as she continued to pierce through his free hand until the blade was deeply embedded into the fabric of the mattress, staining the sheets red with his blood. It was his only chance to overpower her and try to untie the rest of the knots. That chance was now gone. Three of his limbs were tethered to the posts while the fourth was impaled into the bed. That hole in his hand would be getting bigger if he didn't pull the kunai out. He was sweating profusely, his temperature wasn't the only thing sweltering inside of him. Anger. Anger was tugging at his mind, gnawing at his insides, ready to tear him apart if he didn't get to her first. He turned and gave her the harshest glare he could. One that he meant from the depths of his heart. He hated her as much she hated him. It was a mutual feeling, a common agreement they both had silently agreed to without even knowing.

His breathing was labored, he could hear the echoes of his own heartbeats in his hears. He was losing more blood by the second.

 _"It's about time you pay up your own debt, Izuna."_ She hissed at him, giving more menace to a threat that meant nothing to him. But for the love of Kami, he couldn't understand. What debt? He did not bet with her on anything. He would certainly remember it had he done something as unholy as that. She must have recognized that despondent yet confused look in his eyes. While his were dull and black, hers were glowing with mischief and perversity.

_"Remember, you promised you would do anything for me. Anything-"_

When did he?

_"-If I came with you to Hashirama's wedding, hmm."_

That word. Anything. It kept resonating inside his mind as memories flooded him. Memories he had hoped would stay buried. Except, they didn't.

**[...]**

He recalled walking down the dimly lit corridor to her room. Passing by Madara's own along the way. It was long past midnight and he had no doubt that his elder brother was long asleep. As for her, well- he would have to open the door to find out.

"Get ready, we're going to be leaving at dawn." He informed Mina once he made his way inside, not even bothering to knock.

"Pardon me?" She replied.  _So far, so good._  They had been at peace for a few days now.  _That was surely a good sign, no?_ He remembered thinking.

 _"_ I said we-" No, she heard him, she just didn't understand. "For Hashirama's wedding. You're coming along." He elaborated.

"Says who?" She raised a brow,  _already suspicious huh._

He couldn't blame it on Madara this time, she would know. _Honesty is the best policy?_

"Says I." He answered.

"And I say no."

"Well, I don't care." He was mimicking her attitude.

"You should. Karma may not be so forgiving next time." She teased.  _Touché._ He had had enough vomit for one lifetime. Food-poisoning was not something he planned on having as a main dish ever again. One would say it was an act of Karma, others would say it was just a simple contamination of the food supply. And he would say bullshit, to both of them.

"An excellent point, but..." He raised a finger, ready to start patronizing her. She needed to come along, for the sake of Izuna and nothing else really. He couldn't possibly stand being there alone with Madara at a Senju wedding. He would lose it within the first five minutes. That was why the elders held a meeting out of the blue. To carefully select a few who would go along with Madara and him. And to discuss...' _Madara's inadequate fulfillment of some of his duties as clan leader'._ In other words, heirs.

 _Heirs. Heirs. heirs._  It all came down to children. Ones Madara wasn't willing to have at the moment. Suffice to say he wasn't too pleased with this...ambush. _That wasn't even the best part._ One Lady Chiho was brave enough to suggest that perhaps he needed to see a medic in the case he felt  _hesitant_ about his competency to produce heirs. Now that- that had been pure gold.

It was one thing for Izuna to doubt Madara about his skill in that area in the privacy of his study with only the two of them. It was another thing for an old hag to question Madara's manhood in front of other elders of the same gender.  _Ouuf..._ Izuna had the time of his life as he burst into another fit of laughter back in the council room. Next thing he knew, tables were flung around, chairs were crushed and a fuming Madara ready to strangle anyone in his path. Everyone in that room, including him, had fled in fear of rubbing Madara the wrong way.

And that was how the meeting room came to need a renovation.  _For the sixth time this year._

He was now in Mina's chamber, the night before the wedding, urging her to come along. Only for his personal gain, so he wouldn't have to socialize with other Senju.

"...but, this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. How often can you say that you've seen Hashirama Senju get married and Madara Uchiha was also present as the best man? How often? Tell me." He may have been exaggerating a bit, but he needed a bait. If this wouldn't work, he would have to find another teaser. But he thought he saw a gleam of excitement right in her eyes. Though, as soon as it appeared, it was gone.  _So, she was tempted but managed to hold herself back. She had self-control._ He would have to make her lose  _that self-control._ He was the fisherman, she was the fish. All he had to do was lure her in, to trap her using the perfect bait. Now, he just had to think of one.

"Okay, if that isn't enough to tempt you. Hear me out..." He began. Izuna needed to improvise fast, he didn't have any ideas at the moment.  _Come on idiot. Think of something or she'll get suspicious!_

"...Wait for it..." _Come on Izuna!_

 _"Fine_ , so I have nothing. But you have to come with." He gave up on trying to lie to get her to follow.

"No." She said curtly and went back to bed.

"I will do anything you want!" He couldn't believe he, Uchiha Izuna, was reduced to this. He had to mentally reprimand himself for uttering those words without thinking. But it seemed to have caught her attention as soon as they came out of his mouth. She turned around and faced him, her head raised above the pillows. She quirked her brows and repeated,

_"Anything?"_

_Oh-oh._

"Anything."

**[...]**

_Anything._

Damn him and his stupid mouth. He knew it would come and bite him in the ass later on, he just did not know it would come this bad. Now, now...he could only begin to understand how deep this went. Instead of trapping her, she ultimately ended up caging him. It only just dawned on him. All this time, he thought he was the fisherman and she; the fish. It turned out that she was the true and superior fisherman, sitting patiently all this time, waiting for the perfect moment to catch her pray with his own bait. A bait he had come up with his own hands.

She had patience, he did not. That was why she won.  _She won?_

He couldn't believe it. She outsmarted him, even without knowing it directly. Or maybe she did, although she certainly wasn't showing it. Her grin turned into a grimace, her brows were furrowed; not out of wry amusement or mockery, but out of disgust and pain. The quiver of her lips and the glistening eyes were the last straw.

 _"You are the bane of my existence, Uchiha Izuna."_ She would have grabbed him by the collar had he been wearing a shirt, instead; she went for his neck and pushed him into the headboard.

"I'll do anything you want." It was not that he had a choice. Besides, she had won this fair and square. He once said it, so he would follow through with it. No matter how painful it turned out to be. If it would also get her out of his room, then that was just an extra bonus he was welcoming with open arms. He was beginning to feel his hand numbing, the pain was withering away ever-so-slowly, paving way for absolute nothingness. He felt light-headed as the small pool of blood only got bigger. He had to stop this.

 _"I want you to feel the humiliation. Every single one of you. The_ _shame, the- the_ _embarrassment. Everything I felt when you thought you could throw me around like a piece of meat to your older brother. You lowlifes!"_ She slapped him, but he didn't care. Her abuse couldn't possibly get any worse.

 _"You know something? All my life I have bent over backwards for worthless people and let them take advantage of me when I couldn't say no. I have been fucked over so many times because I couldn't stand up for myself."_  There was another slap, this one to his left cheek. Whether he was meant to take her words for what they were- literally-, he was not so sure.

 _"I'm tired of it!"_  Her voice was getting louder as her rage grew by the second.  _"I'm tired of it, I'm tired of it, I'M TIRED OF IT! I won't stoop down to anyone anymore. Even to your clan head. He can kiss my ass!"_

 _Brave words for a brave woman._ Though, Izuna couldn't but second-guess her words. She was on the brink of bursting into tears.

 _"I should have spoken up, I should have said no. I shouldn't have married him and I shouldn't have slept with him. I shouldn't have done a lot of things!"_ Her hands showed no signs of stopping as she continued to pound into him. The pain of her hold around his neck and the stinging force of her less than weaker blows were enough to cause him to let out a startled gasp. His voice was muffled.

 _"And yet somehow-"_ There was an uncomfortable silence that seemed to stretch out with no end in sight. _"You manage to find your way into every damn problem. In fact, I would go as far as to say you caused every damn one! Isn't that right, Izuna?! AREN'T I RIGHT?!"_

_"You're the only reason why I'm in the place I am today, goddammit. Did you even stop and think how I would have felt about any of this? Did you?!"_

_No._

_"I bet you didn't. If you did then you'd know just how imprisoned I felt. Argh!"_

Her hands had stopped. She had stopped. Yet, this silence that had engulfed this room felt ten times worse. It couldn't have been any heavier. The look in her eyes didn't help either. It was like if she was...pleading with him. Begging him to stop everything even though she was the one in control. Her arms laid listlessly beside her as tears began to flow.

_"I lost everything, Izuna. Everything. M-my-my life. My mother and father. My brother. My friend. My whole world. And you just sit here, laughing at me. You don't understand anything!"_

For the first time that night, she looked just as helpless as he was, if not more. She was beyond damaged, and far beyond his reach. He couldn't do anything to help her and he wasn't entirely sure that he wanted to. The silent tears wouldn't stop rolling down her cheeks like the silver pearls under the moonlight. She tilted her head, trying to comprehend everything around her as faint whimpers escaped her lips. This was far more uncomfortable than before. Far, far more. And he didn't like it.

 _"Do you know what it's like to be trapped in a world that isn't yours? Like a never-ending dream? Where everything is a prison? Except there are no bars, no shackles and no chains. This world IS my prison. The air that I breathe, the earth that stand upon, the trees, the leaves, the grass. Every single detail is a lie. Even you! Do you hear me?!"_ Her anger took over once more and the slaps returned, more ferocious than ever.

_"And you just had to stroll in like the jackass you are and ruin everything! As if I wasn't suffering enough in my own delirium, you had to go ahead and throw me into another prison that is this stupid marriage! FUCK!"_

She was taking it all out on him. Izuna didn't know how much more he could handle.

 _"But you know what's the craziest of them all?"_ She had stopped crying, her voice taking on that malicious tone he was getting used to hearing.  _"There's no worse prison than the one inside my head."_ She pointed her right forefinger to her temple.

_"Do you know what that feels like? To have that voice inside that is constantly jeering at you, driving you nuts. Do you, Izuna Uchiha, know what its like to be a prisoner of your own mind?! DO YOU?!"_

_"Answer me!"_

_"_ No, I don't." He confessed. He really didn't. He didn't even understand half of the things she was saying, save for the part in which she not-so-subtly blamed him for her own misfortunes. Maybe he really was to blame, if it wasn't him who forced this upon her, then who else would it have been?

 _"Of course you don't, ha!"_ She laughed. Though, it lacked mirth and amusement. Just an empty laugh like any other.

 _"I've told you the worst part, but you know what the best part is?"_ She teased.

He was almost too afraid to ask, but he didn't have to. She leaned closer where the tip of her nose touched his own bloody one.

_"You're going to do it for me. You said you would do anything. This is it. I want you to humiliate them. Make them feel what I did, make them beg on their knees. I mean, I'm just a measly woman after all. But you...it would be so much more fun seeing them tremble between your hands. You will do it, won't you?"_

He was slowly losing consciousness. It was too late, he had lost too much blood by now. That didn't stop her from hassling him for an answer she already knew.

"Yes, yes I'll do it." Was the last thing he said before fading out of this world.

...

Now, he was sitting here, beside her. In this strangely narrow room. Everyone was looking at him. _No._  He was the one looking at everyone. A few faint bruises covered his neck and torso, thankfully no one could see them as the high-collared shirt concealed them. Well, most of them anyways. There was a hardly noticeable scratch mark at the base of his chin.

 _Hardly noticeable_  to anyone but those who stared too long. And Izuna didn't like it when people stared too long, everyone in this room knew that. Yet, they still did it. Excluding Madara who was ignoring him as always.

_What am I supposed to do now?_

That question wouldn't leave him alone since he woke up in the clinic. No one dared to ask what had happened, and he didn't dare tell. Some things were meant to stay private. Even so, that did not answer his little dilemma. There was no way out of this, he knew that, it was just the 'how' he would get out of it that bothered him. Her request was far too vague to make anything out of them.

_Humiliate them._

_Make them feel what I have felt._

_Beg on their knees._

All of which were her words, her orders. All of which could be interpreted in countless different ways and executed in so many more others. He didn't know where to begin, or what to do. If only she had said something blunt this would have been much easier. But she didn't want it easy, it was the last thing she would have done for him. No, she wanted to humiliate him above all the rest, by doing her dirty bidding- whichever it may be- he had unconsciously agreed to his own affront. It wasn't something he enjoyed and would have fought such a misstep on her part at any given day. Though, this was much different. And he was backed into a corner, or so he had felt.

"No offense intended, Madara-sama, I don't understand how you could sit there and say such a thing. How are we not supposed to avenge Takayama-sama's death? He was a member of this council, a great shinobi and above all, our friend." One of the elders in the back of the room said, finally getting back to the main discussion. It was interesting, to say the least.

"Friend?" Madara repeated quizzically. Izuna knew it was more rhetorical than anything. He could already imagine him quirking his brows and his expression, solemn as ever.

"What friend?" The clan head continued. "You could never pass up the chance to badmouth him on every occasion you got. He was blind, but he always had a keener eyesight than any of you. He was the eldest and yet his wits were far sharper than all of yours combined. Your fictitious sentimentalities are best reserved for feigned appearances, not in this room."

_Well, that shut them up pretty quickly._

"We understand."

_Almost._

There was shuffling in the room as everyone turned in their seats trying to find a comfortable position that didn't put them right at the core of Madara's judgmental glare. Even Izuna, who was seated right behind him, was finding this awfully intolerable. Madara's reactions were...off. Everything about him was off. Nothing made sense about him anymore and it scared the younger Uchiha brother.

Lady Chiho coughed, attempting to bring life back into this dead room.

"We understand your anger, Uchiha-sama." She began in the most formal tone she could muster. "But you must understand why we would be so concerned. This was not just a death. He was murdered. Brutally. And we still have no idea who the perpetrator was and how they were able to get by undetected. Unless it was someone from the inside."

It was a possibility Izuna had entertained. Heck, it was a possibility everyone had thought of twice over before shrugging it off. Because if that was the case, no one was able to come with an answer to 'why'. None of them, including Izuna himself, were able to find a reason to tie to his death.

"It wasn't one of us." The only statement they got from their leader. The only answer to so many lines of questioning they haven't even begun.

"How would you know?" That one councilor that had bet alongside him that night spoke out. Harshly. "Again, I mean no such offense, but your reactions are so overtly suspicious, it is disconcerting. And the people are only growing more guarded as each day passes without knowing the reason behind any of this. This is not a small matter, Madara-s-"

"You are all to let this go. Immediately." Madara ordered, as if the poor man's words had never reached his ears. It was an annoying thing his older brother did that infuriated some people. More so, this adviser. Izuna could see him fuming with rage. He had every right to.  _What the hell was he thinking?_

"No."

He objected. He was the only one who could among these spineless geezers. It might have come as a surprise to some, but it was a long time coming. Something that was bound to happen. Izuna rarely opposed Madara unless for a very good reason. And this was certainly one of them.

"We deserve answers. If there are things you are not sharing with us, it is time you spill it." He told him straight-forwardly. There was no hiding it, Izuna's own irritation with his sibling was showing in the manner of his speech and the tone of his voice. Ever since butting heads, both brothers never seemed to agree on the same page.

"I'll be taking this matter into my own hands. It is my personal responsibility and no one is to interfere.  _Is that understood?"_

From the sound of Madara's command, it appeared that this was the last time they would ever be speaking of this matter, whether they liked it or not. _Taking matter into his own hands?_  Did that mean-? Was Madara already working on catching the killer? Alone? Why would he do such a thing without consulting with Izuna? He talked about personal responsibility, yet he forgot the one he owed to the most. The least he could do was help him, although, how could he? Madara wasn't asking for help. He was asking them not to interrupt his own investigation, but most of all, he was pushing Izuna away.

Like he had always done as children. Trying to protect his baby brother was all Madara could think about, even if it meant stalling his training sessions, pushing him out of harms way in an era where there was danger no matter the direction you looked. When Izuna awakened his sharingan before him, when it became apparent that he was no longer a child that needed to be sheltered- not that they could afford to pamper him any longer as the fights intensified- Madara gathered the courage to finally push his brother to the limits. Since that moment, there was not a day that passed without both of them contending for each other's abilities, vying to become the best shinobi there were.

But after all this time, Izuna had to wonder if Madara was pushing him out of this because of the protection he felt like he owed him or due to his own selfish reasons that even he couldn't put a hold on as of yet?

 _And why did she seem so interested in all of this?_ He took a side-glance at her every now and then, and he would always find her looking intently at the back of Madara's head, as if she was trying to read his mind. More like figure what he would say next.  _Does she know something I don't?_

 _"Everyone. Out."_ Madara's booming voice warned them that he had little patience left, if they didn't leave that instant. The whole council was reluctant at first- seeing that this conversation was just beginning- but listened to his command anyways. One after the other, they flocked out; disgruntled and unhappy at the unsatisfactory response their leader gave them. It was highly unlikely that they would get anything else out of him. Whether Madara's words were meant to comfort them or reassure them, well- it seemed like far from it. No one doubted his capabilities, but this was too much.

Izuna was the last to get up, along with her. He had had enough of this. Of this Madara who was making a habit of keeping things from him. If he insisted on doing this alone, there was no reason for Izuna not to do the same. With or without his permission.

"Not you." He heard him say. Who was he referring to? None of them knew. They stood under the archway, looking at each other. There was no one else in the room besides the three of them. He turned around and saw Madara standing, already heading for the door. She backed a little, giving him space before deciding to leave. She must have figured that he had wanted to talk to him instead. So did Izuna.

They were both wrong.

"Where do you think you're going?" Madara asked tonelessly, stopping her in her tracks.

* * *

**_ Madara's POV _ **

She was following him like he had ordered her to. Silently. He didn't need to voice it out loud for her to comprehend. It was an unspoken consensus between them, they didn't need to communicate directly for one to understand the other. There were just some things that did not need to be said out loud. They were walking down the hall, quietly.

This meeting was perhaps one of the worst that he had ever attended. The tension only got worse the more they talked. And talk they did. Of course, it would have been too good to be true if they would have just taken his words unquestioningly. He didn't expect anything else. Save for Izuna's objection, which struck a nerve.

_He should have just stayed quiet._

Madara had a difficult time taking him seriously after yesterday night's impromptu visit. One he vowed to never repeat. Ever. Again. Only now did Madara truly understand the importance of knocking. He didn't know what his brother was doing in his bed and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He looked far worse than he did yesterday night. Maybe it was due to the darkness that he wasn't able to get a better look, and  _maybe_  that wasn't such a bad thing.

He had been on his way to inform Izuna of the body they had just found, thinking that- perhaps- he might know who it was or a theory on what happened. Madara had tried to make up for the mistake he had done by hiding things from him. He thought that by including him in this investigation, it would ease things just a bit. It was never his intention to alienate him, but there were things he didn't feel right with sharing yet. This was not meant to be one of them. But from the looks of it, his brother was already busy with other...issues.  _Whatever the fuck that was._ Madara still couldn't wrap his mind around it. He was partly shocked and partly disappointed. Most of all, he was just...worried.

About Izuna.

And about everything.

"Where are we going?" She repeated. It was the only question on her mind. She walked behind him, in his shadows. Was she nervous or troubled, he couldn't tell. She hadn't said a word since the morning. Except when she complimented someone's hair. Which made him wonder yet again,  _what the hell was Izuna thinking?_ Cutting his hair like that was an atrocity against nature. An offense to anyone who laid their eyes on him. He probably did it in the darkness, too.  _Why?_  Why to everything. This was  _his_  question, the one he had been repeating to himself since yesterday. Despite wracking his brain, Madara couldn't come up with an explanation to yesterday's mishap.

"Madara?" She called out to him but he didn't answer. He had nothing to say. Not until they reached the chamber.

"Where are we going?" She stepped up her pace and was now walking next to him. Nearly. She was a step behind, not knowing whether she should stop him and demand answers, or let him be. She chose the latter. Eventually giving up on getting him to talk, she fell back a few steps and remained silent.

He took the next right turn and found himself walking down a corridor that led to the small clinic where they kept the decapitated body for now. They were supposed to bury it today evening, after concluding that it wasn't one of their own. _Not an Uchiha, not their problem_. Or so most of them thought. This unidentified individual could have been anyone. A normal civilian who just happened to walk down the wrong forest at the wrong time and stumbled upon the wrong person. It could have been a robbery gone bad. Or a revenge kill, some form of getting even between whoever the killer was and his victim. Or perhaps a criminal who met his untimely end. It could have been anything really, everyone thought so. No one paid much attention to it, not even Lady Chiho. They all voted to get rid of the body, seeing that it was none of their business anymore.

However, Madara had another opinion.

He didn't oppose getting rid of the body per se, he just wanted to know who it was before burying it once more. They were set to give it a proper burial this time but not before he got her to identify it. From what they gathered, it was a man. A young one. With several fractured bones, a broken skull and lacerations all over his body. Though what did him was not the beating but rather the slice to his neck. Just as Madara had figured. The burns were inflicted post-mortem. Again, just as he had predicted.

The real question now was why.

No one could come up with an answer- not that they had wanted to- they rather preferred to dispose of it as soon as possible. There was no need for the body to stay here longer than it needed to.

 _Whoever it was probably deserved it,_  one of his men had commented after the medic had finished stitching the head back onto its respective body.

 _I don't know, we have no idea who he is though_ , another argued.

 _Still, to die this way- he could have only done something horrific,_ the first shinobi countered.

_Or maybe he had angered the wrong person?_

Madara, for his part, did not want to jump to conclusions. He let them talk though he didn't listen. He only had one thing on his mind and only one thing. He ordered them to keep the body until further notice. Which was today. But before then-

They had come to the end of the hall. A large sliding door stood to their left. He opened it gently and found two of their medics arguing over the dead man who laid over a gurney, a white drape covering his burnt body and hiding it from view. The voices had calmed down the moment he entered the room, taking in his presence, they bowed down to both their clan leader and his wife. They hurried to get out of the room, leaving Madara and Mina alone. She stood at the doorway, unsure of whether she should enter or not.

The storm outside had not abated since yesterday. This room was one of the outermost chambers that led straight into the woods, it wasn't very well insulated. Thus, why the temperature here was much lower than the rest of the house. The coldness inside these four walls was more of an advantage than a disadvantage as it slowed down the decomposition of the dead body, even if for a day. Which was nothing short of a wonder, considering that it was not originally intended to store corpses.

"Do you know him?" He asked.

She hadn't moved an inch. Even from her standpoint, the outline of a figure under the white cloth was clear as daylight. She must have noticed it and decided it was not in her best interest to enter. Unfortunately for her, it didn't matter to Madara whether it suited her interest or not. There were other things to settle.

"What are you doing?" He turned around and faced her. She was frozen in place, unable to move. She tried to hide her growing agitation, her nervousness turning into anxiety.  _Why was she scared? Did she never see a dead body before?_  Because that was certainly the impression that she was giving off. A false impression; after all, she was the one who discovered Takayama.

"What do you want from me?" She finally replied. It wasn't the response he wanted, but it was one nonetheless.

"Come here." He ordered her. She heard him, he was sure of it. Then, why was she taking this long to obey? He was used to people immediately following his commands, never hesitating, yet she was taking her time mulling it over, like she had a choice. He didn't want to repeat himself, he wasn't in a mood to do so. They stood there, doing nothing. Though, staring at each other could be counted as something. They were standing their grounds, waiting for the other one to give in and submit. For the longest time, Madara thought that she would never budge as she hid behind the doors, out in the hallways. Until she did. She took a step inside the room but still kept her distance from him. And the cadaver.

She slid the doors closed after looking out into both directions of the hall. As if that wasn't suspicious enough, she tip-toed towards him and whispered;

"Who is it?" With slight concern in her voice.

"You tell me." He uncovered the blank sheet revealing the badly scorched head and the few hair strands that were still attached. He had guessed that they might have been black or dark brown at some point in this man's life.

But he wasn't interested in memorizing every little detail of his body, he had already done that. He had plenty of time to do so. No. He was looking for her reaction, unsure if he would get one at all. He had come at this uncertain in every possible angle. For he had no concrete evidence tying her to this man. He was only going on his intuition; his hunch- that thing everyone uses every once in a while that always relied on an intuitive feeling rather than conscious reasoning. While his would be considered more biased at the moment, he didn't care. He had to at least try and if he was right, then he would get to identify this man and if he was wrong, well- then no harm done.

He couldn't quite make out what exactly was her reaction.

It wasn't the delay that bothered him, it was the fact that it was...mixed. He couldn't tell if she was horrified, shocked or saddened. The instant that he had yanked the cloth away, her face hadn't changed. At all. Not a single twitch, not a shriek, nothing. Only a moment later did it hit her. Her jaw dropped ever so slightly, it was barely observable. He heard her gulp. Loudly. She stepped back and retreated to one of the walls. That was just about it. There was nothing else that conveyed her fear or disgust, if there was any.

"Do you know who he is?" He repeated, much to his dismay.

She didn't answer. He followed her gaze- which seemed to linger a little too long onto his eyes, eerily so- and down to the stitches that held his head onto his shoulders. The dark metal strings formed criss-cross patterns along the already decomposing neck. Her eyes wandered lower and lower, taking in every slash and every cut of the brown skin. He still couldn't get a grip on her reaction. There was not a single sign that showed that she recognized him. Maybe she didn't and he was only barking up the wrong tree. This wouldn't lead him anywhere.

"I said-"

"What?" She finally responded.

"You heard me." He muttered.

A simple answer was all he needed. A yes or a no. He needed to hear her say it, for the words to come out of her mouth and for him not to follow onto his own intuitions that were based on mere facial expressions. The gurney was the only thing that separated him from her. That and the man who laid upon it. Madara moved away from it, leaving his face uncovered, perhaps it would guilt her into confession, or tug at her conscience- whichever it was that fed her morals.

"I...I don't know." She stuttered. She started fidgeting with the sleeves of her kimono, a habit he had come to notice whenever she got nervous.

"Really?" He pushed. "You don't or you do but don't feel like  _sharing_  today?"

He was going out on a limb here, the precariousness of this situation was getting to him. He wished that she would just come out and say that she really didn't know who this person was, that she would hold her ground like she did earlier and convince him that she had nothing to do with this. It would make his life  _much, much_  easier. But it was getting increasingly hard to believe her as time passed. She avoided staring at him directly- like she always did when she lied. She clenched her jaws- again, like she always did. That short, involuntary twitch of her lips. Every tiny feature of hers was amplified more and more as he grilled her, seeking answers. As much as he liked to deny it, that little suspicious lie of hers was growing warier and it bothered him.

 _"Why do you insist on lying?"_ He said irritably when he had had enough of her charade. At least the absurd pretense of a charade was meant to uphold a respectable appearance, hers was a downright farce.

"B-but I'm not." She responded weakly. Unless she always had a stutter he never knew about, her stammering seemed to be a newly acquired quirk. When she lied, that is.

 _Does she think I'm stupid?!_  He had to wonder. This was not the first time she tried something like this.

 _"You are!"_ He was exasperated. Who wouldn't be? And who the hell was dumb enough to persist this long with a lie? He cut the distance between them and grabbed her shoulders. She didn't make a move to run away nor did she make a fuss about it. Which was a bit strange to him, recalling all those times she had avoided getting near him or all those moments she tried to free herself from his grasp.

"You expect me to believe you yet you refuse to tell me the truth. How? Explain it to me." He told her, holding her gaze steady.  _What kind of logic was that?_ She never told him about that attack from the Inuzuka in that forest, and he let that go. Reluctantly. She didn't bother telling him about her little freak-show or whatever her powers were called. He also let that go, figuring that she would come to talk to him eventually. Or how about when she still denied knowing anything about how she foresaw Tobirama striking down his brother? There was so much she needed to explain but wouldn't even begin to try to.

She hid things from him. But so did he. He wouldn't admit it, naturally, but he had his own secrets he wouldn't go around sharing, even to her. It sounded quite hypocritical even to his own ears, but he couldn't care less about it at the moment. Besides, it wasn't as if he hid that much from her, except for that encounter with- _Speaking of which-_

"Was it-" How was he supposed to refer to it? _What was it that she used to call it? Think._

 _"Zetsu."_  He finally remembered. "Did it kill him?"

If he wasn't going to find out his identity, he might as well find out that of his murderer. It was a theory he had come up with, but he had instantly rejected it the moment it popped up. He didn't believe there was a connection, but she may be able to shed some light on that. Prove him wrong maybe.

That look in her eyes, it was something akin to giving up. As if she caved in, letting go of the lie and backed down. He let go of her. She didn't move. Her eyes darted to the ground in search of something. He couldn't tell what.

"No." She whispered. "It wasn't Zetsu."

That was all he needed. That simple statement confirmed a lot. For one, that she hadn't fallen down the steps that night. Second, everything she may have said right after that was most likely a lie. Lastly, she knew this man. Knew who he was and who killed him.

_Just what had happened that night?_

He waited for her to continue but she remained silent as if waiting for him to prod her.  _Fine._

"Then who did?" He demanded gently. He wanted to push her to talk, but he had to take it slow or she may just as well decide to stay silent and never speak a word about it again. There were so many things he wanted to know, though one question at a time was probably the only way he would get to know anything with her. He waited and waited and waited...and she never uttered a single syllable.

He wasn't a man of patience, that was well known. This was the longest he had ever been patient with someone and it was starting to wear thin. He sighed and went to cover the poor man's face out of respect. He would have try another approach, or rather another question.

"Who was he, Mina?"

She looked up at him when she heard him say her name. He could count on one hand the many times he had actually called her out by her moniker and he would only have two fingers. Two. Two damn times. He panicked internally when he realized he could have pronounced it wrong.  _Did I?_

"That night, when the Hyuga left-" She began. All insecurities he felt regarding her name were gone the moment she spoke. Her calmness was a stark contrast to her anxiousness she portrayed not even a few moments ago. The panic in her eyes was now some sort of melancholic guise, almost woebegone.

"I was with Kagami at the shrine. I told him to go back to the house and...and he- this man- he came out of nowhere a-and he.."

He waited silently for more.

"He wanted my pendant. I- I didn't understand why. I asked him to leave me alone. He wouldn't. He said that it belonged to him and that he was a-"

There was a knock at the door and never had Madara felt so annoyed in the span of mere seconds. Just when he thought he was getting somewhere with her, he had to be interrupted. This was the worst time for someone to make their presence known. If that had not been infuriating enough, what happened next was surely maddening. Whoever that person was made themselves welcome without waiting for a response.

He would be lying if he said he wasn't surprised to see that Eiji was the one who barged through the doors. However, it did not make it any less bothersome.

"Excuse my intrusion, Madara-sama." He bowed down hastily. He looked impatient for someone of his distinction. His presence in the room awakened something in her, Madara had noticed. What might have been dejection was now alarm and dread. She became stiff and secluded. Whatever chance he had of finding out what she was about to say was now gone. Forever.

_Fuck._

"What on earth do you wa-" As he was about to rebuke him, Eiji did another thing that was out of character for him. He interjected him.

"I killed him."

...

"Come again?" Madara asked, his tongue sharp.  _What is this?_   _Did they think this was a little game they were playing? Was she in on this?_ He didn't believe it. No one barges in and confesses to a murder in a middle of a conversation about that same murder. The spontaneity of it all was too inconceivable to be true.  _Unless...he was listening in on us._ That thought seemed to perturb Madara more than the admission he just heard. He knew that he had ordered him to follow her, but this-

"I did it. He was a thief." He knelt on one knee. In spite of the urgency of the matter, he looked as calm and collected as ever.

 _"What is the meaning of this?"_ He hissed, restlessness gradually catching up to him. Someone must have a good explanation for any of this or else he wasn't entirely sure which one of them he would kick out first.

"I took his life before he took Mina-sama's."

He glared at Eiji, waiting for an elaboration.

"What are you talking about?"

"He was a lowly bandit who had been wandering around in the forests looking for nothing more than to extort something personal from her. I had arrived in time with Izuna-sama that night. He had returned to the main household as I went to investigate the commotion at the shrine. I found Uchiha-sama's well being was at risk. There was no choice but to kill him." Eiji's tone remained civil. He had never talked this much. It was odd behavior, however one wanted to look at it.

 _Was that what happened?_ Madara couldn't believe it, even if he wanted to. But the memories of that night; of her disheveled form, of her ripped clothes, of the cuts and bruises that were gone the next day. It made sense. It made too much sense, actually. Then, why would she keep something like that from him? He turned to her and looked her in the eyes.

"Is this true?" He asked her.

 _She better not lie this time._  He would strongly advise against it, had he had any say in it.

It was a while before she answered. He held her stare, trying to decipher exactly what were in those brown orbs of hers. They looked fixedly at his, as if trying to search for something. Her dark pupils contracted under the bright light of the room.

"Yes." She attested. Her answer was short, yet held that firm and unwavering tone.

Then why didn't he believe her?

_No, that isn't it._

He believed her, but he also believed that there was something missing; something they weren't telling him. If this was a 'lowly bandit' as they claimed, he must have been a hell of a strong one if Eiji felt the need to reshape the landscape. This wasn't just a normal fight, something was off about the whole thing. Madara turned to face his kneeling shinobi.

"And that is the reason why you beheaded him and burned his body even after you crushed the man?"

That was one of the many things that didn't sit right by Madara. If he was an inferior thief, why go through all the trouble of decapitating him and setting him aflame after he was beat? What kind of fight were they in if they had to destroy the grounds around the shrine?

Eiji raised his head and met Madara head on.

"With all due respect, Madara-sama, I would think you would have done the same. If such a rotten fellow even dares to touch a single hair on Mina-sama's head, I see no other punishment fit for such an offense. He deserved no less. And I would do it again."

That had settled it.

His mind went hay-wire with that last comment. It hit a sensitive and raw nerve. Very sensitive. Were they taking him for a fool all this time? Why did they lie to him? 

_"Get out."_ He snapped at him.

"You too." She was between his arms. He had no idea how she had come to be. At one moment, he was on the other side, behind the gurney. Now, he held her in his hands, just like before when he had delved deep into her eyes. Though, this time, he could see the distance between them was ever growing, even when they were an inch apart.

 _"Now!"_  He ordered both of them.


	42. The Butterfly of Winter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More on Tobirama's, Hashirama's and Mito's POVs coming up in the next few chapters.

_**Eiji's POV** _

_"Why would you do something like that?!"_

She couldn't have spoken louder even if she wanted to, he presumed. They were barely out the door and at the end of the hall when she couldn't contain it a second longer. Her accusation was clear. He didn't answer her.

 _"Hey! Did you hear me?"_ She grabbed his long sleeve in an attempt to get him to stop walking. It was a move she instantly regretted, or was about to, deeply. He yanked her hands away violently and kept walking, not once taking a look back at her. He wished that she did not touch him, in any manner.

"What is wrong with you?"

_She was just brimming with questions, wasn't she?_

She made another attempt to lay her hands on him again but he intercepted her. When he was satisfied that they were sufficiently out of earshot, he took her by the wrists and hauled her in front, that way she faced him. They were hidden behind one of those intricately carved wooden pillars. This was the aisle that led onto the great main hall.

"I should ask you the same." He retorted, rather angrier than his usual self.

"I wasn't the one listening in on a conversation  _their clan head_  was having." She spat back, visibly annoyed. She was too easily provoked, it was something that he had learned recently. Among other interesting things, like trying to break into Madara's private library or such as her late night visit to her brother-in-law. He would probably have to follow up on that one. He had originally thought this a tedious task though it was turning out to be quite...intriguing.

"It was an order." He informed her. He believe he had already said so. Some time recently, he didn't remember. She tugged her hands away from his grasp and took a step back, anger still evident in her eyes.

"So, Madara ordered you to follow us so you could spontaneously barge in and confess to a murder you vowed to keep quiet about?" From the tone of her voice, he could tell it was rhetorical, a bit too sarcastic for his tastes.

"No. He ordered me to follow  _you_."

 _'Do as you see fit.'_  Madara had replied when he had asked him whether he should make himself known. This was as fit as it got. There was no reason to play hide and seek anymore.

It took her a while to register that in. As if she didn't believe him. He didn't care if she did or not, he only cared if she was even capable of keeping that little mouth of hers shut. Had he come a second too late, she might have told Madara everything. Timing hadn't always been Eiji's strong suit, not until now. He had barely broke her off, right when she was about to reveal that the body belonged to a Hyuga. His intervention was worth his while- even if it made him seem abnormally inapt.

He started walking into the other direction, leaving her behind. She followed him, never letting him out of her sight. She was persistent, annoyingly so. He could already surmise what her next question would be.

"Why?" If she felt the need to ask that, then she must have been dumber than she looked. Which he doubted was the case. The answer wasn't that hard, but it seemed like she wanted to hear it from him, to have him confirm it. He couldn't see what difference that would make.

"Why do you think? He asked, mimicking her attitude. "He doesn't trust you, that's why."

If Madara wanted to pretend that it was for her own protection, so be it. But he wasn't going to play along with the pretense. To Eiji, it was blatantly clear. Everything was clear. Things were either black or white, there were no shades of grey in between despite how many would argue otherwise. His comment made her stand still. The harsh undertone of it didn't help either. She looked at him, partly in denial and yet completely overtaken by his words. She was struggling to believe him, but then again, what reason did he have to lie to her?

"He has a point. You can't lie even if your life depended on it." He told her. He almost thought that she could actually get away with it, and that was the sole mistake on his part; that he had believed in her.

"He never bought whatever you told him that night on your way back. He couldn't have if he found it necessary to personally dispatch a squad of shinobi to scour the area every single day."

He had only known of the task Madara had ordered when it had been long overdue. One of the ninjas that was in on the search had unknowingly divulged it to him on one drunken night when a group of guards were off duty. By then, it had been too late to go back to the site and remove the body. Eiji would have been noticed and would have certainly seemed suspicious since he was not appointed to that mission. He had to let it go and leave it to 'fate'. He had no doubt that they would find it, eventually. However, when it had started snowing heavily, the chances that they would find the Hyuga corpse dimmed. Even then, he wasn't all that worried. While he did not care to properly bury the body far enough, he made sure that the only thing that could identify him was no longer distinguishable.

Upon the Hyuga's death, Eiji had seen the curse seal activated before it was permanently removed, sealing away the Byakugan along with its wielder's death. It was a sight to behold; although, he couldn't take chances and went on to scorch the body anyways. More importantly the head. Physically removing the eyes out was an option, though he tossed it out the windows as soon as he thought of it since it would have only made the murder all the more bizarre. And it would have certainly ticked them off. A pair of missing eyes always signified one thing and it was stupendously obvious. He had settled for simply setting it aflame until the eyes were anything but visible, destroyed like the rest of the body, if not more.

He had come to find out that the assassin went by the name of Hyuga Toshiro, a member of the branch family and second-cousin to the clan head. Eiji had never heard of him until then, but that was just it. For someone who was supposedly related to the Hyuga leader, he was rather inconspicuous, unmemorable even.

"You're right. I am a horrible liar. And I can't keep doing it anymore." She said, quavering through the words. She seemed to be absorbed into her own little world, pensive and reflecting on what she should have done instead. It was a little too late for that.

 _"Is that so?"_ It appeared that she still insisted on telling him the truth. He began walking, closing the distance in between them. She didn't back away like she always did. She didn't even raise her arms in caution. He had to wonder if she was the same person who fled from him on the night of his father's funeral.

"I'm going to tell him the truth."

 _"What truth?_  As far as he knows, this  _is_  the truth and it will stay that way, understood?" It was his warning to her. He grabbed her firmly by the collar, dragging her up on her toes.

His bloodshot eyes- from lack of sleep- twitched uncomfortably under his sleek jet-black hair. No one could tell that he hasn't shut an eye in almost two weeks. His ever growing beard was brushed elegantly into thick strands of graying hair. His clothes were meticulously well ordered, not a single wrinkle, crease or rumple to be seen. His upright posture gave him an intimidating edge over her.

" _Why are you defending them?_ They tried to kill me _."_ She said, referring to the Hyuga.

"I am not defending them."  _Did she not think this through?_ He let go of her and backed away. He might as well enlighten her. Thoroughly. Again.

"Do you have any idea what Madara would do if he found out that they came to his home, duped him into a false trade agreement and made an attempt on his wife?" He glared at her, directing most of his unresolved anger towards her. She was a nobody. How she even got this far astounded him. She was nothing more than an infatuation of Madara's who was overstaying her welcome. The fact that her presence here was lingering longer than needed be- it was unnerving.

When she didn't give him an answer, he continued.

"Not only would he consider it an attempt on  _him,_  but also a downright insult to his authority and character. I _will not_  let him ruin the alliance we have with them over a petty dispute regarding  _you_."

Under no circumstances was he going to let her come near to even telling him an inkling about any of this. Eiji didn't care if she had to bend over backwards just so she could lie through her teeth. If Madara knew the true identity of the supposed thief, then the Uchiha could kiss one of their longest held treaties goodbye. Anyone with half a brain would know that the Uchiha leader wouldn't stay quiet. _His sensitive ego wouldn't either._ For the forty-three year old shinobi, he was not looking for another spat with the Hyuga. It was an alliance that was signed long before either of their births by their fathers and forefathers. He would be damned if Madara came and destroyed all those years of work in one single moment of recklessness. And over some insignificant woman no less.

"For all the insensitive and callous disregard you have for others, you seem to  _actually care, Eiji._ " Whether her statement was meant as a tasteless joke or not, it did not bother him.

_"I care for no one but my clan."_

Not its leader, nor his brother, not its elders, just his people. And himself.

Though, what would she know about it? Belonging to his clan was too good of a privilege for her. In reality, she belonged to no one, to nothing. She  _was_  nothing. And she will continue to be nothing. Until the very day Madara gets tired of using her and kicks her out, wife or not. She would still be nothing then. Personally, he couldn't wait until that day arrived. He would give it a year or two, before one of them finally tires from the other.

Or- and his favorite alternative- when one of them dies.

* * *

_**Mina's POV** _

_How could he?_

I shouldn't have expected anything different really, but a part of me did.

_Eiji._

He was worse than I thought. Infinitely worse. He never ceased to surprise me and not in a good way. He popped up whenever he wanted to and disappeared whenever he saw fit. This encounter wasn't an exception. He left me here, alone and hysterical, in a hallway I didn't recognize straight away. I had trouble focusing on anything as I tried to make sense of everything that happened within the past twenty-four hours. From the moment of my breakdown in Izuna's room up until now. Particularly, that last one. The fact that Madara had found the body could only mean that Eiji hadn't hidden it well enough as he claimed. Maybe he just didn't bother to. I wouldn't be surprised if he had purposely done so in order to get caught. The reason for which he would actually do that still eluded me. It made no sense, no matter how much I tried to twist it.

But above all, that guilty feeling wouldn't leave me alone.

_Damn you Madara Uchiha._

I couldn't believe I felt guilty for lying to him. It wasn't about him as much as it was about the act itself that made my stomach tie in knots. This wasn't a petty white lie, this was murder. I knew I was a horrible liar, I have been told so countless times, I didn't need a reclusive middle aged man telling me that. It was a wonder I had kept it this long. A week was it? A bit over a week, I guessed. It was still a record. But with that record came this even greater guilt-ridden, nervous-wreck conscience of mine that wouldn't stop nagging me. It wanted- no, urged- me to just go back, knock on the door and spill it. Everything. It wasn't because I felt like I owed him, on the contrary, I knew I didn't. It was just that feeling...that wrong feeling. The one that isn't right. It was dishonest and unjust.

Although, he didn't seem like he had a problem with it.  _All for the greater good_  seemed to be the concept he was using to justify his reasoning. All he wanted was to prevent the retaliation Madara would have sought afterwards, which wasn't a bad idea- if I had to admit- except, it was Eiji. The man defied explanation. I could have never pegged him as a caring type, I still didn't believe him.

_I care for no one but my clan._

That sentence should have ended at no one.

He cared for no one. Period. A cold, heartless person like him couldn't possibly know the meaning of 'caring'. It took everything I had not to turn and run into the wall behind me when he started approaching me. Tall, thin and pale as the skin of a glass of milk, Eiji was flawlessly warped in more ways than one. It wasn't just his appearance, sometimes it would extend to his mannerisms. At some point, it wouldn't just be about that hideous scar that climbed the side of his face; remnants of old stitching still visible if one looked close enough or that corruptive and unabating grin. It wasn't even about the way he spoke anymore; not that his brazen and menacing voice lost any of its tenacity. It was his movements. His quirks. The way he carried himself, the silence that followed his every step.

It was frightening.

 _He_  was frightening. When he grabbed me by the collar, I thought I had been done for. Unlike Madara, there was something real about Eiji's anger. His rage was somewhat comprehensible yet was completely out of this world. Like that night when he killed the Hyuga. Or when it reached its true peak, the day of his father's funeral. And now...now, when he held me up to his height, it was terrifyingly real. I feared him more than Madara at this point.

Something I never thought was possible.

And when he left me, his presence didn't. It followed me, never leaving me alone. Constantly reminding me of his words, his glares, even the scent of his breaths.

I hadn't realized I had been walking until I found myself facing a great hall. Then I remembered exactly where I was. I had no idea why I always came here, my feet would just drag me to this place whenever I felt lost. It was a painful reminder my mind wouldn't let go of, instead it kept evoking it every chance it got. The main hall that once held my-

My wedding.

If it weren't for the memories, I would have loved to stay here as much as I could. It was a tremendously beautiful chamber; enchanting and magnificently ornate, vast, accommodating and most certainly welcoming. I could only imagine feeling like...like I was home for the first time in ages. With the light seeping through the large glass-plated windows, warm and fuzzy like on a spring evening.

Except, that didn't exist. It was all in my mind. This place was cold and desolate, just like the memories that belonged to it. I hated it, there was nothing for me here. Echoes and reflections of numerous people laughing and drinking merrily reverberated through this hall, their motions were hazy and nonexistent. As I turned away to leave, I heard a faint fluttering sound in the background. I knew I wasn't imagining this one, it was real. I turned and looked back but I couldn't see a thing. I let it be and walked back in the direction that I came from.

My mind was a mess.

I didn't know where to begin and where to end. Everything was wrong, wrong, wrong!

My thoughts were clashing, I was torn between cursing Izuna for his hand in this sham of a marriage and dramatically shifting to curse myself for going along with Eiji's lie. Madara had asked me straightforwardly with honesty, that if anything he said was true. It was hard to look away from his eyes, so much so I almost said no. I  _could have said_  no and risked exposing Eiji in front of him. Which I doubted would have ended well between the both of them. Yet I let myself be dragged along with his little tale. I had no one to blame but myself. Just when I had promised I would stop bending over for people, I did it again.

He heard everything. That Izuna.

Overwhelmed by my own anger and resentment, I had broken down right in front of him.  _On top of him._ Shamelessly. Triggered by his revelation and his lack of remorse, I was pushed over the edge. Everything came crumbling down that instant and I recoiled at the thought of actually having cried right then. Again, there was no one to blame for my actions but me. And so I did.

_How is it fair that I am the one beating myself up here?_

Whereas he was probably rejoicing in his freedom from being no longer shackled to the bed. Did he expect to get away with it? Betting on something like that and disappearing? Did he wish for his own doom? I couldn't believe it once he said it. At this rate, nothing that he did should ever surprise me, though this time, he had outdone it, which was impossible considering that he always set the bar high for himself.

The more I thought about him watching us through that hole in the door, of the elders sitting back and clapping like an audience, of the whole spectacle- the more enraged I became. The more confused my thoughts turned. The more entangled my emotions raveled. Everything-

_Fuck!_

I felt a sharp pain travel up my nose and spread to the rest of my face before settling at the base of my skull, giving me a killer migraine.

_Damn it!_

"Argh!" I stomped my feet in anger.

I had walked into a damn pillar. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn't pay attention to where I was going. I was barely fifty feet away from the main hall. I rubbed my face, trying to ease the pain and hoping that it would go away. Poof. Disappear. Like a magic trick.

I backed up a step and instead of magic, I got a butterfly.

_"Huh?"_

I stood still, crossing my eyes and gazing at the flying insect that rested at the bridge of my nose.  _So, that was all the fluttering was about._  It must have entered through one of those open windows. It tickled as it flapped its wings. Unnaturally soothing.

It was a beautiful specimen, I had never seen a white butterfly before. I brought my index finger and gently tugged at it. It flew and landed on my hand. It had brilliant white wings, small dark spot decorated the tip and two larger ones on the forewing, extending downward. Its underside was a creamy color, complementary to the rest of its pallet. Its antennae hovered over my hand, trying to sense its surrounding.

"Aren't you a beauti-"

A loud shrill sound could be heard right from where I stood. The sound of an oncoming sneeze.

...

I sneezed.

_Why? Why did-?_

It flew away the instant I expelled the air from my nostrils. I actually scared it away, my one and only distraction from the chaos that was my mind. My gaze followed it as it soared up high, flying in circles until it found its way out.

 _Come back here,_  I pleaded.

"Mina-chan." A soft and squeaky voice called out to me.

My eyes widened.  _Oh my God, it could speak._

"Mina-chan. There you are!" The sound became louder and increasingly cheerful. I looked back down and saw that it was just Kagami. A part of me was slightly disappointed that it didn't turn out to be a talking butterfly. He walked up to me and stood by my side, tugging at my sleeve. I looked back up and found that the white butterfly was gone. But so was the pain in my face. The aching and the headache had dulled.  _Maybe it was magic._ I traced the edges of where the butterfly had touched. I felt relieved...somewhat.

He kept pulling the kimono's unfathomably long sleeves.

"What is it?" I asked, growing irritated by this childish manner. I couldn't help it. I wasn't in a good mood right now and Kagami wasn't making it any better at the moment. As if he could sense my annoyance with him, he immediately stopped and the small smile that he wore was gone as well.

"Uhm, can you come see this?" He said, diverting his gaze away from me. "Please?" He added. I sighed.

"What happened?"

He didn't answer but took my hand in his and began towing me behind him. His pace quickened and I had to step up as well.

"Kagami, what the hell is it?" I repeated, hoping for an answer this time. It was useless. I went along with it, not really having a choice. A few moments later and I was brought back to my room. We stopped in front of the closed doors.

"I think I broke the cat." He finally admitted.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kagami. You can't break a cat." I told him, the irritation that I was feeling could be clearly heard in my voice. I sucked in my breath and pulled my hands up to my chest. Closing my eyes, I forced myself to calm down.

"Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized. It was a habit of his. Even when he didn't do anything wrong, he would still apologize. Much like now, when he felt cornered or belittled. I saw him blush out of embarrassment. He wouldn't look up at me.

_What was wrong with me?_

_Poor kid._

Truth was, I was guilty of using that phrase myself a couple of times. As it turned out, breaking a cat was not an easy thing to do. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was my attitude. This boy had nothing to do with my troubles yet I was unconsciously trying to vent it out on him.

I shook my head, trying to clear my mind. I slid the doors open and entered to find an empty room. Well, almost empty. That black cat was at the back corner near a dresser, hiding behind one of the wooden supporting legs. I couldn't see it very well from where I was. I took another step in while Kagami hadn't moved an inch. Arms behind his back, he stood there, gazing at everything but this room and what was inside of it. He tightened his mouth into a hard straight line, leaving his thin lips taut and pale. He looked...serious.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?" I urged him to enter. He didn't respond at first. Not wanting to push him any further, I let him be and went for the cat. It was a strange thing, that cat. It was always quiet, never vocal and never meowed.

But now was a completely different story.

She- from the looks of it- was rolling around on the ground, rubbing herself against every possible surface as she licked herself between her legs. When she finally noticed me standing there, she got onto her stomach and dragged herself across the floor, yowling. Her meowing was incessant and were slowly becoming long and loud wails. She looked like she was possessed.

"Did you give it catnip again?" I shouted back, expecting him to be at the door. He wasn't. He had made his way inside and stood next to the footing of the bed focusing on the cat.

"N-no." He said hesitantly as the cat started rubbing herself against his ankles, purring and purring like she was looking for affection. Which was completely out of character for the murderous kitty.

"Kagami-"

"I swear I didn't!" He panicked as she began climbing him. "Get it off of me!" He was flustered and grew agitated as the cat wouldn't let go of him. The more he fought the harder her grip became. I would know, she had tried to rip my face off once upon a time. I hurried to his side and gently plucked her away from him. She wouldn't budge and her meows sounded more and more like distressed cries.

I tried to pull her away again, slowly this time.

"Shh, little kitty." I patted her back to calm her. Same could not be said for Kagami. It wasn't that he disliked cats, he was just slightly afraid of them. Particularly this one. I couldn't blame him.

We called her Orbsy, after her big yellow eyes that contrasted so well with her blacker than midnight fur. Her claws unlatched from his pale skin, finally letting him go. I continued patting it, eventually settling my hands on its lower back. It purred in reaction. Kagami jumped back a few steps keeping as much distance between him and the feline. I knelt to the ground and continued rubbing it. It escaped my grasp and wagged its tail to the side.

"What's it doing?" He asked from behind me, hunching over my shoulder, curious.

By no means did her meowing get any quieter, it wasn't that. It was the way she walked, the way she rose her hump and trod her hind legs along, exposing, well- everything. Like she was advertising for-

"She's in heat." I mumbled. That certainly explained it.

"Huh? What does that mean?" He gave me a quizzical look, waiting for a reply.

 _What does being in heat mean?_ How does one respond to a question like that without it getting super awkward? The cat wasn't helping. It stuck its cheeks to the ground and crawled with its rear end stuck in the air, on full display. Her front quarters were flattened to the ground and pinned together. Her vocals continued.

"Well." I paused, searching for the right words. "It means that she's ready to mate."

_See, that wasn't too hard._

_"_ Oh." He exclaimed, amazed by the sight.

...

"What's that?" He asked.

"Its when she's ready to have kittens but needs a male cat to-"

"That's not what I meant, I meant to say why is she acting like that?" He pointed to her awkward and- on some level- obscene pose.

"Well, normally, she would be trying to attract a male cat if there was one here. And it's to...to-" I lowered my voice. "To provide easier access."

Perks of having an obsession with cats was the countless hours spent googling everything there was to know about them. Including how and when they go into heat. It usually lasted between a few days and up to a week, sometimes more. And how to temporarily calm them. I leaned forward and started rubbing her once more. She responded by purring.

"You see, there's a way to get her to calm down for a while. To relieve her." I informed him while bringing her nearer to me. "I had a kitty once when I was young. We did this one time before we got her spayed." I murmured along, walking down memory lane that led to my childhood.

I patted her up and down, gently and softly, through her smooth fur. I got my hand down to her lower back again and applied a bot more pressure. Her front claws scraped the floor as she meowed. Gradually, I moved a finger to the base of her tail- right above her pelvis- and pushed a little harder. Acupressure was just a temporary solution, nothing more. Orbsy began fidgeting and shifting beneath my touch.

"See? You just push slightly at the base...right..here." I demonstrated. "Don't do it too hard or it might hurt her. Also, you really shouldn't do this to a cat that isn't in heat or you know...you might end up needing a hospital visit and a few stitches to your face."

I learned that fateful day that cats were not to be messed with.

It took a while before she jumped out of my grasp and began rolling violently on the floor. Her purrs were just as loud. Up and down, to the sides, bending over backwards, she moved in angles I never knew was possible for a cat's spine to twist that way. Never knew what an exorcism looked like until this very moment. This was...really creepy.

...

 _"Mina-chan, did you just violate the cat?"_  I looked up at Kagami who was now sporting an expression that was unfamiliar to me. It was a mix of concern and horror, with a hint of disbelief. I believed the expression was one that equated to 'what the fuck?' I felt heat rising to my cheeks and instantly turned my face away from his burning gaze.

"I..I- I d-did not violate the cat!" I protested.  _I didn't, did I?_

 _"But it's not calm. Look at it!"_ He gestured to Orbsy, who turned out to be an excellent acrobat; jumping through invisible hoops in the air and all.  _How long did exorcisms last again?_ I remembered it had taken my kitten a few minutes to calm down after this. We got her spayed and neutered the day after. She died later that year. An imbecile with no driver license ran her over. I didn't think I ever got over her.

"It will take a couple of minutes, Kagami." I tried to reassure him. "Think of it as a  _reset_  button. It's not broken anymore." I shuffled his hair, cracking a joke and hoping that he would forgive me for my earlier behavior. I pulled him down to my lap and let him sit. He seemed to be...okay. He looked at the cat who was seemingly calming down now. She rolled on her back and dazed up at the ceiling.

"Mina-chan? Do humans go into heat?" He asked innocently.  _Boy...what?_ I was a bit surprised by his question. I froze for a second, there was not a single thought going through my mind.

"Mina-chan?"

"Yes." I blurted out. "Yes, yes they do." I didn't think he understood that I was joking. But was I? I mean, if one were to loosely translate the meaning of being in heat to fit the human behavior, then wouldn't it essentially be; just horny? While the purpose in animals was to breed, in humans, well- people were simply eager to screw.

"Oh really?!" He looked up at me with wide eyes, thirsty for more knowledge. How was I supposed to take him seriously? Sitting in my lap, with those doe-shaped eyes of his, and those beautifully curved lashes complementing his tousled black hair. He was the pitch perfect image of adorableness and sweetness all in one.

"Uh-hum." I nodded, holding back a giggle.

"I have never seen a human in heat before!" He exclaimed as if it was a rare sight to be held.

"Well, there's a reason for that."  _People didn't usually go around flashing their bare asses to others in order to get laid._ I take that back. Some people did. Though, he didn't have to know that.

I wrapped my arms around his little body and said, "Humans are generally more private. You would never know when they're horn-  _when they're in heat_  unless they wanted you to know. Which is considered quite inappropriate by any standards."

_Oh God, don't laugh Mina. Don't laugh._

A small smile started to appear, I couldn't hold it back. It had begun. I bit my lips before I let something unladylike slip out of me.

"Do you know anyone who's in heat?" He kept asking these really wrong yet incredibly hilarious questions. I was running out of well-balanced, appropriate and seemingly intelligent answers. My arms were beginning to shake as I felt something inside me was about to burst.

"I...I.." I let out this shrill noise that was supposed to be a laugh but ended up sounding like a strangled puppy. I stopped myself mid-way and gave my answer.

_"I do."_

_This kid is killing me._

"Who?!" He sprang up in excitement.

"Pinky promise you won't tell?" I smirked.

"Yes, of course!" He nodded his head rapidly, I thought he might actually twist his neck. I motioned for him to come closer and whispered into his ears. He retreated with the most priceless expression I had ever seen on his face. It was as if I had told him the greatest secret in the world. That magic existed, or that there was this invaluable treasure waiting to be collected by the most talented shinobi there was. I was struggling to keep myself together.

"No, Madara-sama wouldn't. Would he?"

"He would. All the time. You wouldn't believe it, Kagami." I giggled. This was too good to be true. The wonder in his eyes enraptured me. The way he sat on the floor, leaning forward, knees together and hands on his thighs, he was just a child. This was one joke I would not be feeling guilty about.

"Does he purr?"  _Oh my, he was serious about this._

"Yes. A lot." It was my turn to nod.

"Does he turn?"

"And twists, too!" I was full blown laughing by now. Kagami was still clueless as always. I wondered if he saw the same images I did. I didn't understand why I was laughing this hard, this wasn't even that funny.

"Oh." He took a minute to fully process everything I had just said. "Mina-chan, are you saying the truth?" He doubted me. So, maybe he wasn't that clueless. I would doubt me too, honestly.

"Sure, you could ask him if you want." I suggested. Madara would have a fit if anyone else heard this about him. The knots in my stomach began to untie as I felt myself finally relaxing, my mind was beginning to see things clearer as the tension in my muscles unwinds. I needed this, and a part of me was glad that Kagami was the one to do so. I would have had it no other way.

"So, do you do the same thing with Madara-sama?" His voice pulled me out of my haze. He was staring into my eyes with all sternness and sincerity as he asked his question.

"Do what-?"

"Do you relieve Madara-sama when he's in heat the same way you did with the cat?"

...

 _"What?! No, absolutely not!" Fuck._  I was startled. I didn't think he saw what was wrong with his question nor did he actually understand anything of what I said. At all.

"Why not?" He sounded like he was offended.

"Because, he's a grown man who could satisfy his own needs, that's why." I replied, more defensively than I would have liked. The look on his face suggested that he didn't quite get my latest answer. Before he could ambush me further and ask me what that last phrase meant, a figure appeared at the doorway. The cat was long gone.

"Kagami, I think it's time you leave, I need to have a little talk with Mina-sama." Yuna spoke with command. He didn't hesitate. He stood up and bowed to her before leaving. Something was telling me this matter was long from over.

That old maid walked in with a tray in her hands. She set it down on the table at the corner of the room, the one that faced the windows. A beautiful china vase laid atop it.

"I'm not going to even ask what that was about." She muttered as she turned to face me. I stood up from my place on the carpet and walked over.

"Good, because I wouldn't know how to answer."

 _What am I supposed to do now?_ I may have calmed down, but I was still stuck with the same dilemma. On one side, I had Izuna and his mind-twisting madness, on the other, I had Madara and his  _stupid, stupid_  guilt-tripping. It didn't matter where I went, where I hid or where I would try to hide, I couldn't seem to escape the clutches of either brother. One of them was the epitome of psychopathy and the other was...confusing. The amazing part was Madara wasn't the psychopath of either of them. The real monster was his baby brother.

_Who would have thought?_

This baby brother of his was more cunning than I first thought. More perverted, more sadistic. I was saving him for last though, he deserved the best of my absolute worst. Until then I would use him to get revenge on his little peers. What better way than to have him do unto them what they have done unto me? Not literally, as that would be way too good to be true. But, in all honesty, he had started this mess. It was only fair he finished it. And I would make sure of it.

"Aren't you going to eat?" Yuna asked halfheartedly.

Her stoic demeanor was a disturbingly nice treat after everything that had happened. Her forehead was wrinkled by many peaks and trenches- probably caused by years of consistent scowling at her younger subordinates - with unflattering eyes that somehow permanently harbored a disdainful glare at anyone who looked back. On first glance, her entire face seemed drained of any signs of joy and amusement, but when you took a second peek you could see the sparkle in her black eyes as she scanned the room. Whether it was mischief or mockery, it varied a lot.

Her tall scrawny figure was like a walking shadow among shadows. The small grey bun on top of her head was so tight that it pulled the skin of her forehead back giving her a strained look. Her nose was reminiscent of a hawk's beak, something I hadn't realized until now. She looked angry already when he had only just walked in. I tried to shy away as she strode towards me, unsure of what she wanted from me. Sitting on the bed, I shifted to the side.

"I'm not hungry." I answered. "I thought there would be another family dinner tonight?"

"Madara-sama isn't in the mood." She said casually. The closer she got, the less intimidating she seemed. The few rogue strands that refused to be tied down hung loosely at her sides, framing her face.

"Here." She stuck her hands inside her black kimono and sifted through for something.

"You seem to like that boy." She mumbled while her left hand dug into her cleavage, still searching for whatever she was looking for. Casually striking up a conversation while she was fondling her breasts was something only Yuna could get away with. And Mary. Mary could get away with anything.

"I- uhm- I do. Who doesn't?" I didn't understand the purpose of her question. "Do you need help with that?" I offered.

"No, thank you. I've got it." She insisted on helping herself. "What a shame his mother died." She added nonchalantly.

After a minute or two, her hand finally reemerged with a green vial.

"She and that Sora girl were very good friends. Here you go." She handed it to me and proceeded to retie her obi, covering her breasts once again.  _Uhm?_

"What is this?" I asked, holding the small glass container by the lid. "Also, what do you mean they were good friends?" I quirked my brows. I knew Azami and Sora were friends, though I thought nothing more of it than they were simple colleagues who had to work the same profession to make ends meet. Colleagues who left their children with each other to watch while the other was working. Okay, so they were good friends. Though, the insinuation in Yuna's tone was less than clear and more of a sly innuendo. And why would she be telling me this now? Her choice of topic for small talk was odd at best, and frankly creepy at times.

What was up with the vial? It was filled with a translucent liquid that looked more like syrup than anything else.

 _"Oh you know,_  just a precaution in case you and Madara-sama decide to go into heat together next time." She looked at me gauging for a reaction while a wicked smile tugged at her lips.

...

I sat there, motionless and gaping at the air. Wild disbelief was the greatest understatement of the century. I quickly shot up and passed it back to her roughly.

"I don't know what it is and I don't want it." I babbled, embarrassment filing me. I was sure that I was turning redder than a tomato right now. Her gaze didn't spare me the awkwardness of it all. She stared at me, wide-eyed and teasing. She pushed my hand back and spoke.

"Don't worry, it's not poison if that's what you're worried about. And it's for your own good. Use it or not, I don't care. I just don't want you to come back clogging the bathtub once again."

I recalled that night back then when they had cleaned everything spotlessly. There was not a single stain on the bed nor the bathroom. That was because that they had removed both. They had swapped the bed for a new mattress and replaced the old bathtub with a new one. It was easier than it looked considering that it was one of those porcelain freestanding tub with gold-plated faucets.

 _Clog the bathtub?_  It wasn't like I had planned for it. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to make out what this was.

I examined the small cylindrical vessel that laid in the palm of my hand.  _Was it like a contraceptive?_ It had to be. That was as much as I gathered from her delightful albeit shameless wording.

"It's a concoction extracted from a herb known to have preventative traits. It's a common thing used among the few shinobi women who still fight. It doesn't usually grow in winter." She talked as she began scrubbing the already meticulously clean surfaces as a way to pass the time.

"Chiho had managed to sneak some out of the stockpile we have to make it. So, don't let someone catch you with it otherwise they will come for me and she'll never hear the end of it from the other elders. Got it?"

 _No, no I don't get it._  What was she doing, trying to make my day worse than it already was?

"I almost forgot." She suddenly stopped her erratic movements and pulled something out of her obi. "Take this too. As extra precaution. It's bamboo paper. Might be slightly uncomfortable but it would be worth it."

She handed me this so-called circular tissues, their rough textures and ragged surfaces was off putting. I almost wanted to laugh. I looked up at her, a bit amused.

"You want me to stick these up my vagina? Really?" I couldn't hide my contempt any longer.  _"Why are you giving this to me now?_ Don't you think it's a little bit late for that?"

A bit late? It was far too late. It had been months, or weeks, I honestly didn't know how much time had passed since the wedding. I didn't want to know either. If this was some kind of sick joke, it certainly wasn't funny.

"Do you have any idea  _how long_  it took for me to gather them? The concoction wasn't ready until yesterday and those bamboo papers are quite hard to find around here. I had to sneak them in and hoped those idiot guards weren't to hassle me about it. It's for your own benefit, use it as you please."

Despite my accusatory tone, she didn't seem a bit unfazed, it was almost like she was expecting this reaction from me. Yuna went for the untouched tray sitting on the table, begging to be eaten. The food had grown cold and tasteless. Much like my appetite. I threw the vial and the papers onto the bed and sat down, I was starting to feel dizzy. My mind was racing; I didn't need another problem to worry about. I may have thought these people were out to get me, to make my life a miserable hell. But, I had to admit it. This woman was by far the only useful one here, the only one who was out to  _help_  me. Or seemed to, anyways.

I sighed and swallowed my hurt pride, even if I didn't fully believe her, I still appreciated her...gesture.

"Thank you for the effort. I appreciate it." My back was to her and hers was to mine, yet I could already picture the expression she wore. I could hear her humming gleefully, like she had won an argument. I think she just did.

"I'm not looking for your thanks." She said. I turned my head to the side and tried to get a better view. "I just figured you wouldn't be looking forward to another miscarriage. It would be wiser to prevent the pregnancy from the start."

"I'm not exactly  _planning_  on getting pregnant."

I turned around fully now so I could face her, but her back was still to me. She paused for a second and seemed to contemplate her next answer. Looking out the window, I could see her shining reflection upon the wet glass. Yuna was smiling.

"You never know."

* * *

How many days had it been? Five? Six? Four? I wasn't sure anymore.

I laid on the bed in the dark, hiding under the covers and looking up at the ceiling.

Madara had been avoiding me for the past couple of days. Ever since discovering the Hyuga's body and confronting me about it, he hadn't said a single word to me since.  _Why was he so confusing?_ I always thought that men like him were the least complicated creatures that could have ever walked this earth. They were simple beings with simple needs; sex, food, killing, sex again, that was just about it. Did I mention sex? I really didn't think they could have evolved out of that narrow scope of those fields.

So, why was Madara acting that way? Why couldn't I read his mind? I couldn't begin to comprehend what went on in his head, why he does what he does. And why was it making me feel the way I was feeling? He was a confusing man, with confusing thoughts and was surely confusing my feelings and I along with him. I had never felt so irritated, so exasperated, so muddled at someone and yet simultaneously feel a false sense of security with them, an astonishing sensation of warmth and perhaps the worst of all, wonderment. At least, not all at once.

I had come to realize that he could be quite a tolerable and pleasant person, if one would take Izuna out of the picture. Not permanently though. Just for a while. And little by little, erasing his existence would do wonders to the world. As life would have it, we didn't always get what we wanted, even if it's a particular dead Uchiha served on a stake. Make that two.

The Uchiha had some quite colorful personalities; from downright psycho-narcissists to closeted maniacs who also happened to be fascinating pathological liars. From the likes of Izuna to people like Eiji and Sora, and in between them stood those who were relatively normal- with their own cases of sever anger issues and a tinge of megalomania. People like Madara. Next to them, Madara looked quite decent, sane even. Which spoke volumes.

I groaned.

I haven't been able to sleep well recently. Knowing that Black Zetsu could come back at any moment with no other reason than just to mess with me. And take a pass at Madara while at it. A false sense of security was better than no security at all. Even if he wasn't here in bed next to me, I could already feel them outside. The guards that he had placed in his stead. From the sounds of it, they were around two. Or maybe three, I wasn't sure. It wasn't enough. I didn't feel safe. What would they do if Zetsu came back? Heck, it managed to get to me while Madara was sleeping right there, less than a feet away. And even he couldn't do anything. Still-

I grumbled and shifted to my side, this mattress was suddenly uncomfortable. And cold. Oh so fucking cold, these four layers of covers were not doing shit. There was something missing, I could feel it. I shifted to my side, angry and disgruntled. Instead of gazing at the ceiling, I stared at the green vial and bamboo papers that were placed on the night stand for the past few days.

_At least it isn't alligator dung or animal intestines._

There was an upside to it, that these archaic methods of contraceptives weren't very popular here. To imagine that ancient Egyptians once used pessaries made of alligator dungs and honey as alternatives to spermicides, or how people casually used lamb intestines in the early days in the form of condoms; it really went to show how far both men and women would go for the sake of love, or rather to avoid the consequences of said love.

_What an interesting sex ed class that was._

This was giving me a headache, just by looking at them. I opened the drawer and tossed them in, where they would remain out of sight until I decide so. Snapping the drawer shut, I quickly sat up and pulled the covers to the side. It was clear I wasn't getting any sleep tonight. Again. I might as well do something useful with my time.

I got up and pulled on a light kimono and an extra robe over it. It was immensely large, disproportionate and had me tripping over myself. It wasn't mine, no wonder. It belonged to Madara. I could tell from the scent alone that it was his. I thought about taking it off but decided against it, seeing that it was significantly more warmer and comfortable than the kimono I was wearing underneath.

I walked over to the door and slid it open slightly. Peeking my head out, I saw that there was only one guard standing five feet away. I could have sworn that there was a second,  _he must have left._

"Psst." I called out to him. He didn't respond at first until I repeated myself.

"I'm hungry." I said. He just looked at me, silent. He was around a foot taller and quite scary looking in this dark alley that was the hallway.

"Can you call a maid?" I tried again. No response.

"Would you at least call Madara-sama?"

It took him a minute to weigh his options over. A maid or Madara? Who to bother at this time of night? He grappled with his inner conscious until he finally replied.

"One will be with you shortly. _Don't. Go. Anywhere."_  He probably thought that his menacing tone was a guarantee that I would listen to him. I nodded, reluctantly. He paused a second longer before leaving. I watched him walk down the hall until he was fully engulfed in darkness. When I was satisfied that he was far away as I liked, I grabbed the candle that was placed on the dresser nearby and made my way down the corridor, heading for the opposite direction towards the main hall. I never  _said_  I wouldn't. Nonetheless, I would have to apologize to him later.

* * *

_First right. Then the next left. Right then left._

Those were the directions I took on my way from the library to the main hall. It was only logical for the converse to be true.

First left, then the next right. Until I come to a screen door that opened onto a staircase, leading to the underground hallway.

I was right.

It took me around four minutes to reach the door. It was a miracle to even navigate these halls in this darkness. The candle wasn't enough to light these vast airspaces. No matter, when I made my way down the stairs, the lower corridor was lighted using hung torches. The visibility here was better than inside the house itself. And warmer too. I kept walking and walking and walking. The shadows of the dancing flames across the stone walls were strangely hypnotic. I was so very absorbed by them I nearly missed the grande entrance to the library itself.

It was as majestic as the first time I had seen it. The ebony wood, the bronze plated handles, everything. It was beautiful in its own way.

_Time to do it._

I set the candle-plate on the floor and picked out two hair pins from my bun. It probably wouldn't work seeing the humongous size of this lock, but it was worth giving a try. I wasn't even allowed to come an inch closer before a dark voice interrupted me.

"You shouldn't be here."

_How could I ever forget?_

_"_ Do you watch me sleep, too?" I asked rhetorically, facing him. His red eyes were a dead giveaway.

 _"Yes."_  He answered. Rhetorically, I hoped. It was unsettling how much I have been seeing of Eiji lately. I had enough of him to last me a lifetime and this was overdoing it. The prospect of him standing there, in the corner of my dark room, watching me sleep...It was beyond perturbing. Though I suppose it was to be expected. Madara had ordered him to follow me after all.  _To watch me sleep though?_ Probably not.

I had no problem with it, honestly. Because I wasn't hiding anything nor was I doing anything wrong. Well, except maybe for this. Then again, why wasn't he stopping me if I wasn't supposed to be here? Eiji had his own agenda and clearly couldn't give two fucks about Madara's orders. So, it worked out well for the both of us.

"Excuse me."  _While I go back and try to break this lock._

And try I did. The pins broke within the first twist.  _Fuck._

"Move." He commanded.

"Huh?" I turned to look at him. He was by my side, his tall frame pushing me away. He withdrew a pair of tools from his pouch, tools I couldn't quite make out. He inserted them into the keyhole and started nudging the lock from the inside. I had no idea that he was such an excellent break-in specialist. He truly was full of surprises.

If I didn't know better, Eiji was helping me break into someplace I was explicitly told not to go to.  _Twice,_  and one of them was from his own mouth. That would make him an accessory to whatever crime this was. I had to wonder, _what the fuck is wrong with him?_ What did he get out of this? Was it just for the kicks? Did he enjoy breaking into places he probably wasn't allowed to either? Or was he searching for something he wanted that happened to be inside as well?

 _"Ladies first."_ He invited me in, mockingly.

He had unlocked the gates to whatever secrets that laid behind these walls. He made no gesture that he was entering with me. In fact he made no gesture at all. He didn't even touch the wooden planks that formed the large doors. Like he was scared of something.

"Thanks." I bent down to pick the candle-light off the floor as I feigned my gratitude. If he didn't want to come in, then so be it.

I pushed the door open gently and took my first step in. I was welcomed with that murky sweet scent of old books and aged dust. There was not a single light in this room. It was utter blackness.  _Just blackness._


	43. A Cat, A Fondle And A Madara

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tobirama's POV starts next chapter.

_**Madara's POV** _

The weather was slowly improving. The snow from the storm had nearly melted. There was still no sun on the horizon, but the change in the atmosphere was noticeable. He was starting to adapt to the harsh winds and the freezing temperatures, the brooding days and the cold nights. But for some unknown and obscure reasons, the weather on this particular date was none of these things. As a matter of fact, it was strangely pleasant and cool with a constant breeze. A few sparse clouds drifted across the sky in small ashen wisps. The subtle sting of the chilly air slowly waned over the past few days and gave way to a warmer feel.

He stood on the porch, looking onto nothing. There was nothing. Just a dense forest that didn't seem to have a beginning nor an end. The vast lands that extended just beyond their reach was rumored to house untold riches though no one dared to cross the boundaries of those great mountains. Those who did never came back alive, or so they said. Those mounts were immense yet looked so far, their peaks touched the heavens just as their valleys rooted into the depths of hell. Dark clouds hovered over their summits, like a foreboding menace. Yet the woodlands that encircled them were bathed in white light. A touch of faint mist surrounded the areas reaching all the way back to Madara's backyard. Miles upon miles of entangled bare branches, a mess of broken boughs and wet land. Everything seemed so washed out and lacked any color. Or vitality.

Even so, it reminded him of a lusterless spring day.

He looked up at the grey sky. Raindrops trickled through the porch's roof, dribbling down his temples and inside the wide collar of his open yukata. Traditionally worn in the summer, his attire was not suitable for this weather. His loose sash barely held it together, exposing most of his upper abdomen. Even with the lack of appropriate clothing, he didn't really feel cold.

The soft breeze picked up, tousling his long, dark hair, forcing it to flow in all directions. He heard the wind chimes in the distance. The round crystal bells dangled over the edge of the roof, they were the only ones that still hung around, on his insistence. The rest of the edo furin were long removed for the winter. Except this one, the maids had left it at his behest. The red tsubakis that decorated the painted bells, the polished glass tubes that swayed and the violet silken strips that fluttered with the wind; they all gave this dreary place a tint of color. The air around him had this pacific and calming touch to it as it swirled over and over, like eddies of the water.

The sound of the chimes rung loudly in his ears, reminding him of a particular hymn he could never forget. The stronger the wind blew, the louder the chimes echoed. And the deeper he felt himself fall. The nostalgic rhythms of the flow carried him back to the days of his childhood.

Back when the last one of his brothers were born.

At six years of age, he had already been showing promising signs, signs his father had no trouble taking advantage of. Despite Tajima's reproaches, he had still clung- somewhat- to his mother for as long as he could. One day, he had been peeking in on his newborn sibling from the corner. He was told not to bother the baby nor its mother. He didn't care, he just wanted a glimpse at the baby brother, the newest addition to his family. It was a cold winter night and the moon, up high in the sky, was shining bright like never before. He remembered vividly the reflections upon which it radiated his mother's tremendously long hair. Unlike his own spiky mane, hers was elegant, smooth like silk. But the most beautiful of all- from what he could remember the most- was how it shone bright like the sea at night, how it flowed down her back in an endless stream of a cascade and how it touched the ground ever so tenderly, landing in a black pool as she sat there cradling Izuna.

Under the moonlight, he saw everything. Well, almost. She sat cross-legged, rocking back and forth with the child, humming the same tune she sang to him as an infant, to the brother that came after him, and for the one after him too. For him and all his brothers. Three of which were soundlessly asleep at this time of night. A miracle in that day and age. Only little Madara was awake, wandering the halls until he stumbled upon his mother crooning to the child. Humming that melancholic lullaby, the one that he would find himself unconsciously humming long into his adulthood.

The hand chimes and sleigh bells were by her side, waiting to be played but she seemed so transfixed with the human swaddled in her arms. Madara hadn't seen him yet, though it had been nearly a week since his birth. He stood there, peeping through a hole in the door. He didn't want to disturb her in case she was nursing the baby, but a part of him was desperate to see that tot. The moment he had heard that his mother had given birth to a baby boy, he was overcome with joy but he couldn't deny feeling that something was amiss. A part of him was...sad? He couldn't tell why at that age, he just knew he was sad. Disappointed perhaps? Who knew? It only occurred to him later on that it wasn't the addition of a new family member that disappointed him, it was the the matter of time. It wasn't a good life they were living- where food ran short, where basic hygiene was non-existent and when death was the only topic of discussion on any given day- it certainly wasn't a good one for children.

One more brother only meant one more soldier.

 _"Madara, is that you?"_ His mother called out to him, pulling him out of his reverie.

He gasped. He had been so quiet, though. _How did she know?_  He recalled thinking.

The door creaked open.

 _"Come in, my child."_ She invited him in. Her voice was soft and sweet, just like honey. She spoke with that same softness to every one of her children, that same melodious tone she used when she sang them to sleep. That was another thing he could never forget about her; her voice. The way she sang and the way she hummed, the way she chanted and the way she hymned; it was all too harmonious for his ears. He had no problem if he could have sat there and listened to her all his life. He was well sure that he had never come across a voice like that since, nor will he ever.

He opened the door slowly and silently, flustered at being taken by surprise, as if he had been caught red-handed doing something he shouldn't be doing. In a sense, he was.

Standing there under the doorway, he looked into the room. He was surprised to find that he was met with a faceless creature that was holding the child. Surely, it was a lapse in Madara's memory. For his mother certainly couldn't have been, well- faceless.

He may have been able to remember the softness of her hair or the tone of her voice, even the way she smelled; even so, he couldn't remember what she looked like. She must have had black eyes, like any Uchiha. Dark and striking eyebrows, like any Uchiha. Small taut lips, like any Uchiha. Porcelain white skin, just like- no, she was paler. Much, much paler. It must have been due to her illness, he had guessed. It didn't matter, she still looked like a ghost to him. One he couldn't put a face to.

He walked into the room with a confident stride. Even at such a young age, Madara had the assertiveness of shinobi much older than him. He took it after his father, or so they told him. One could hear it in the way he spoke, see it in the way he walked, felt it in the way he swung his sword, everything about him screamed Tajima. No one doubted that he would be the prodigious son of his father.

She patted down the tatami mat in front of her, gesturing for him to sit. So, he did. Opposite her, with his back to the open ground balcony and to the moon. His sharp eyes drifted instantly to the swaddled baby in her arms. It was so small, he couldn't comprehend how it could have resembled a human. He had seen his other brothers just as tiny, except he had been no more than a child himself. He still was.

He sat politely, his eager hands settled impatiently on his thighs. He just wanted to...grab it. The baby; his brother. The woman who carried the baby was smiling. At least, that was how Madara liked to imagine it. To see her smile, to pretend that she was happy and not as miserable as she really was.

 _"Would you like to hold him?"_ She whispered. He glanced up at the figure with the blank face. He tried hard, so hard, to recall anything. Anything at all. Instead, he was met with an expressionless silhouette that mimicked the woman that gave birth to him once upon a time. He nodded furiously and without a warning, snatched the one week old infant into his arms.

 _"Careful now."_  He was warned. In spite of her caution and alarm, her voice was still as gentle as it was moments ago. Young Madara didn't care, he was too preoccupied with gazing at the boy in his arms. He was asleep, his little chest heaving up and down, a sign that he was breathing. He made these little strange gurgling sounds and white drool dribbled sown his incredibly soft chin. He was as red as a tomato, and it irked Madara. Newborns were creepy looking, that was the only thought he had come out with from that night. Everything about this baby was so fragile, he was afraid that one touch of him to would...break it. Then his father would get angry with him and then-

"What's his name, okaa-san?" He asked anxiously, yet he couldn't hide his smile.

 _"Izuna."_ She replied.

_Izuna?_

He looked back down at the kid. He would have typical Uchiha features; tufts of black hair sprung from beneath the multiple layers of blankets he was wrapped in, black eyes hidden behind those fleshy eyelids of his, a slightly pointed nose. Except, he would be no typical Uchiha. He was Madara's little brother and that in itself was special. Madara would make sure of it.

"Mother, will there be more children?" He wondered out loud. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure how to feel about that. Five kids was a bit much in Madara's mind, even if it was a common practice in those days. He heard her giggle as she ruffled his spiky hair.

 _"I sure hope not, dear."_ Her giggles turned into a fit of laughter, and that made him... _happy_  in a way.

"Good. I don't know how many more brothers I could handle." He grumbled as he went back to rocking the child. Back and forth, slowly and gently, though it lacked the finesse his mother had. Her laugh became louder.

_"Boy, you are not even doing half the job I am."_

That may have been true, but that didn't mean she had to subject herself to any more pain. He had heard- thanks to his  _true_  prodigious skills at eavesdropping- really bizarre stories about childbirths. All the mid-wives and nannies talked about it, some stories were disgusting and others were outright horrifying. Although, they all had one thing in common and that was pain. He didn't understand it very well, they were matters related to grown ups and that wasn't really in his interests. What he cared about was his training and his brothers. That was all.

That and protecting them all. But that would mean he would have to get stronger and the only way he could achieve that was through training, and more training. There was never enough of it. It was something he felt, and for some strange reason, that instinctive feeling had never been as strong nor as intense as it had been in that moment, the moment he held Izuna for the very first time. He didn't know what it was, it was just...part of him. Inside of him. All the while he was immersed in his thoughts, his mother continued humming his favorite lullaby. Slowly yet surely, she was gradually merging with the backdrop until she was no more than a shapeless form. But her voice still got through to him, that sweet, sweet voice. Full of sadness and sorrow, echoing and reflecting in her words. He could recite it by heart if he wanted to.

That haunting lullaby played in the background wherever he went, but right then, it was the only thing he could hear. Until he couldn't. The moment she stopped singing, when she stopped brushing his cheeks and when that tingling sensation halted; he looked up at his eyeless mother. He thought he had noticed a beauty spot under- what should have been- her right eye. No, that wasn't right, all his life he had imagined it was under her left. It didn't matter, as he was about to ask her why she had stopped, she spoke instead.

_"Madara?"_

"Yes?" He remembered answering her cheerfully but was instantly shot down when he felt this insurmountable grief she seemed to holding on to, not knowing how to let go.

_"If I go away one day, will you still remember me?"_

It was an odd question, a very odd one. He didn't know what she was talking about. Was she going to visit her parents again?

"Where are you going though?" It was a while before she said another word, when she did, it was like the burden she had been carrying was going to crush her.

 _"Promise me Madara, that you will not forget me."_ She cupped his cheeks with her cold hands. A six year old Madara still couldn't comprehend it, or why she would ask a question like that. The answer was plainly obvious.

"Of course I won't, okaa-san." He furrowed his brows, irritated at the feel of her bitter touch and the stupidity of that question.  _What kind of child wouldn't remember his mother?!_ In the moment of his answer, that burden she had carried seemed to be lifted. She sighed, relieved.

 _"Thank you."_ She let go of his face and looked down over her eldest son and her youngest. Unbeknownst to him, this moment was the last she had cherished in her heart and would forever remember it 'til the moment of her death.

 _"You love them very much, don't you?"_ She asked.

"Yes, they're my brothers." He replied, never taking his eyes off the sleeping child in his warm arms.

_"You're going to protect them?"_

"With my life."

 _"Is that another promise?"_ She chuckled. It was an awfully big promise, this one. Though, he didn't really see it that way.

"Hmph. It's not a promise, it's a fact." He said it with his head held high. Of course he would protect them, he was going to become the strongest shinobi there was and no one would dare lay a finger on his brothers. She ran her fingers through his thick mop of hair, her worries for her children were waning. Madara could see that she was about to speak once more, but the the door had shot open with a force, revealing a stern looking Tajima standing at the center of the dimly lit hall.

"What are you doing boy? Get back here." His father howled, his face portrayed a hardened and dour expression, as usual. If he knew how she looked, he could have sworn that she was staring daggers back at her husband. Her glare was unrelenting. She was about to tell him off but Madara had cut her short.

"It's okay okaa-san, I'll be fine." He handed her back the tiny human who was now awake and crying, sobbing and wailing like there was no tomorrow. This was his signal to leave. Children were all fun and cute and whatnot, up until they opened their stupid little mouths. His mother would know what to do with Izuna, she already raised four before him. Besides, it was time for his training. Again. His father didn't like to be kept waiting. He tried to reassure his mother before he left, so she didn't have to worry. It was no use. He ran out the door and out into the lonely wilderness, engulfed by darkness on his way to his next target. He was going to be alright, he knew that.

But she wasn't.

Not a month later, she became ill. He didn't know that, in truth, her health had been declining long before then. She seemed to deteriorate as the days passed. Like every good thing that must come to an end, his mother did as well. He had seen her fall to the ground, that loud thud from the instant her cold and listless body hit the surface reverberated endlessly in the corners of his mind. The way her ghostly figure laid on the stone cold floor, surrounded by a pool of her own hair. Even if he did recall her small round nose or her tapered chin, her plump cheeks or her faint scars- he couldn't see them under the curtain of her long strands.

One after the other, they began to fall. Each death more harrowing than the last.

Two years later, he would be burying his seven year old brother. Struck down by a Senju in the midst of battle.

A short year after, he would be burying his second youngest sibling, too. Struck down by a Senju though not in the midst of battle, but rather in the thick of their thirst for revenge. He wasn't even old enough to swing a sword.

And last but not least, well- he had but two brothers left to bury. One of whom would live on and the other would die drowning in his own blood, perishing along with the rest of his family.

Until one day, he found himself standing alone with a barely five year old Izuna holding his hand, it was just them against the world. In the shadows of his merciless father and his moronic passion for killing Senjus, they were the only ones left standing in an ever growing heap of dead bodies.

...

And now, back to the present, he couldn't help but think how little things have changed since then.

As a twenty-seven year old man, one would think that all the things that he had seen in his short life taught him something valuable. Maybe it did.

_So much for keeping my promises._

He lied to her. He had forgotten her, he couldn't even remember her face, not even in his wildest dreams. _How could a child forget his own mother?_  That thought had a much more sour undertone now than it had been over twenty years ago. She was but a moving shadow to him, merely simple lines and curves. He didn't even know how tall or how short she was. But perhaps the worst of all- a lie he had never repeated since- was his inadequacy in keeping his brothers safe. He was weak and imperfect, and his weakness was what sent his siblings right back to the arms of the woman who birthed them.

Safe to say, Madara had learned never to give his promise. Not to anyone. And never again. He followed his own words and that was it. It was great, because no one could question him or his motives. He had no one to answer to but himself.

It stopped raining, but he hadn't budged. The breeze hushed down and the wind chimes lulled. He saw it coming a mile away, up high in the sky, his falcon returned after a seemingly long journey. It had been two days since he sent his response to Hashirama's invitation. On any other occasion, he probably wouldn't have answered him, but he saw an advantage to be taken here and so he went for it. It was fortunate for them that the weather had calmed these days, though he couldn't guarantee how long it would stay that way.

In a matter of a few minutes, his favorite bird had arrived to his back porch. Raising his arm in waiting, the falcon spread its talons and landed eloquently onto his forearm. Typically, he would be wearing his gloves so the bird's claws couldn't tear into his skin. He had forgotten to do so this time around. He used his free hand to pet its smooth head. It was a loyal bird, alright. More loyal than certain comrades he has had in the past.

He untied the thread that attached the letter to its back.

"Come on-" _Whoever tied this knot is a dumbass._

This dumbass happened to be no other than Tobirama Senju. Madara didn't know it just yet.

He had difficulty in loosening the loops. For a while, he had come to a conclusion that he would have to rip its wings off if it meant it would release the damn message. As if sensing his disturbing thoughts, the falcon pitched in and began gnawing at the string. A nibble or two and the thread came undone. All he had to do was untether the rest.  _Someone got to keep their wings today._ He admired this bird for a reason, it was as if they shared the same mind. Training for as long as he had with an animal, one was bound to eventually come to understand the other. It stayed not a moment longer on his arm before it fled, returning back to its home. Another trick he had taught it.

He watched the bird fly away, the letter still in his hands, unopened.

* * *

He knocked first. He always would from now on. That habit was quickly instilled in his behavior. For reasons he vowed to never mention nor think about again. This rule should have applied solely to Izuna, but Madara couldn't guarantee what others could be doing in the privacy of their own rooms. Everyone had their secrets, surely, some were just better kept with their owners, that was all. He had no interest in stumbling onto another questionable sight he may never be able to unsee.

_It is ridiculous, this is my room too._

Without another second to ponder the possible outcome of his impulsive actions, he slid the doors open, not a care in the world on what he might find. There was nothing she could hide from him. Nothing. Well, on second hand. There were things he would rather not know. He was just about to find out what.

Unconsciously raising a ruckus on his way in, he had neglected to see that he had nearly knocked down the dresser to the side. She was sitting on the bed with her back to him. His kimono hung loosely over her shoulders as she bent her head forward, scrutinizing something that he couldn't see from his point of view.  _Why was she wearing my-?_

He coughed loud enough for her to hear, catching her attention at long last. What could possibly be more important than him at the moment? He made no attempt whatsoever to hide his presence, if anything, he may have exaggerated it a bit. She pulled the kimono tighter around her body and swiveled on the bed, finally facing him. Her long brown hair fell over her shoulders and reached her lower back. Though, what he really noticed was that guilty look on her face. One that a child would wear when they hid a secret or when they stole a cookie, or even more ludicrous, the same one Izuna donned every time he ran around and tried to urinate on a cat as a kid.

There were some memories that brought nothing but heartache, and then there were others that sent nothing but shivers up his spine. He still saw that angry looking cat drenched in urine glaring at him in his nightmares every so often. He could still hear his baby brother shrieking and exclaiming with an ear-splitting voice,

_"Nii-san! Nii-san! I have done it! My aim is perfect now. I can handle a real sword."_

Running around a half-naked three year old Izuna was not his ideal picture of a childhood. It took him the rest of the day to convince the boy to wear some pants but not after the damage had been done. Everyone- _nearly_  everyone- had seen more dangling parts of Izuna than they were supposed to. Much like Madara was, they, too, were traumatized. Particularly, the younger children.

_Focus, Madara!_

"Yes?" She greeted him, her arms were wrapped around her waist like she was hugging herself. Or trying to keep the ridiculously large kimono from falling off her shoulders. Her wide eyes and credulous tone were alarming him.  _What is she hiding?_

"We've been invited to the Senju household. You are to come along, as well." He said all he could with as few words as possible. He could go over the irrelevant details later on, he was only here to inform her.

"Oh."

_"Oh?"_

_Oh? That was it? Was that all she had to say to him?_

What was wrong with her? He had anticipated more of her questions, such as why? When? How? Who? Why me? Questions he was still waiting for. He could have waited for them all his life, they were not coming anytime soon. But not a single sound came out of her.

"Well, do I have a say in the matter?" She asked, looking up at him. Her speculative glance didn't escape his notice.

_No._

"Yes." He replied falsely. He wanted to see her real reaction to it, not what she thought might save her the trouble of arguing with him. Besides, he was doing this for her, no one else. It was about time she got out of this place, he didn't want to have her feeling like she was trapped here like a caged animal. He had never seen her walk outside these borders, and that was partly due to his own compulsive need for control over...things. Furthermore, it seemed like the perfect time to get her away from his brother. He could see it whenever they were around each other, how she always appeared so tense and angry whenever Izuna was near her. He didn't know what these two idiots were playing, but their shenanigans were already getting out of hand. It was just about a matter of time before one of them got hurt, Madara just didn't know who it would be this time around.

Sometimes, he would drop by and unconsciously eavesdrop on her little fits. She would be swearing behind these closed doors. Cursing herself, then she would go on to curse his brother, and then everything in this world. If he didn't know better, he would say she was losing her mind. And for the first time, he didn't actually think the problem was with  _her._ She just needed a bout of fresh air, it would do her some good, that was all. As he was about to tell her that, she finally moved closer to the edge of the bed.

"Oh really?" She quirked her brows. In genuine surprise? Probably not. "Well, I would rather not come then."

"Why?" He was curious. Why was she so attached to this place, or to this room? She had barely left these four walls within the past few days.

"I like it here."

"No, you don't." She never liked it here. She made that clear on the few occasions she tried to escape through that soon-to-be fixed hole in the old district's walls, or when she tried to dig herself her own grave, the not-so-small stuff she seemed to forget. With all of the recent events that seemed to unfold one after the other, starting from Takayama's death right to that intrusion by...by  _Zetsu_ , he could see that she was losing a bit of herself every day. He didn't think she saw it that way. The darkness under her eyes, the constant fidgeting, the relentless wandering, she was just as paranoid as him; and it needed to stop.

"Look, it's about time you get out. A breath of-"

"Wait, do-don't say it!" She jumped off the bed and hurried to where he stood, nearly tripping over the carpet and the long kimono. She took hold of his arms before stumbling to the floor. Straightening up, she slapped a hand to his mouth, effectively shutting him up. She was standing unbearably close to him, a first in over a week. Or was it two? It mattered not, it had simply been way too long. Her fingers still cuffed over his mouth, he saw that deranged look in her eyes. It was as if something he had said triggered her.

"A breath of fresh air? Right? That was what you were going to tell me?" She let out a strained laugh, an awkward one with a tint of doubt in her voice. Was she questioning herself on whether she should be laughing? It sure seemed so.

"Please don't say it." Her voice softened. _"You see, whenever someone says that, something bad must happen right after. It is a fuck-ing rule._ _"_

He was growing concerned. Really concerned. What was she talking about? He had no idea.

 _"I mean your brother, then Yuna, now you. Just do-don't say it again?"_ She released her hands and let them fall down to his muscled chest and patted him gently. "Okay? Please? Thank you." She smiled, and it unsettled him. It wasn't her usual smile. Something else was going on. Before he could even think of a reply, he heard a faint flutter in the distance followed by a muffled meow. He turned his head in both directions looking for the cat that was responsible for the unnerving cries. He didn't see one in the room yet the meows were getting louder.  _What the-?_

She started to withdraw her hands away ever so slowly but he caught her wrists, keeping her fingers splayed on his torso. He held onto her as she remained impossibly close to him. He could smell her scent from where he stood, hovering over her short figure. Madara thought that he had noticed something twitching beneath the kimono she wore. His eyes lingered on her bust, trying to make out what exactly was going on in there. For the thousandth time, he wished he could see through that robe, but for an entirely different reason this time. He may have been imagining it, except the shaking was only becoming more apparent.

 _"What's that?"_ He asked tauntingly. He wasn't going to wait for an explanation. He didn't have to. Inch by inch, a furry paw made its appearance. He couldn't tear his eyes away even if he wanted to. In a split second, the kimono flipped open, exposing one tiny kitten hanging by the thread.

...

He honestly didn't know what to think. The calico that he had brought her a week ago purred loudly as its head and front paws dangled in mid air while the rest of its body was tucked in her nightgown. It was...it was-

"Don't judge me, okay? It's not what you think."

"Hmm?" He raised his eyebrows as he finally met her at eye-level. She was blushing furiously. He wasn't judging her, he was purely envying the cat.

"I...It felt cold. And was shivering. I just wanted to warm it up and hold it close. But you ca-came and interrupted while-" The more she spoke, the more flustered she became.

_How about me?_

How about when he was cold and shivering? Why wasn't she shoving her breasts up in his face? Shivering or not, why wasn't she doing it every day? It wasn't like he would have refused or said no, in fact, he would have welcomed it with open arms. And mouth. Why stop at her breasts, why not her whole body? So, what did this kitten have that he, Uchiha Madara, did not? Why was it so special?  _Was it too late to take the cat back?_  It was a possibility he was more than willing to entertain.

"I...don't judge me." She squeaked. He could practically feel the heat radiating from her flushed face. It hung from her ample bosom like it would from a sling, just like a baby kangaroo safely tucked in its mother's pouch. Thankfully, this was a much, much higher pouch. He let go of her wrists and took a step back, admiring yet coveting the sight in front of him. He smirked and crossed his arm, completely forgetting the letter crumbling between his hands.

"Do you want to touch it? Here, you could have it. Take it." Red as always, she panicked and tried to unlatch the kitten from her gown. Which was futile. It dug its tiny claws into the sheer material from the outside while it wagged its tail against her skin. It hissed when she tried to yank it away with both her hands.

_She did say I could touch it._

He closed in on the distance once more until he found himself hovering over her again, he could feel her shallowed breaths against his chest. For a short minute, his eyes roamed and wandered until it landed on the kitten. He brought up his hand. Instead of going for the kitten's head, his hands may have  _accidentally_  slipped and landed on something else. It was smooth, smoother than a cat's fur. As a matter of fact, there was no fur; it was hairless. He let his hand drift further down the fleshy lump. It was too round to be a cat's rear, he noticed. And far too supple and soft, very much like a cushion. He was thoroughly intrigued by this, this-

He felt a nub at the center of all this delightful surprise. Using a thumb, he flicked it gently yet teasing and provoking it all the same. He thought that he had heard a muffled moan from somewhere afar. He didn't really pay attention, he was solely focused on kneading, on pinching it just slightly until it became satisfyingly hard between his rough fingers. It was much too small to be a cat's-

_"Madara?"_

"Yes?"

"I meant the cat."

_Right._

He released his grip on her nipple and retracted his hand but not before giving it a last squeeze. A firm one. One that made her struggle in keeping her groans quiet. Despite her deadpanned tone, he could see her straining in keeping more than one thing quiet. Heck, she couldn't even stand straight. Pleased with himself, he let her go. She walked back, almost bumping into the bedpost on her way. She tried to tie the kimono around her once again but was failing miserably as her fingers fumbled around for an obi that was laying on the floor, scattered by his feet. It was too late anyways, he could already see her hardened nipples protruding through the silky fabric. The cat was long gone.

So was he. He turned on his heels to leave.

"Be ready by tomorrow morning. We will be leaving at dawn." He informed her, half a smile tugging at his lips. She was still struggling to make heads or tails out of that robe. She looked good in it.  _She should keep it._ With her thighs tightly clinging together, she attempted to walk over- like a badly handicapped albatross- to the other side of the bed where the kitten traipsed around aimlessly in circles.

He couldn't help but think-

"If you need to use the washroom, it's right there." He pointed out what was already obvious. Though, he highly doubted she would be able to reach the bath before she stumbled on something and hit hear head on the floor. She was hunched over, about to pick up the kitten when she responded.

"Me? No. I'm completely fine. Super. See, I don't need the bathroom. Why would I need a bathroom? Ha.  _Ha?_ "

_That laugh again._

The kind that told him that she was a nervous wreck at the moment and it would be better for him if he just left. If he didn't want to deal with an aftermath of another breakdown that is, than this was his cue to go. He turned back and slid the doors open.

"Suit yourself." He mumbled under his breath.

"Wait, where are you going? You forgot something."

He stopped yet again.

"What?"

"The cat, it's hungry." She was offering him the tiny kitten in one hand while the other was used to support her weight against another bedpost she was leaning on.

"It's yours. Keep it." He walked out.

"But-"

"I'm sure you can come up with a creative way to feed it." He slid the doors closed and left.

* * *

He was sitting in his study.

At this point, he had absolutely nowhere to go. No one to turn back to, save for his precious paperwork. He had found another loyal companion in the stacks of documents, scrolls and of course, papers. All of which had no purpose whatsoever. Not to him. They would all end up being archived anyways. Papers concluded nothing but reports from some of the shinobi he had instructed to keep watch over the lands they had conceded with their agreement of the treaty. There was nothing wrong nor illegal about some peculiar shinobi from a peculiar clan keeping an eye on a land that once belonged to said clan, was there? Madara may have agreed to surrender these regions, he never admitted to not having kept them under surveillance. Just in case things didn't pan out.  _Just in case._

Other reports were from ninjas who were placed on the far corners of their rightful territories. There was nothing out of the ordinary, no suspicious activity, no intrusions. So far, so good.

 _But for how long?_  How long would they remain at peace. Even when they were quiet, with no wars, no battles, no deaths; yet, trouble always seemed to find him, inside the walls of his compound, in a centuries old library or in his own home, in his bed, next to his wife.

It was another reason he chose to accept Hashirama's invitation, perhaps it would be good for him as well. Taking her away from here could derail whatever this Zetsu was, keep it away from her, from them for now. Somewhere deep inside, he knew it didn't matter where they were, it was always just...there. In the background, where no one could see it.

He sighed, exasperation from the past few days had built up and was now about to crash back down. Hard.

 _What is he even doing here?_  He had tried as best as he could to ignore the presence in the room with him. He rarely let anyone enter. Rarely. So, what was Kagami doing there in the corner, sitting on the wooden floor reading some book? And why did he bring this stupid cat with him? Why the hell were there cats everywhere all of a sudden? He saw them at the corners of his eyes, in his dreams, behind the pillars of the hallways, on his wife's face and now in his wife's nightgown. At this instant? It was at the foot of his desk, sleeping soundlessly while its full body no more than the length of his hand. The tri-colored fur was on full display, the white, the orange and the black blended in perfectly. It was nice to admire, but it was a pain in the ass.

_Where the fuck do they even come from?_

They started popping up everywhere like incessant weeds. He had no doubt that she had ordered the boy to follow him here. To bring the cat along with him was just an extra touch. Like he would feed it. Madara wasn't blind, he could see Kagami trying to sneak a peek over the book every now and then. He had caught his not-so-subtle glimpses once but the kid shrugged it off and went back to reading. Wasn't he supposed to be training? Wasn't Madara supposed  _to be training him_?

"Spill it, kid. What is it?" He finally said after an interminable silence. He couldn't concentrate on his own work while some big, wide eyes were watching him from the corner, quietly judging him for something he hasn't done. Or doesn't recall doing. Kagami eventually put the book down, along with the pretense.

"Uhm..." He stammered, unable to find the correct words. He sat on the floor in the polite manner he was taught. Both hands laid in front of him on his thighs, head bent down out of respect.

All the while Madara sat there, head leaning in the palm of his hand. He was starting to tap his fingers on the surface of the desk gently, counting down the seconds this boy was wasting.

"Madara-sensei, I have this question." He said raising his head, finally locking eyes with his teacher and clan head.

"Yes?"  _This better be good._

"Well, Mina-sama told me one time that once you go into heat, you thrash around like a cat, you twist and turn and you purr, too. Is that true? And will I go through the same thing? Do all men go through such a phase?"

...

_This was good._

"What did you just say?"

Did he hear right? Madara wasn't sure. He knew his eyesight was not top notch at the moment, but his ears should be working fine. He tried cleaning his ears for a change, maybe the answer would change.

"I..I said Mina-sama-" Kagami was taken aback when his teacher stood up abruptly, fists clenched and ready to split the oak-wood desk into two. His hearing was fine.

_"She told you what?!"_

_What does she teach this boy?!_

_"_ That- that you go into heat, you know, like when two cats are about to-"

"I know what it means!" He snapped, both fists banged the desk awakening the sleeping kitten. Kagami didn't look horrified, just..surprised. He was used to Madara's spontaneous fits, this was not that much different. Unknown to him, this was indeed oh-so different. Oh-so very much. For one, Kagami was not fully aware of what he just said. Two; he  _really_  wasn't aware of what he just said. Nor what effect it would have on him.

Madara laid back in his chair, rubbing his temples and trying to calm the storm that was brewing within him.  _Into heat? Where did that even come from?_  Perhaps it was not such a good idea to keep these two together all the time. What a shame, both of them seemed so comfortable around each other. Was that her plan? To alienate herself from the others? Or to spread absurd rumors about his being-? She needed to be stopped. Before she could fill this boy's mind with other preposterous thoughts, and even more disturbing images.

"So, is it true or not? Men do not go into heat or do they?" Kagami insisted on pushing him for an answer, his naivety could only go so far. But this was not far enough. Not only did he persist on questioning him, he got that much closer to his desk. He stood by on the other side, eyes wide with wonder and hands grazing the wooden table in front of him. Every ounce of shyness was gone. Madara opened his eyes and looked at the child in front of him.  _What sort of game is she playing? If so, perhaps two could play it._

Yes, that was it.

A light bulb had lit inside his head. An idea made its way through his overly crowded mind, it was a good one.

"Yes. In fact, women go through the same thing." He replied tonelessly. He was as serious as ever, it would serve well to convince this kid of things he probably shouldn't.

"Wow really?!" If Kagami's eyes could open any wider, Madara would have to bring him to a medic. The boy was just full of fascination and curiosity. "What do they do?!" He asked, enthusiastic about a discussion that was not meant for his age group.

"Well, like any woman does. They get cranky when they don't get what they want. And if they're especially creative enough, they'll go around spitting down people's throat."

As incredible as it was, it was real. Very real. Kagami couldn't believe it, naturally.

"No? Really Madara-sama?"

Madara nodded.

"Did Mina-sama ever do such a thing? And is it their way of marking their territories? Like how dogs do when they pee on their targets?"

_This just keeps getting better and better._

_"Yes, Kagami. That's it."_ He couldn't help but smirk.  _Ahh,_ such an image was alluring in its own twisted way. He leaned back in the chair as the boy stood on his toes, keen and yearning for more knowledge.

"Did she do it to you, sensei?"

"No, but I think you should go and ask her who she so lovingly shared spit with." If life couldn't have had it any other way, then no matter how better it got, there was something horrid that must interrupt such a time. And in this case, it came in the form of an individual sitting on the window sill behind them. Now that he thought about it, things truly have changed. A lot.

 _"My my, you two would make such outstanding parents someday."_ Izuna broke their little discussion, just when things were getting juicy. His presence dampened Madara's mood considerably. Kagami sensed that and he excused himself politely, he had no intention in staying in the presence of these two powerful brothers. He was just an eight year old child, but he could feel the anger in the room. It was that evident. He exited the study, leaving both brothers alone to finally settle things.

"Shut up. What do you want?" Madara muttered, paperwork seemed that much more enjoyable and inviting now.

"So, are we going to talk about that nigh-"

"No."

"Great." Izuna jumped into the room, closing the window behind him. "How about we never talk about it. Is that good with you?" He proposed, facing Madara's back chair rather than Madara himself.

"Agreed."

"Deal." Izuna stretched out his arms behind him, dragging this out longer than it needed be. Just what was this anyway? Paying no attention to his younger brother, he decided to go on with his day normally. Normally as one could get. As he was about to refill the quill with ink, a sword came crashing down on the stack before him, piercing through every single damn paper.

_"Oops."_

_Oh boy._

Placing the quill down with never before seen tranquility, Madara took in a deep breath and closed his eyes. He propped his elbows on the desk and tilted his head over his crossed hands. He counted down from three six times before he was sure that the next thing he said did not come out as a shout or a high-pitched scream that did not belong to him. He was somewhat reassured. He sighed, expelling out all that pent-up resentment.

"Izuna-"

"Yes brother, I am with you! I think it really is about time we had a heart-to-heart, hmm?" Izuna exclaimed, flashing his trademark grin as he wrapped his arms around Madara in a brotherly embrace.

_A heart-to-heart?_

And a heart-to-heart was what he would get, alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Izuna has no shame.


	44. Brothers

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

"You did what?"

"I regret nothing."

_Of course you don't._

But that wasn't what Tobirama had asked. He wasn't angry or sullen. He was just perplexed. Though apparently Hashirama had not taken it that way. If anyone had listened in on their conversation, they would hear nothing but playful banter between brothers. It was comical, actually. How defensive Hashirama was acting, quite paranoid too. Tobirama was usually the one who was overly-suspicious, but the way his aniki was acting; it was both absurd and laughable. It was only then did he realize his brother was not directly answering his question, but his own.

They had been sitting in the antechamber that led to the outer lobby of their home. Hashirama insisted they be somewhere public, wherever they went. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying the public eye a lot nowadays. Tobirama wasn't sure if he understood the word public, but to the brown-haired man, as long as there was anyone within ten feet of him, that was all the public he needed.

Perhaps, his recent change in behavior was due to that head wound he recently got. Tobirama really couldn't tell. _Maybe it was a gift from Mito._ That woman was absolutely nuts. A part of him felt bad for Hashirama, who wouldn't? Seeing his head bandaged like that, his bloodshot eyes, his jittery movements; who was he kidding? It was hilarious. That little part of him that felt sympathy for his older brother was almost immediately eclipsed by his overwhelming need to laugh at his pain. Who knew married life would be so...exciting?  _He must have called her fat, that's it._

Hashirama had probably insulted her and told her she was fat, even when it was well established that one does not call a pregnant woman  _fat._ Or maybe he finally grew the balls to voice his thoughts on how horrible her taste in food was. What if he said both? That would certainly explain the knock to the head. Presumably from an iron skillet or a pan of some sort. Nearly all the kitchen utensils have been used as some sort of weapon against him. Although, from what he heard, Hashirama did not regret his words. However, from the looks of it, well- he regretted everything.

"Calm down brother, she's not here." Tobirama tried to reassure him. To be honest, he didn't know if she really was around or not. That Uzumaki had a habit of popping up whenever the time was right. Hashirama gave out a loud sigh, relieved that his brother couldn't sense her.

"So, what exactly were you saying?" He seemed much more relaxed now, at last ready to converse like a normal human being.

"Your turn." Tobi notified him. They were playing a game of Gomoku. When Shogi got boring, there was rarely anything left to do but play a round of gomokunarabe. Not that they even had time to do so as children, but as adults, they seemed to have way too much time on their hands than they had originally anticipated. Each brother sat on a tatami mat on either side of the board, looking onto their respective pieces. Tobirama held the white stones while Hashirama; the black. Similar to Shogi, Gomoku was a strategy board game that really put one's mind to work.

"Oh is it now?" Hashirama mumbled as he thought of all sorts of possibilities that could derail Tobirama from reaching an unbroken chain first. The purpose was to place five stones of the same color consecutively after each other, forming a chain in any direction, be it vertically, horizontally or even diagonally. As of this moment, he had the upper hand with three white stones placed vertically on the lower left corner of the board. There was no way Hashirama could prevent him. Even if his older brother managed to block the four vertical stones, he already had another three-way chain going down diagonally from a shared starting point. He was secured, or so he thought.

After a sufficiently long time deliberating, the almighty Senju clown- otherwise known as their leader- had finally made his move. He had barely touched the surface of the stone before Tobirama spoke up.

"You can't do that." He warned him. "Against regulations."

He looked confused. Brows arched and lips taut, Hashirama asked, "How so?"

"Rule three-and-three." He said, pointing to the miscalculated step Hashi was about to make. "You already have an open row of three stones right there, placing one here, at the end of my four stones, would complete a second open row of three on your part. That's prohibited."

Hashirama already had two black stones placed horizontally on either side of his white stone, as he was about to make his move by placing the third in the middle, it would have been nulled. Thankfully, he wasn't that stupid and caught on to Tobirama's guidelines.

"How is that fair? You have open rows of threes everywhere!" He gestured with open arms to the board which was nearly filled with black and white Go pieces.

"Good observation." Tobi noted. "However, this rule only applies to black moku."

"Heh?"

"It's to reduce black's chances of winning. The opening moves were to your advantage, this is simple rules Hashirama."

Indeed, Tobirama was nearly beaten on multiple tries before he managed to get four moku, or rather pieces, in a row. All he had to do was block Hashirama's own, which were actually not all that difficult, considering that this was Hashirama after all. The older gentleman groaned as he tried to think of a way out of this. It was a good exercise to get Hashirama to use more of his brain and less of his feelings.

"Why did you do it?" He asked, getting back to the matter at hand. They may have been paying attention to the game at hand, but there were more important issues they needed to get out.

"If you have a problem with it, I suggest you take it to Mito. It was her idea." He responded grumpily. His childish pout was a dead giveaway; he was reaching his crossroad, with no way out. Tobirama watched carefully, his eyes never leaving the wooden board, as his brother's tanned fingers wavered over the black stones. Even so, his ears were wide open.

"Yes, I'm sure the last half dozen invitations were as well." He responded. He heard Hashirama chuckle under his breath, it was the heavy kind, the one that resounded from deep inside his chest. Tobirama's intense gaze followed his fingers as they moved a moku two places up then three to the left.

"So, you've heard about that, huh."

"Why wouldn't I?" Anything that concerned the Uchiha concerned him. He had his ways when it came to knowing everything there was to know about the interactions between the Uchiha and his brother. And from where he stood, the fact that his brother was tiptoeing around the subject as if it was taboo- never mentioning a sitch to him- only made it that much iffy and absolutely made it seem like Hashirama had been secretly writing love letters to Madara. And only now did Madara decide to answer.

_Why?_

Tobirama took his turn and countered Hashirama's move.

"Well then, I think you already know why this needed to happen, sooner or later." His elder sibling regained his stature and focused on his following play move. He leaned his head in the palm of his hand while the other remained gingerly on his next piece.

"Why not later? Construction still has a long way to go." Tobi questioned. There was still a season to go before they could even consider opening the village's gates. Not counting the months of winter, they would need at least another two to finish the rest of the structures and paintwork. That would make it around early summer or mid-spring at best, before they could actually get the village off its feet.

Whatever dealings his brother wanted could surely be signed in the span of those months, no?

"It's no longer the Sarutobi anymore. The Yamanaka want to join too. And I have no doubt that many more will come to us."

Finally shifting his black stone two places down, Hashirama blocked one of Tobirama's three-piece chain, but completely isolated that singular piece from the rest of his set. It intrigued him, why would he do that? They've been at this all morning. It was another thing that made Gomoku different from Shogi, in contrast with the chess boards, Gomoku used Go boards which were slightly larger in this case. Thereby, having wider scope for game plays and many, many more alternatives for each move a player makes. As a result, the matches tend to be longer than an average play at Shogi. But at the end of the day, both games were quite complex, despite their relatively simple rules.

Tobirama liked that. He appreciated the strategical thinking behind such seemingly mindless games. Something he had been trying to pound into his leader's head for as long as he could remember.

"The Yamanaka you say?"

"What about them?"

"They left us a nice little surprise before they leave."

 _What was her name? Ino-? Inoki? Inoichi? Ino- what the hell was her name?_  That woman who looked like Mina, he couldn't recall her name, but he sure did remember her face. It was not one to be easily forgotten.

"Inoue? Oh yes, I was told she may have accidentally burned down a a two-story building." Hashirama commented, relatively pleased by the commotion that woman and her brothers have caused that day. He frowned, just remembering that week itself was putting him in a bad mood.  _Accidentally?_  Obviously not. Inoue Yamanaka wanted to leave her impression on them, and she did.

"Laugh all you like, but we had to tear that warehouse down and rebuild it anew, wasting more of our resources." He told him, in a matter-of-factly fashion that his brother hated.

_Think, Tobirama, think._

_Why would Hashirama place it right there?_ It didn't seem like a very smart move, not to the naked eye that is. There was no use in trying to form five in a row using this moku. He decided to leave that section alone and concentrated more on the upper set, something Hashirama seemed to neglect all this time.  _Strange._ After placing his own move, he said,

"This was not part of our original agreement with them, what makes you think Madara will agree to this?"

"I don't think he would. Which is why this invitation is long overdue. I need him to go along with it." Hashirama said, contemplating on his next pass.

"I see."

He actually didn't. He couldn't understand what the hell he was thinking. His plays were all over the place, there was no pattern whatsoever in his moves, no logic. Not one that Tobirama could understand. Growing impatient, he decided to finally put an end to this game. He placed his piece, forming a new four-in-a-row.

"Your turn."

Once again, Hashirama was about to make one of the most unpredictable moves he has ever done, as always. It irritated him, knowing that his brother was using everything but a strategy to attempt and win this.

"You are horrible at this." The younger Senju heir had no problem telling it to his face, in fact, this was the least offensive thing he had insulted him with as of date. He had no qualms about it, if Hashirama had no problem with making his life a perpetual cycle of never-ending nuisance and the occasional assault on his sanity, why would he have any qualms about throwing an insult every now and then? Or every day maybe? The answer was simple; he didn't.

Did it stop Hashirama's random bouts of mood swings? No. Was he having one at the moment? Totally. That depressive aura was back in full swing, his puppy eyes were filled with misery and dejection. His pout was twice as worse as the tears brimmed his eyes.  _Oh Kami- was he about to cry?_

"You are right, I am awful at this-"

Tobirama watched as his fingers traced the outline of a particular black stone. His crimson eyes widened as it hit him, almost instantaneously.

_"AWFULLY BETTER THAN YOU! HO!"_

"Dammit!"

He..he lost.

_I lost? How could I be so stupid?!_

All this time, he had thought Hashirama's moves were random with no thought behind them, just plain arbitrary. When in reality, they were all foreseeable. Not his, but Tobirama's own. It was like he had anticipated his moves, his choices and the placement of his pieces.  _No, that's not it._ It wasn't that he had predicted his moves, it was that he had led him into doing them without his conscious alert.

He looked up at the victor. He had just formed an open five in a row. There it was, at the center of the board, there were five black stones extending diagonally downwards to the left. _How did he-?_

Hashirama's booming laugh resonated across the already small room, which seemed to be growing smaller with each instant. His older brother's naturally deep voice was always warm and welcome, and that did not escape his humorous fits. It was more of a bellow flipping into a cackle. At some point, Tobirama stopped paying attention to the range of emotions he could easily alternate between, in the span of a few seconds. Whether he was downright gloomy, or extremely happy, it was Hashirama. You could not explain the man even if you wanted to. The closest Tobirama had gotten to defining this man was in one simple sentence.

In essence, Hashirama was a dog. Had always been, and will forever be. Probably.

 _A dog with two tails,_  he had once said.

That was it. Just that. One could not get any simpler than that. Of course, no one seemed to understand what the heck he had been talking about when he tried to interpret Hashirama's personality to a bunch of numbskulls. For fully fledged Senju shinobi, they were surprisingly dumb. Or maybe he was being too complicated. Who cared? He certainly didn't.

He couldn't help but smile. Tobirama may have lost, but at least there was one thing he had successfully done throughout this match. Manipulating his moves to follow his own, basically handing him the game, Hashirama had finally done something right. It was not a strategy he himself would have used but if it was a tactic the clan head preferred, then so be it. It was about time his foolish brother used his brain.

"Congratulations." He said, resetting the pieces back to the sidelines. "I never would have thought you would do that."

Never once had he been beaten at Gomoku. To lose to someone with Hashirama's wits, well, maybe he shouldn't be so proud of it. It was a good game, anyways. He had enjoyed it.

"Do what?" The confusion was visibly clear in Hashirama's eyes. This should have been the first sign. The smile on Tobirama's face slowly dissipated as hesitation began creeping into his mind. What if he had quickly jumped to conclusions?

"Did you not manipulate my moves to your advantage?" He questioned. That was the premise he went with. He was completely wrong. He inwardly cursed himself for arriving at such ridiculous assumptions. He should have known Hashirama was never that astute to begin with. He crossed his arms, bracing for the oncoming reply that was surely to dazzle him.

"Manipulate? No, not at all. I simply went with my intuitions."

 _Intuitions_? Intuitions.

"Intuitions? You do not win a strategic game  _simply with intuitions_ , Hashirama." What was he thinking? How many times had they played this game; ten? Twenty? Fifty? Or a hundred? Then why weren't any of these lessons getting through to him? This was exasperating and way too much for him. As for this giant excuse of a man, he sat there, leaning back on his left hand while the right rubbed at the back of his head, shuffling his impeccably long brown hair into a disarray.

"Then how?" He asked playfully. "Enlighten me, Tobi."

Again.

He sighed. What was probably more difficult than having to deal with Hashirama's folly, was perhaps his even more idiotic questions. So many idiocies at once, it really was too much to handle. But, as the faithful brother he was, Tobirama would attempt- for the hundredth and one time- to bash it into his head.

"What if it was a war? Where countless lives are at risk? You do not use your  _intuitions_  or  _gut feelings_ , you need strategies, a set of tactics and a plan of action to win. You have to be impartial and calculative, Hashirama. By setting rules and structure, you ensure that you already have the upper hand."

He was met with even more laughter which infuriated him beyond belief. If games nor words sufficed, then there was absolutely no way he could get to him.

"Oh yeah? You think you have a better resolution? Go ahead then, tell me."

He challenged him. Hashirama was not going to just sit there and laugh, the least he could do was talk. If he didn't have a sensible counter-argument, then what in the living hell have they been doing all this time?

"Well, things don't always go according to plan, Tobirama."

He sat silently, waiting for him to elaborate.

How long had it been since they found themselves like this? Sitting down, enjoying a game of whatever they felt like playing and just  _talking._  It felt like forever since they've been here, casually arguing over their trivial ideals. He wore a simple white kosode under his blue haori covering the rest of his rather laid-back outfit. He was in his own home, there was no need to be formal. That included taking off his happuri, and instead of the fur collar he so enjoyed in this weather, he wore a plain woolen scarf. While he may have felt naked without his battle gear, he felt comfortable.

If one would compare Hashirama's outfit to his, one could say that the former was indeed the naked one. The Senju head made no effort cover up for the season. While he truly may not have been bare, his half-opened yukata was not rising to the occasion. Surely, Mito had given him a scolding about the lack of appropriate clothing but he was a grown-man, with a child-like mind, he should be able to make his own choices.  _If not, why would he be clan leader?_

Hashirama took in a deep breath before settling in for a long lecture he was about to whip out.

"When you come to know your opponent for a long time, you could read their every move like the back of your hand."

_Was that how he won?_

Have they played each other that many times that even a person like Hashirama would eventually start picking up on their habits? It was unlikely to him, as they always alternated the colors of their pieces. Each beginning is different, yet each ending is nearly the same. What happened in between though was constantly ever-changing, or so he thought.

"Strategies, tactics, rules and whatnot, that's all great and superb. But there's no such thing in battle. There are no rules on a battlefield, Tobirama. And you know that."

Kill or be killed. He was right. There were no rules. But-

"Why do you insist on focusing on the smaller picture, brother?" It was annoying how his brother never seemed to think about the wider scope of things. To him, it was always immediate peace and the start of the village. Never what came after, never what needed to sustain a village like that, the resources, the money, the infrastructures and services, absolutely nothing. He looked at Hashirama, expecting a reply.

"Why do you insist on focusing on the bigger picture?" He returned his question back at him. For the first time in Tobirama's short and unfulfilled life, he saw exasperation in Hashirama's eyes. In his behavior. A part of him was delighted that his anija could still get so worked up about a few words that he would probably- and most likely- forget by tomorrow morning. His brown eyes were what gave him away. They were almost pleading yet full of fierceness and vigor, ready to counter his arguments at every turn.

"A good strategy- when implemented correctly- will never fail."

"A good strategy- implemented or not- could never take everything into account."

The wind blew, rustling his short and shaggy white hair. In stark contrast to his brother's which was practically flying with the wind. It gave him an amusing image despite the heavy silence that reigned over them.

"Agree to disagree?" He offered. It was his way of getting out of any argument with Tobirama, when each brother failed to convince his counterpart of his view. It happened rarely, but it still occurred.

"Fine." Tobirama grumbled. Indirectly as it may be, this was also a way that got him to concede his opinion. Neither of them was right, neither of them was wrong. That was how they left it, how they liked to leave it. Each made a valid point; they were practically two sides of the same coin. Even when their point of views differed, they all had but one and the same goal to reach.

"Don't think I'm forgetting this." The albino murmured. This wasn't over. They were sure to get into another argument sooner or later.

"I don't think you will." Hashirama laughed it off.

Looking out into the garden, he saw the gloom of the wintry day not only creeping into him like the dampness of the rain into bare timber, but into his surroundings as well. It seeped into every fiber of his being, into every one of his pores, slowly making its way to his heart which beats more dolefully as they days went by. Even the quietude of the bird songs came to him as if from a deep hole interred in the earth rather than high up in the stripped trees. From under the steady blanket of grey clouds hovering above them came a steady rain that moved like a mist in chaotic directions but was thick enough to soak the ground, turning everything to mud. It was a sad sight. Only a shōji door separated them from the outside wilderness.

The wooden frame held together a lattice of dried bamboo branches over hand sewn washi papers which were becoming increasingly wet as the rain persisted. The translucent beige fabric was everywhere in the house, on the walls, in the doors, in the chamber dividers; the whole place was a labyrinth. The consistent similar design did anything but help the confusion.

"When will he arrive?" Tobirama asked still gazing out the back porch.

"Tomorrow. He'll be bringing a few guests too. I would appreciate it if you didn't snap their necks."

_Guests?_

That surely caught his attention. Tobirama turned his gaze back to Hashirama.

"Who?" He was weary, and skeptical.  _He hadn't mentioned this before._

"His wife. And a few shinobi, I don't doubt."

 _Huh._ It had been a while since had last seen her. He wondered how she was doing. Stranding her was perhaps the most logical thing to do, but maybe not the most considerate. Still, it was no longer his problem, and it never was. He had to remind himself over and over so that guilt would stop hounding him.

"Tobirama? Don't go around biting their heads off, is that clear?"

Hashirama seemed serious, a little too serious.  _Was he being real?_  This was one of the most bizarre demands he had ever heard. Though, not the most absurd. He didn't answer. And when he didn't, the other man made sure that he was heard.

"I need to hear you say it.  _You will not bite their heads off."_

His wide opened eyes and his somber expression convinced Tobirama that he was indeed serious. The way his mighty scarred hands laid over the board, the way his head leaned forward as if to inspect something- or peer into his soul, whichever it was- in manner that was all too funny, made the big man look like a caricature of himself. As entertaining as that thought was, biting Uchiha's heads off was not particularly an easy thing to do. He would have hell of a time trying if he had the chance. But as it seemed, he did not. A shame really, it would have been quite a fun and exciting welcoming surprise. Whoever said hospitality was ever one one of his traits? Oh well, he would have to find the next best thing. Until then, he really didn't have much of a choice.

In the most mundane tone he could manage, he found himself agreeing to this half-baked bargain.

"Fine, I will not bite their heads off. Happy?"

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

_"Well, someone woke up on the wrong side of bed today. Oh wait, that's right. You didn't wake up on a bed today yet again, did you?"_

He narrowly dodged his own sword that came hurling at him. One second later and he could have very well been dead, with a katana impaling his thick skull. But he wasn't. Instead, it went straight through to the wall to his left. The sharp-edged sword pierced the wooden walls, with a good part of its hilt still hanging out mid-air.

Last he remembered this sword was in a pile of useless crap on Madara's desk. And now, it was barely half an inch away from his head.  _His speed is improving._

"You know, you could have killed me." Izuna noted, gesturing to the dangerously close blade.

Madara was certainly cranky today. Either she kicked him out or, for some unknown reason, he kicked himself out. It wouldn't be the first time. Was he trying to act the gentleman? Izuna did not want to know, and did not care to know. He turned to his side once he felt that it was safe enough to move- that another sword would not be flung his way cutting off another limb in the process. He yanked the sword out of the wall in a swift motion and sheathed it into its scabbard. The sound of the metal grating against the gilded sheath was both intoxicating and extremely galling.

"I hear that you're leaving."

What better way to start a heart-to-heart?

Madara was rightfully pissed.

" _I_ _diot,_ you ripped my goddamn papers apart. Do you have any idea what you have just done?"

"And you nearly ripped my head off my shoulders, let's count it even."  _Compromise was key,_  was that not what Hashirama had said eons ago? Besides, since when did Madara become a big fan of paperwork? All his life, Izuna could have sworn that papers were his brother's true archenemy. His nemesis did not come in the form of a brown-haired, over-sized man-child with overpowered abilities and severe lacking of mental competency, but in the guise of white sheets of paper. They haunted his nights more than the thought of Hashirama taking over the world ever did. Izuna would know, he had spent those nights listening in on his brother mumbling about monstrous paperwork in his sleep. It was that bad.

Madara took in a deep breath and stood up from his seat.

"Izuna-" He began but the man in question wouldn't let him continue.

"Are you leaving or are you not?"

It was a simple question really.

"Three days. I expect you not to burn down this place. You think you could do that?" He said, not bothering with hiding the snide in his voice. Madara had every valid reason there was not to trust Izuna with such a massive responsibility. Even he knew that. Everything that was going wrong with his life could be indirectly traced back to Izuna. He was the root of every troubles Madara had to encounter as of late. Again, that certainly hadn't escaped his notice. He did try to burn down their house once, albeit unintentionally, he still attempted to do so.

His petty recklessness in even pettier matters was an immense concern to everyone around him.

All in all, leaving Izuna in charge of the stronghold was never a good idea, especially after the last time. Which, he liked to remind his brother on a daily basis, was not his fault. How was he to know the Kaguya planned an orchestrated attack?

"Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see when you come back." He replied, going straight for the chair placed in front of his desk. Time was ticking. Madara would be leaving tomorrow and he needed to get as much as he could out of him. Considering the chances, there were none. He had failed in getting him to divulge whatever it was that he was hiding in the past weeks, how would he pull it off in the span of a few hours?

His answer wasn't exactly well received, but before his sibling had a chance at rebuking him, Izuna took hold of the conversation.

"You finally decided to go? Why? He's been sending you letters for weeks, why now?"

Why indeed. It was a strange time for Madara to just leave everything and go. And as far as Izuna knew, timing was everything. Something was clearly pushing his brother to accept Hashirama's' invitation. Normally, he would be afraid that the loud-mouthed Senju head would accidentally spill the beans on their little betting pool, except this was no time to worry about such things. Something was weighing heavy on Izuna's mind and he wanted to get rid of it first and foremost. Besides, he had faith that Tobirama, The Savage and that redhead Uzumaki would keep him quiet.

"Because it's urgent. He won't shut up until I go." Madara responded, but his second-in-command did not buy it. Madara had never yielded to Hashirama's incessant pleas until very recently. Still, this was a trifling matter even he would have ignored with ease.

"Uh-huh. I think I understand. Like that guilty conscious that has been chasing you? Yes, those things really don't know when to stop."

Madara glared at him.

 _"What is it you want to say Izuna?"_ That menacing undertone in his voice almost had Izuna smiling. He loved it when his brother got angry. Angry, not enraged. He didn't like an enraged Madara, there was a distinct difference, a red thin line he did not want to cross. As of yet.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." He answered cheekily. Raising both his feet on the table, he decided to push his brother a bit more. His tongue-in-cheek attitude was one of the many attitudes he despised. What could possibly be a more blatant sign of disrespect than the one he was doing right now? Crossing his legs and shoving his feet in his face was perhaps one of the lowest things one could do, one of the most frowned upon gestures of discourtesy and impudence. And Madara hated it. It was no surprise that he was growing pissed. It was the only thing he could concentrate on, as if Izuna's feet were causing his soul a great discomfort. For Izuna himself, he only watched Madara as he lost his grip, slowly yet surely.

_"Get. Your. Feet. Off. The-"_

"So, as I was saying-" He interrupted him while simultaneously removing his feet, "Guilty consciences really never shut up. It must be pretty bad if it has you running to Hashirama's arms."

"There have been developments on the settlement. That's why he wanted a meeting." Madara replied almost instantly. Almost as if he was trying to defend him, or rather his decision. Izuna did not doubt it, he was merely dubious of the reason Madara chose to go. And at a time like this, when the people needed him the most, when  _Izuna_  needed him the most.

"What does your conscience have to be guilty about, nii-san ?"

There was no answer this time around. They stood there in silence. Madara did, as for him, well he sat there, waiting and waiting. When things got boring enough, he took out a kunai and swiveled it around his forefinger. He was so entranced with the rotating blade he had completely missed Madara walking over to the door, locking it. What he did not miss, however, was the paranoia that was exhibited in each and every step he took. Opening the window then closing it did not dissuade him any further. He recalled her doing something similar. It was as if this sudden on-set of paranoia was contagious to whoever came in contact with the one who had it. The last thing he wanted was an epidemic within his people.

But above all, this certainly convinced Izuna that Madara's conscience was truly playing a role in this, that he was hiding something. Not that he needed much convincing, if any at all.

"It must be big, huh."

_Very big._

"Izuna, just leave." Madara said as he finally sat back down, head slumping into his hands as if all the exhaustion had finally caught up to him.

"No." He wasn't leaving until he got what he wanted. It was that simple. If his brother expected otherwise, then he did not know him as well as he thought.

"I said leave-" Which wasn't the case. Of course Madara knew him like he knew his own name, he was simply wishing for him to finally obey his command, if only for once. His voice came out muffled as his head flopped onto the pile of papers in front of him. He must not have slept well, or so he surmised.

"You want to know what I think-"

"No." He grumbled.

 _Too bad,_  he was going to tell him anyways. Driving the tip of the metal kunai into the wood of the desk, he continued on.

" _I think_  you're hiding something, something bad if you've been keeping mum about it all this time." Never looking into his eyes, Izuna went on etching into the surface of the table. His eyes may have been on the way the knife carved loops and hooks superficially into the top, but his ears were solely focused on Madara. On the slightest movement, on the faintest sounds. Even the nearly inaudibly shuffling of papers. He was becoming fidgety. Izuna was on the right track.

"And you know what else I think?" If Madara would not come out and say it, he might just as well throw around the ideas he had come up with. Particularly one theory he could not shake off. Either he was right about it or he was not, only his brother could confirm that.

"I think it has to do Eiji."

Everything had to do with Eiji. It had to be that. What he was trying to get at was what everyone had been worrying about for the past weeks. The shock from Takayama's sudden death- and his murder- had not dispelled. It was the opposite, it seemed like the restlessness was growing day by day. Was Madara even aware of it? Was he up-to-date with how the elders were handling it- which wasn't well-? Did he even notice how the tension was spreading among his shinobi? The suspicion? Since, _clearly_ , he didn't even bother giving them an answer, they were one finger short away from pointing the blames at someone from within? No one believed some outsider could easily get in without the guards' knowledge and easily slip through the library, much less take out someone like that old man. He may have been old, but he was not useless. If it wasn't an outsider, then it could only mean one thing. That latter possibility was starting to take form in everyone's behavior, their manners, their actions. It was becoming believable, plausible even- that was what it was. Outrageous, wasn't it?

And his own son's apparent lack of concern for the killing was...surprising to say the least. No one could comprehend why. No one but Izuna, he had been sitting on this notion for days. It was so incredibly obvious, yet inextricably obscure.

"Speaking of which, he is acting rather odd. Do you not think so, Madara?"

He didn't answer. The only sounds in the room were from the grating of carved wood.

"It's like..." That's it.  _"Like he knows who did it."_

The room fell silent. No sounds, no carving, no movement; nothing. Both brothers raised their heads, with Izuna a second earlier. When Madara decided to show his face, he appeared to be seemingly more composed than he previously was mere minutes ago. Pushing the papers to the side, he finally muttered his first words that would put Izuna in his place. Or should have.

 _"Choose your words wisely."_ The tonality in which he so easily manipulated conveyed nothing short of the rising temper within him. Its fierce and menacing insinuations were inordinately vehement when compared to Izuna's own. Looking deep into his dark eyes, the younger brother was rest assured. He was right. What started out as a hunch- mere conjecture, wild speculation- soon turned into fact.

He couldn't believe it, even if Madara denied to utter the words, his response was more than enough. Which meant he was on the right track. All he had to do was follow it, follow where his thoughts would take him. If Eiji knew who the murderer was and refused to pursue the matter, it had to be for very good reasons, Izuna could only think of two. Despite his alleged strained relationship with his father before he died, there was no incentive for him to just give up on finding the perpetrator without even  _trying_. Unless, for some very specific and exceptional reasons.

Tapping his fingers on the edge of the desk, he leaned his head in the palm of his other hand.

 _"Now, I wonder why would he stay so quiet?"_  He asked rhetorically. But Madara wasn't in the mood to play along with his charade. He narrowed his eyes, warning him to tread carefully. Since when had Izuna ever trod carefully, though? He was as blunt as Hashirama's indifference to his insobriety.

"Come on, help me out, I can't come up with everything myself!" He chuckled, although it was an empty laugh. He did not have it in him to actually put effort into his mockery. This wasn't a peculiarly funny situation. Seeing that no one was going to answer him  _again_ , he carried on unabashedly.

"Could it be that..." This was one of those reasons that he didn't quite enjoy reveling. "That the perpetrator is just  _that_  strong?"

Whoever it was had to be. They had to be that much formidable if Eiji didn't even attempt to seek them out, like the mere concept of avenging his father was completely wiped from his mind at the thought of them. That much  _powerful_  if even Madara refused to mention an inkling about them. Madara must know about them.  _Must have._  He raised his arms and locked them behind his head as he leaned back into the chair. Looking up at the high ceiling, Izuna blurted out his second, most implausible and certainly far-fetched idea.

"Or maybe it's someone he knows he can't touch. Someone _important."_ He lowered his gaze and saw the slightest twitch in Madara's face. For a stony expression, it wasn't bad. Though, it could have been much better.

"Don't." Was Madara's subtle warning to him. _How much did that make it? Five? Ten? Fifteen warnings?_  From today alone. It wasn't a bad count, but Izuna could outdo it. Completely disregarding his caution, he knew he was  _definitely_  on the right track. That last suggestion seemed to hit a nerve with his older brother, maybe he would play on it a  _little_  bit more.

"Don't what, brother?"

_"Don't go there, Izuna."_

"I wasn't going anywhere, but it looks like you are."

In truth, they were just running around in circles. He may have had the right questions, but he was not getting any definitive answers. Low growls and twitching were not enough- it was good for leading him down the correct line of questioning- but they did not give him what he wanted. And what he wanted was answers.

 _"She didn't do it!"_ Madara's blunt confession came out as a loud boom, killing the uncomfortable silence that hanged over their heads. It startled Izuna, so much so, he pushed the chair back a few inches and raised his hands in surrender.

"Sheesh, calm down. I never said that she did."

He didn't need to.

The number of people who were significantly valuable in this clan and simultaneously immune from Madara's wrath- or any kind for that matter- were little. Very little. It could have been someone who knew they would get away with it comfortably without any repercussions, which was unconvincing at first. Even so, she was far down the fairly short list of suspects he had in mind. She was awfully close to Madara, the leader himself, ensuring that no one could accurately get to her without having their own heads on the line. If that wasn't one hell of a way to cover one's ass, then he didn't know what. But it didn't matter, because she did not do it. She was too close to the old man, too friendly. That was what they were; friends. Unless, they weren't and everything Izuna heard about them was wrong. Which he doubted. His own private investigation was turning up nothing, just details about how fond Takayama was of her or how much time they had spent together before his untimely passing.

"Your implications are clear, Izuna! Just come out and say what you want." He was tired of this, now that much was clear. The Uchiha clan head already had much on his plate, a plate he should be sharing with his second-in-command. Why should he take it upon himself to carry the burden alone? What was Izuna's purpose if he did not uphold his position as he was meant to? But what truly infuriated him the most, was how his brother could so easily bark out how he should just be honest, to stop beating around the bushes.

_I wouldn't have to beat around the bushes if you were just being goddamn honest!_

He would have shouted back at him, but he chose to hold his tongue. As best as he could. He got up from his seat and set his fists on the table, restraining as much force as he could.

"Fine. I'll say it." He spat back as he leaned forward, it was proving more challenging than he imagined. No wonder Madara was an expert on blowing fuses, and so effortlessly too. That same rage and exasperation he was feeling, was that what his brother had always felt when people were around him?

"I have no idea what you're thinking and I'm not sure I want to.  _Do you even know- or care- that this whole debacle is doing to the people of this clan? You can't just pack up and leave whenever you feel like it."_

The more he spoke, the more angry he felt. And the words just seemed so easier to say now.

"Are you done?" Madara said calmly. It was so strange, how the roles were reversed this time. How he was the one who was about to lose his mind while the typically enraged-filled individual was still as stone.

"No, no I'm not done."  _Far from it._  "I find it quite hypocritical that you demand the truth from others yet you yourself do not bother with telling me what I need to know. I don't like this new you, it pisses me off."

Madara was still unfazed by Izuna's harsh words. He sat in his own seat behind the large desk, watching as the other shinobi vented his frustration. But frustration was the furthest thing from said man's mind. He was looking for something deeper, and so help him Kami, he would get to it.

"Takayama's death is not something you shrug off, I don't know how you could do it. It's a new low, even for you. Despicable, if you ask me."

_"I didn't shrug it off! You don't understand. And I never asked you!"_

_"Of course I don't understand, you never say anything. You don't make sense!"_

Madara stood up in turn, his own hands banged against the table. Both brothers stood toe to toe, foreheads touching. They were so similar, nearly identical even in their anger. If one were to walk in on them now, they would be hardly distinguishable if it weren't for Izuna's short clipped hair which contrasted starkly against Madara's own spiky mane. Even the anger in their eyes, they were out competing one another and the younger one was holding his ground well for an amateur like himself. Their pale skin, their dark bangs that framed both of their strikingly resembling faces, their glares, all down the clothes they wore; they were perfect carbon copies of each other.

Up until the blue flares that began seeping from Madara's body. It started with his hands, as his fingers tensed and screeched against the wood-board. Just like fire, they flickered brightly. That heavy aura that generated from his being- that riled up chakra, it brought a smile to his face. A true smile, a disturbing one. Izuna smirked, his eyes lit up with impish glee as they butted heads.

"Oh really? Pardon me if I find that hard to believe. Your concern about any of this is almost as lacking as Eiji's, yet just alarming and that is saying something, don't you think?" He parted the distance from his brother and stepped back, like a rabid dog conceding his territory to the larger, meaner canine. But he was not a dog, and he was not about to step down. He crossed his arms and spoke with such assurance, it was..it was- not as frightening as he thought it would be.

"You know, I wouldn't be surprised if you know who did it anyways.  _You do know, don't you?"_ He quirked his brows, analyzing every single detail there was to be analyzed. To his surprise, Madara had not flung the desk at him. In fact, he retreated. His chakra had dissipated and he was...calm. His older brother had stepped down, something he never imagined he would see. Madara's eyes softened, even if it was barely perceptible.

That deeply agonizing silence hovered over their heads once more. Just as he was about to continue pushing him, Izuna was caught off guard by what Madara said next.

"I only did it to protect you."

It was hardly above the whisper, but in the deadly stillness of this room, it was loud enough to make one deaf. He couldn't lie, he was stunned, partly by Madara's admission but mostly by the sudden change in his erratic behavior. He had only seen it a handful of times before, but this normally composed prankster of an Uchiha was having a hard time believing he was seeing guilt in his eyes. Or tried to, Madara avoided eye contact now, they skittered away every time he managed to lock contact with them. Though, that pout of his was apparent enough. It only appeared on the rare occasions in which he had to admit he was wrong or confess to something he did not want to be known. It was not just rare, it was as scarce as a hen's teeth.

"Protect me from what?"

Could someone really blame him if he couldn't understand what Madara was trying to say? How do you protect someone you love by not telling them the truth?  _Was ignorance truly bliss? Is that what he thought?_ He couldn't help it, his tone was softening as a response to Madara's own abating anger.

He waited for him to answer, but- as opposed to Izuna- the words seemed to get stuck in his throat every time he tried to get them out and into the world, unable to escape his lips even if he wanted them to. He never recalled his brother having such a terrible time with talking, Madara had always been a smooth talker. Relatively. A bit. Okay, perhaps not at all. But this was taking it to another level.

"It's.." There was an anxious pause before he went on, "it's not human, Izuna. I have no idea what it is and I need you to stop asking."

* * *

_"Well well, look who it is. About time you show your bloody face."_

_Fuck._

Just when he thought he didn't have to see her for another three days, preferably never again. Here she was, blocking his path and staring daggers at him, and his cock that was safely tucked away behind his armor and several layers of clothing, just as a precaution. One never knows. He had worn the protective metal plates to sleep every night since. He had every right to keep his pulsing member alive and dangling, ideally on him and not some wooden stake.

He stood still, five feet away from where she was leaning on a pillar.

He made sure not to show any kinds of reaction, and he didn't. The last thing he wanted was to feed into her wicked sense of distorted justice. In other words, her vengeance was very much not to his liking. This was incredibly  _not_  funny, even if she thought otherwise.

No one said a word for another minute. The silence of the corridor made his blood run as cold as the winter air that crept through an open window.

"I gave you all the time you could ask for or did you forget our deal already?" She straightened herself and walked towards him. He did not back up. The closer she got, the clearer she became. She was ready to leave, in fact, why wasn't she at the front gates by now? Madara must be waiting for her, and Madara didn't take well to people who made him wait longer than he should be. Her chestnut-colored hair was intricately piled on top of her head in a plain bun, a bun that seemed to be growing each day, if he recalled. A single braid twisted atop the rest of her silky hair, much like a crown. A few short strands were left loose, framing her pale round face.

He didn't respond back to her, what would he say anyways? That he had not come up with a way to comply with her ludicrous demands? Would that result in her trying to slice him open one more time? He was not about to find out.

 _"Cat got your tongue?"_ She teased as she took her sweet time closing the distance between them.

In all honesty, this little debt of his that he owed her was the least important thing he could care about right now. He was too focused on trying to get to the bottom of Takayama's murder, but more so, the bottom of the mystery behind his brother's inconsistent change in behavior in these past weeks. And he did, well- he got only as far as Madara let him. Yesterday's conversation was indeed full of surprises.  _So many surprises._ Much of which were incomprehensible but for the sake of not losing a confessing Madara- which has never happened until now- he went along with his tales.

Whoever that Zetsu person was, he was certainly causing his brother one hell of a headache.

 _"It is not a person!"_ Madara had insisted vehemently.

 _Whatever that meant._ Not a person, but a beast. He had repeated that very same line over and over, hoping that it would make sense at some point. It didn't. It was rather annoying not knowing the full picture, but that really was as far as he could go before he was kicked out abruptly. Yet, he couldn't deny a part of him was curious. Just who-  _what_ \- was this thing that rendered both Eiji and Madara incapable of taking any action? As much as he wanted to find out more about this 'creature', it was made clear that he would be doing no such thing. Like that would stop hi-

A pair of hands cupped his cheek and pulled his face down, inadvertently forcing him to bend down to her height. Her grip tightened as the realization dawned on him.

"What are you thinking about Izuna-sama?" She asked, her head slanting to the side trying to catch his gaze.

His thoughts were none of her business. When it became clear he wasn't going to reply- ever-, she smirked.

_"You're lucky, you know that?"_

Was he, though? The bridges of their noses brushed as their eyes met. The tension in the air was unbearable. He had never felt this way before; this buzzing electricity between them. This inescapable urge, this crazy compulsion to just...just rip her to pieces. To get his hands around her neck and do it, do it hard; squeeze it until that last drop of air escaped in ragged breaths through her blue lips. He simply wanted to grab her but this armor was putting much weight on him, she would probably end up tippling him to the ground.

"I guess I am."

He didn't hold his grin back. She wasn't the only one who could smile creepily and get away with it.

"Do not underestimate how petty I could get, Izuna." Mina muttered, but that menacing almost feral-like growl sent a faint shiver up his spine.  _This was new. Was she practicing?_

 _"I wouldn't dream of it."_ He sniggered. He dreamed of a lot of things, this was not one of them.

"Good. I'll be gone a few days now, okay?" The light in her eyes mimicked his own. "When I come back, I expect a full on freak-show. You won't disappoint me, right baby brother?" She pinched his cheeks and nipped at his skin tightly as she began baby-talking him.

 _"Aren't you a cutie patootie."_ Her tweaks became incredibly painful when she used the tip of her nails to grab a good portion of his cheeks. He took hold of her wrists abruptly and stopped her from demeaning him any further. Thankfully, there was no one around to see this. He raised his head and stood at full height while she dropped her arms until her hands laid over his chest, grabbing the thick material of his high-collar between her fingers. She didn't step back, neither did he, even when both knew that if they got caught, there was not a single excuse that could make any of this right. He wasn't sure if he would even want to make an excuse.

"You have issues." He stated. It was a fact; a fact he managed to ignore when he set her up with Madara. He thought that he wouldn't have to deal with her madness, that his brother would get the worst of it- he was wrong. Very wrong.

" _I know. You like it."_ She laughed, and if he had to be truthful; it was perhaps one of the most blood-curdling, chilling and hair-raising laughs he had ever heard. It lasted for a mere five seconds but it was so much more than that in his mind. The way she bared her white teeth, licked her lips and stared into his soul as that demonic voice took pleasure in insulting him; that faint shiver was now a full-blown torturous chill. Despite feeling his insides turning out of order, he was still as a mouse on the outside, unfaltering even with the slightest triggering movements. His neck, on the other hand, was feeling stiff from leaning over her for such a long time.

_At least she knew she had issues._

He always thought that admitting to your problems was always the first step to finding a solution, but in this case, it may not have been that much comforting. She knew she was a mess, yet did nothing to fix it. Maybe some people were damaged beyond repair.

"I don-"

"Oh Izuna, I'm going to miss you." She wrapped her arms around him and leaned her head on his armor's chest plate. Kneading his unprotected back soothingly with her hands, she rubbed her head against the cold metal. He thought he had heard a purr somewhere down the hall before he realized...it was actually her. In a spur of the moment, he grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back roughly. Those ridiculous nails of hers would have scratched his back off had he let her linger a second longer. He looked at her fingers and saw those claw-like monstrosities. He knew she had a problem with biting her nails when she was nervous, so it was more than strange that she had decided to start growing them ever since finding out about his little indiscretion.

Actually, thinking about it now, it wasn't all that strange if she intended to claw his face. Or back. Or any part of him that he valued dearly.

Her cheery attitude took a one-hundred-eighty degree turn and morphed into something darker, more serious. Her smile was long gone and that light he noticed in her brown orbs were extinguished; put out until they became nothing more than empty sockets.

_"You better stick to your word, Izuna."_

_"Or what?"_ He challenged. What else could she possibly do? Try to cut off his balls again? She'll have a heck of a time next time she tried something like that, he would make sure of it. He didn't smirk, or smile or even show a single twitch. But she didn't. She gave him the most heartless smile she could convey, he could see it in the way her taut lips curved just slightly while her eyes remained distant and cold.

"Hmph." Was the last thing she muttered to him before turning around and walking down the other hall. Leaving.

She disappeared, little by little, along with her elegantly embroidered kimono. And her thirst for revenge. Wasn't he glad?

It was only in the stillness of the late evening when the sun had set and when the moon would come out to play, it was only then did he realize that she had left. She wasn't in the house. Her awkward yet heady scent that was always oddly reminiscent of blackberries no longer dawdled, her uncoordinated and lumbering footsteps were silent all day and most obvious of all, her presence was nowhere to be found. In those perfect moments, his mind finally felt at peace.

Except, now in the middle of the night where he sat up high on a tree branch, he couldn't help himself from wondering.

Looking up at the moon, he knew she was not truly gone- just out of reach for the time being.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

They have been walking for a while now.

He was eternally grateful that the weather didn't decide to pull off a last second reminder that Mother Nature could be a bitch when she saw it fit. For once, something that wasn't living and had blood running through its veins was on his side. Willingly, no less. That was an extra perk. It was his stroke of luck that they weren't making their way to the Senju in the middle of a horrific blizzard.

Had there been one, it was very unlikely that they would have even been able to leave their own home.

There was a total of six of them, four of which were his own personal shinobi who he had picked to accompany them.

"Guards?" She had asked when the first left the compound, around two hours ago.

If they were to continue with this pace, they would not reach their destination in the next two days, even if they tried. By then, he could not guarantee just how far the weather would be cooperative. For all he knew, it would be coughing up a storm at this moment. Though, it didn't look like it. There were light clouds, but an overall clear sky with rays of sunlight bursting through every now and then. They needed to be there by evening, something he was coming to doubt.

No one spoke, no one dared to. Which resulted in a very awkward walk. Or perhaps it was just him. His shinobi were accustomed never to talk unless they had something good to say. The problem was with her, how she hovered beside them, continuously alternating between one and the other, doing Kami knows what. It was as if they were aliens to her, strange fascinations whose concept of their existence eludes her, particularly that woman ninja. She couldn't tear her eyes off that one. She walked to her left, then to her right, scrutinizing every inch of the tall female. He could somewhat understand that particular interest, this woman was one of the few who chose a shinobi life rather than getting married and bare children like the others. There were very few of them who still fought. Women were not encouraged to participate in battles or wars, but when their shinobi population became dangerously low, they had no choice but to accept all the help they could get from their own people. Besides, what use was it to let good help lay to waste?

But when that help was no longer needed, what was one supposed to do?

She attempted to talk to her on several occasions, but they never got past some inarticulate mumbling, things he could not make out. He had chosen this woman to tag along as she was more than capable of withholding her own position, but mostly for Mina, so she would not end up feeling uncomfortable by this..arrangement. He saw now that he was wrong. It wasn't Mina that was feeling uncomfortable, it was Yuuki. His  _darling_  wife did not feel discomfort, but rather inquisitive today.

As she was about to make her fifth round, he caught her by the shoulders. Seeing that she probably finished her business with the female nin, she was about to move onto her next target. The other shinobi was walking in front, two feet ahead. Yuuki was in the back while the other two were slowly distancing themselves from the sides. So much so, they found no problem taking the rest of the route through the forest instead.

 _"Calm. The hell. Down."_  He said. She was awfully jittery, perhaps excited. He didn't recall her ever being this out of control back when they left for Hashirama's wedding. Actually, he didn't recall anything. So, who was he to tell?

She turned to face him with the most innocent look she had in her arsenal. He couldn't help but notice how she blended in with their surroundings. The color of emerald green, her kimono was adorned with shades of different colors ranging from violet tinted higanbanas- or spider lilies- to pearl white cranes, they mixed together to form a scenery that could only come out of a bright spring afternoon. The golden obi was the ultimate sun. It was quite a weird choice for a kimono at this time of the year. He let go of her shoulders and continued walking.

"Right, sorry." She fell back a few steps until she was right on his heels. Quite literally. Her body was glued to him with less than an inch of space between them. He couldn't take a step without having to feel restricted by her presence. He thought that it was merely a mistake, that she would back away, but she didn't. Five minutes had passed before annoyance began to seep in. She even went as far as snaking her arms in his. He was about to tell her to back off, though she beat him to it. Her intentions were entirely different from his, however.

"You're not going to strand me there again, are you?" She asked, eyes wide with wonder and curiosity as her grip on his forearms tightened.

"What?" He replied with a question of his own. He couldn't quite understand what she was referring to.  _Strand her? When did I-? Oh that's right._

"You're not going to leave me in Tobirama's bed and leave, right?" She reiterated.  _In Tobirama's bed?_ He may not have had the greatest memory among them, but he would remember if he had left her in that place of all places. He might not even remember what had happened on the way to that wedding, but he certainly could never forget what happened there. And of 'things that had never happened and will never likely to happen', was him stranding her in someone else's bed. Tobirama's bed, nonetheless.

"What are you talking about?" He was confused.

"You left me there, in his bed." She was more firm in her response this time.

"No, I left you on his floor."

Now that he said it out loud, well- it sounded much less pleasing then he had imagined. Despite that, she had not let go of his arms. On the contrary, she held onto him with greater strength, it wasn't painful but any more and it was going to become numb. She widened her eyes in an almost comical manner, exaggerating her shock as she opened her mouth just as broadly.

" _Wow,_  nice! How very gentlemanly of you." She chuckled. "Can't say I did not expect that." She laughed even more before turning her flustered face away from his quizzical gaze.

 _So, was this how she saw me?_  A brute who went around throwing women in random men's room? Well, he did just do precisely that. Who was he to judge? He didn't care though. He stopped in his tracks, pulling her back as their arms were still locked. The accompanying shinobi began walking in different directions, leaving them the privacy they desperately needed. They were lucky enough that they had stopped in a clearing.

"How did you end up in his bed?" He tried again, his voice just a tone lower than before, but the assertiveness had not dwindled. She let go of his arm and put some distance between them. She raised her brows, questioning whether she heard right or not. But above all, he could see the amusement smeared all over her face.

"Pardon?"

"You heard me."

Her lips quivered as her eyes glistened with tears. One would surely say that she was about to cry, but he knew better than that, he was not to be fooled by her antics.

"Well, maybe I crawled into it? That's a possibility. I was passed out drunk, Madara, what do you think?" She crossed her arms and raised a hand- a forefinger- and tapped her chin lightly as she arched her hips to the side, parodying her own disbelief. But mainly his remarkably fatuous question. Of course it would seem silly to her, but to him, it was unnaturally irksome.

" _Or-_ and wait for it-  _maybe_  he was being a  _gentleman_  and placed me there so I wouldn't have to sleep on the floor the rest of the night? Unbelievable, am I right?" She burst out laughing uncontrollably, the long sleeves of her elegant kimono shielded half her face from view as she covered her mouth. It muffled as much of the wicked laughter as it could, but he still heard it loud and clear. The tears that threatened to spill burst forth as well.  _What the hell is so funny?_  He didn't get it, it was as if it was an inner joke only she knew.

If she could only feel what he did, then she wouldn't be laughing anymore, would she now?

He felt the muscles in his face tense as that frown began making its way back again. It was like second-nature to him, it needed not his conscious will to reveal itself. It was almost perfect as Tobirama's own permanent scowl.  _Tobirama._

That name seemed like it would not leave him in peace. The mere sound of those syllables drove him nuts. And now that knew what happened on that fateful night, his mind wouldn't stop wandering into places he didn't want to think of nor imagine. What if it turned out he didn't know anything at all? What else happened that night? What else happened between her and that Senju in those three weeks that he had left her there?

What he hated most of all was the fact that he couldn't come up with a reason on why he even left her at the wedding in the first place. It was his fault, but for the love of Kami, he could not remember why. He could lie and say that he was in a hurry to go back to the horror that awaited him back home, but then again, he could have very well taken her along. If he spared enough time to gather his shinobi from the ceremony, surely he could have whacked some sense into her?

_No matter, what happened had happened._

Then again, just what had happened?

He crossed his arms over his chest imitating her as she bent over, holding her knees for support as she recovered from her latest fit of laughter.

"You done?" Impatience oozed from his voice as he questioned whether she was sane enough to continue this accursed travel. When she showed no signs of stopping, he started walking the other way. Into the forest. It was time for a break, anyways. It was a spontaneous decision but no one seemed to mind a few minutes of rest. He gestured for his shinobi to settle down their things and take a pause while he walked his own way, happily alone with no interference. While he sensed the four individuals gathering at the clearing, he most definitely heard the footsteps that were following him deep into the woods.

These trees never lost their leaves, not even in winter. Evergreens surrounded them on all sides, centuries old conifers and much younger junipers flooded the area, their green color never fading, not even a shade. The muddy path was wet and a million different hues of brown and umber. It was similar to the main path they were walking, but unlike that hardened and occasionally snow patched route, this one was significantly narrower and uneven. As he walked, he saw that some snow was caught in the corners of the most obscure branches, waiting for the sun to shine upon it, melting it to the ground where it trickled down as minuscule drops of fresh water.

Mingled in water-logged earth were stones, adding their greys and blacks to the mosaic beneath his feet. The hundred foot trees stood mute but were monumental among their lesser developed saplings, their heights were one for the ages. Madara was nothing but a simple worker ant passing through the rugged path, stepping over shrubs as he wormed his way through this ever-enduring labyrinth. Their barks embellished with flowerless mosses and lichens as if thrown there like powdered paint, a washed out green, just as their leaves but were much closer to the whiteness of its sap.

Yet, the swirls and the rings, the crevices and the cracks; these ridged patterns, they wear all a maze of their own as they decorated each and every mahogany bark there was.

Madara swiftly pushed away a branch that was hanging a little too low. A great number of these over-hanging limbs littered the darkened pathway, More lichens dappled these boughs as they stretched from their mother tree and out, in ever direction, blocking his view but giving this forest the completion that it desperately needed.

The loud crackling noise behind him was following his every step. A trail of broken twigs and shattered sprigs were scattered all over the soft ground.

"You're jealous, huh?" She giggled, footsteps never halting.

"Of course not." He shot back, never looking at her. But he felt she was close.

"Oh yes you are, that's why you're running away,  _Ma-da-ra."_ She made the effort to split his name into syllables, each one sounding more lewd than the last. The way his name sounded on her tongue, it was-

"I'm not running away." He denied it. Not as fervently as he should have but it would do for now. Madara walked on aimlessly, with no real destination other than to get away from her.

"Oh yes you are. Look at you."

How could he?

"I mean, look at your face." She added.

 _My face? What was wrong with it?_ He stood still. Was there something on it? He touched his forehead, lightly brushing away his black hair. Madara felt nothing. There was nothing. What had she been talking about, he could not say. He turned to take a good look at her.

"What about my face?"

"That scowl, though." As if that wasn't enough, she attempted to mock him by pulling a face. Hands on hips and lower lip pushed out in a pout, she shot him the meanest glower she could muster. He knew she was exaggerating, there was no way in hell did he look like that. Just in case, he straightened his features. Head held up high, he told her in the calmest manner possible, trying not to unveil the inner turmoil he felt,

"Don't know what you're talking about, hmpf."

"Yes you do, you're jealous. Admit it." She dropped the act and took on a serious demeanor, imitating him in that as well.

_"No."_

"I see, you're not jealous that your wife slept comfortably in another man's bed?"

_"That's not what I said!"_

"So, you  _are_  jealous, that's it?"

_"No. What? Be quiet!"_

When had she gotten this annoying? Unless she had always been this annoying and he had been blind- deaf, too- all this time. That could not be it, she was acting strange today. And way too talkative. He liked her when she didn't talk. It seemed that she finally took the clue, shutting up and lowering her gaze as if in shame and embarrassment. She feigned a hurt expression and clasped her hands together. She refused to look him in the eyes. He was beginning to feel bad, he should not have shouted over such a petty argument. It only made her appear like she was right. He almost felt like he should apologize.  _Almost._

She raised her head slowly, and underneath those thick beautiful lashes, were eyes that gleamed with so much tease, it was overwhelming. He saw her lips curve up into the lightest smirk he had ever seen. She didn't speak but he knew what she was saying. He could see her mouth forming the words but not a single sound came out.

_"It's okay if you're jealous."_

His brows twitched involuntarily as she licked her lips in victory. She won. What did she win? Asides from stepping over his hurt pride, he had no idea. He bit his tongue, holding himself back from saying something he was sure to regret if it ever escaped his mouth. Madara was having the time of his life. Not. He couldn't stand in this confined space any longer. He turned back and went in the direction that he was heading. Not a step later, and he nearly found himself sinking into the ice-cold water.

In the drudge of the bleak land, lapping the grass that was sodden and cast dim by the unbroken cloud of winter, was the lake. It was not the beauty nor the romance every fool dreamed about. Its water was freezing and unforgiving under the thinnest layers of ice. Layers that were cracking here and there. Come summer time and it would sink to a shallow pool like most others he had seen, it would become the home and the shelter for many insects to breed in. Come summer, but they were not in summer, they were living the winter.

He caught himself short before falling into the semi-frozen lake. It was strange, this was not a forest but more of a patch of wood surrounding this mysterious mere. He hadn't noticed a stream nearby and the sudden change between land and water was a steep slope. One that he would have fallen through if he hadn't noticed it in time. Unfortunately, he could not say the same for her.

"I was just teasing you, you kno-"

She never got to complete that sentence as she rushed out of the woods, sweeping away the overgrown branches that had blocked their visions. She was so immersed with what she was saying that she did not see the misshapen bank. A step too wide and she lost her balance, falling unceremoniously into the deep lake. The splashes on the other hand, were very much ceremonious. Oh so majestic, it brought a smile to his face. The way she broke the already fragile verglas, splashing and flailing around like a lunatic, it brought him back to the good old days when he saw her drowning in the pond of their own garden.

His smile grew as he saw her struggle which seemed to wane as she grew tired. Her body began to sink deeper into the water. He crouched down near the edge of the bank. Looking into the water where her bright kimono was still visible.

"You did deserve it, wouldn't you say?" He snickered. Now, this was funny. To him.

Until it wasn't. He had waited for her to come back up, but the longer he waited, the deeper her body descended 'til he could barely make out the vivid colors of her dress. The flowers and the birds were gone and the golden obi was a blur. His concern for her was mounting. A worrying idea was becoming louder and louder, eclipsing every other thought he had working his mind.

_What if she can't swim?_

That had never been a bother up until now. What has he done?

_Crap._

That smirk was long gone. He didn't waste time pondering, as he was about to call out to her, a pair of skeletal hands wrapped around his ankles and a head emerged from the water.

 _"Oh did I now?"_ Her laugh was colder than the water itself. Before he could even register what had happened and what was  _about to_  happen, the fingers around his ankles dug deep into his skin and with a brutal force, she had pulled him into the glacial water. Shattering the chunks of clear glass that melted on the surface of this lake, the moment his body came in contact with the water, he wanted nothing more than to jump out of his skin. It was so cold, it burned. It stung and it bit at his skin just as the bitter cold pricked into the depths of his bones. Against his will, he dove in head first, a sharp pain slowly crept down through his body, nearly immobilizing him. The water surged around him, rising up his leg on one side, forming tiny eddies on the other. The weight of the water was almost enough to topple him, as if her body wasn't an enough load as it was. He was grateful that there was no currents of a stream in this region.

He was pushed down further into the water, the lake was deeper than it looked. Barely floating thanks to her, his movements were restricted as long as her hands remained where they were. Snaked around his neck. Trying to. Anyone else and he would have thought they were trying to choke him. In that case, he would have no problem with strangling them either. But she wasn't. She moved closer, propelling herself forward by wriggling her body against the smooth flowing water. Her fluid scuttles and her perfect strokes told him more than he could have ever asked. She could swim. And she was damn good at it, too.

Air bubbled through the brilliant blue water as they both tried to take their breaths. Well, he did. She was still laughing. He could see it in her eyes and in her smile. How everything was...so blue. Her hair, her skin, her lips. Everything was so crystal-like, shining and glimmering with a burning sapphire hue. For a mere instant, time had stopped. Nothing moved. Not him, not her. Nothing but the graceful motion of the water, drowning both him and his thoughts.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I know the last few chapters have been boring, but bear with me.  
> I am wondering if you guys would like shorter chapters. Would you guys prefer?:
> 
> A) Shorter chapters (4,000- 6,000 words MAX) with 1-2 POVs MAX, meaning I could update faster (hopefully).
> 
> OR
> 
> B) Longer chapters (7,000- 11,000 words MAX ) with 3-4 POVs MAX, meaning update time will be longer.
> 
> I would appreciate your opinions.


	45. Drowning In Confessions

_**Tobirama's POV** _

He was sitting in his room. Quietly reading the missive that he had received. The scroll was sprawled open over the chabudai, its contents boldly revealed to his eyes and his eyes only.

The chilly breeze from outside blew the curtains wide open, billows of viridescent fabric swayed gently back and forth against the rough surface. Draping over the mullioned windows, the jade-colored veils hung in uneven folds that were accumulating dust over the long periods of time he spent outside his room. He refused that any maid entered here, only he would clean his room with his own hands. He didn't like it when other people touched his stuff. Or sleep in his bed. In fact, he didn't appreciate it when others were casually thrown onto his floor like a hot sack of potatoes.

But, one did not always get what they wanted in life.

They framed the windows perfectly, those green curtains.

They were a thick green velvet that hung in generous folds around the glass paneled windows and were lined with a thick cotton layer. On the brightest of summer days, they would cast his room into perpetual darkness and murky shadows when they were closed. And on dreary days like these, they stood guard against the raw cold air, making the most frivolous of winter nights cozy and warm. Like today.

Except, he had forgotten the windows open, letting in all the cold air that he oh-so despised. He looked at his own reflection in the clean panes and a pair of scarlet eyes stared back at him. Those red markings, the ones on his cheeks, the one beneath his chin. They looked just like his own. They were his own, even when they appeared to be so distant, so...immemorial. He wasn't old, he knew that, yet he could not deny already feeling like an old man. His looks were slowly transforming him to years beyond what he truly was. And that was mostly thanks to his peculiar whiter-than-snow hair.

Did it bother him? He was not sure.

They were such irrelevant thoughts, they had no place nor time in a mind such as his, even if it cost him a mere futile second. In a vain attempt to try and shake the thoughts from his head, he returned to the matter at hand. Re-reading the scroll for the fifth time, he still couldn't focus. He had lost all concentration. The echoes of the howling wind outside were not helping. Having had enough, he re-sealed the scroll and stood up. He walked over to the windows and clasped the locks shut. Drawing the curtains close, he finally felt a bit more comfortable.

He couldn't deny it, it was quite a boring evening. He would have preferred to get back to his experiments but seeing that Hashirama had paperwork to do, there was no way he could get out of it. Leaving the older man with a stack of papers for signing was almost an assuredly bad idea. Hashirama barely had the patience to sit in his chair for more than ten minutes, if Tobirama didn't know better, he would bet that his brother wouldn't even bother with reading the documents before he signed off on them.

_Actually, on second thought..._

He wouldn't bet. Period.

There was already one of them who did enough betting for a lifetime that would surely come to an end, soon. Well, by today evening if his calculations were correct. Then again, it might not. Maybe Madara nor she knew of this little wager his brother so happily participated in. If they did, Tobirama was hell bent on getting away from him, he would go as far as- and fail miserably while at it- to try and sever his connections to Hashirama. Just that once. It was only fair, why should he- of all people- get beaten over something his idiotic brother did?

Truth be told, he wasn't exactly sure how they would react, if at all. Though, he was certain they would not be happy with this. Far from it. He knew he wouldn't if he was in their place. But he wasn't in their place, and thank Kami for that. At least he still had his freedom and he couldn't have asked for more. He could not imagine waking up next to someone hogging his side of the bed nor could he tolerate the never-ending flying utensils and he would certainly not enjoy being hit on the head several times a day with said utensils, amongst other unsavory things he had heard about marriages. And from what he had seen, of course. Being the third and invisible wheel was exactly what he wanted.

There was a knock at his door, immediately snapping him out of his reveries.

He turned his head towards the entrance to his room and he noticed a large figure looming behind the imperfectly transparent sliding doors. The shadow knocked once more but made no attempt to break open the doors, so it could not have been Hashirama. That much he knew. But it was large, and big, very big. Not to mention round, like an oversized tomato.

He did not answer back. After replacing the scroll back into a shelf high up on the wall- and out of reach of any prying  _brown_  eyes-, he walked over to the supposed guest, standing outside his room.

"Yes?" He said as he slid them open, revealing a tomato in the form of a human. Her flaming red hair was most definitely not helping the situation, or that belly that was just about as large as a watermelon, if not larger. A part of him was beginning to see how Hashirama may have went overboard and insulted her, he couldn't really blame him. Still, he was far from feeling guilty about laughing at his pain.

"Tobirama-san." Mito nodded slightly, out of respect, nothing more. They were both of equal statuses and nearly the same age, the formality between them was merely for show.

He returned her nod and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he began sliding the door shut. If it hadn't been for her foot, he would have essentially slammed the door in Uzumaki Mito's face. Would he have regretted it? No. Not immediately. In his defense, he had done worse things. Much worse. To say that there was no love lost between the two would have been a bit of an exaggeration. By no means was he ever hostile or harbored ill will towards her, they were simply- well, they were simply brothers and sisters-in-laws.

Now,  _real true_  love was lost between him and Izuna, love like never seen before. Not like hers and Hashirama's, but she couldn't resist pointing that out every time they met. Which was why Tobirama tried to avoid this subject at every chance he could. The more correct statement would be, he tried to avoid her at every turn ever since she announced she was child. Particularly, in the last few months, effectively letting Hashirama take most of the blows.

Her emerald green eyes looked up at him as she spoke with impassiveness and a straight-face that could rival Tobirama's own, the almighty Senju scowl.

"I understand, men... _need their privacy_. I get that, and if I'm interrupting your  _alone time_ , tell me. But-"

"What?"

_Need privacy?_

The only privacy he needed was away from her. Along with everyone else. _And what had she meant by alone time?_  There were clear connotations to her words, he just didn't know what they were. She sighed and regained her composure.

 _"But,_  your brother is out of control. I need your help." She was exasperated, he could see that. Whether it was from her foolhardy husband or the baby she was carrying, he had no doubt it was the husband. It was always the husband. Not wanting to take part of this, Tobirama already had a comeback.

"I'm sure you can handle it." He was about to shut the door once more, hoping that she would finally take the hint. Her response was no different. Instead of a foot, she put out her pregnant belly, forcing him to open the door even wider. A good five inch of that massive tummy had entered his room. That was the first infraction. To anyone, he would have probably kicked them out already, but he was taught as a kid to never go around kicking pregnant ladies.  _It is not appropriate_ , they said.  _It is dangerous,_  they said.  _Don't go around kicking pregnant woman, Tobirama,_  they said.

In this defense yet again, he did not go around striking his foot into the bellies of expecting woman, no matter how cruel they were. He simply had a theory when he was young, that his mother must have received a really bad kick to her stomach when she was carrying Hashirama resulting in him being born the way he was; damaged. Or, he was probably dropped on his head as an infant, that would certainly do it. His bet was always on the kick. All he wanted as a seven year old was to see the effects of blunt force trauma on the development of a fetus inside its mother's womb and its subsequent arrival, that was all. He wanted to know if other children would come out just as damaged. Was that too much to ask for?

Safe to say, this was not an experiment he had attempted nor will attempt to do, ever. It was a stupid theory his seven year old self pondered over for a very long time.

Then again, the only dangerous thing about any of this right now was the woman standing in front of him. Tobirama was not an imbecile, he did not want to cross her. Not now, not tomorrow, not in a week from now.

He took his own advice and calmed down a bit. Stepping back a feet into his bedchamber, to give her the space she needed.

"There's something wrong with him."

"I'm sure it's nothing a good pounding to the head with a pan won't fix." He shot back. He was kind of proud with that one. It wasn't too peevish, but it wasn't light either. His own advice was useless, especially since he felt snappy today. So, snappy was what she would get. Even if she couldn't handle another one of his smart-ass attitude, she would have to deal with it. By taking a deep breath and exhaling. Three times, she would repeat the same redundant exercise thrice as she was told to. It was supposed to calm her down, relieve her of whatever stress she was feeling; the only reason he knew any of this was because of Hashirama, who would- on numerous occasions- talk his ears off. Tobirama had no doubt that his elder brother was elated that he was about to become a father, but worse than that, he was petrified. With good reason.

"Well, Tobirama," She began, a wide smile plastered all over her face, "As I'm sure you know, I have already tried that."

_I bet you did._

"Do you recall when you said I could tell you if you're interrupting my alone time?" He asked.

"Yes?"

 _"You're interrupting my alone time."_  He told her.

That was...unbelievably easy. As he expected, she didn't take no as an answer.

"That is great, but I need you to fix him." She repeated, more urgently this time. But he failed to see what could he possibly do to fix his brother. He was born that way, it was far too late to fix anything. This was Hashirama, he figured she would have known that before marrying him.

"Fix him yourself, you're his wife."

"You're his brother, so-"

She raised her shoulders and shrugged.

"We could keep doing this if you want, but I think it would be in both of our interests if he got back his wits before the Uchiha arrived." She raised a valid point. One he couldn't refuse even if he wanted to. Except, he didn't know just exactly what was wrong with Hashirama. Was he drunk again or could she have been exaggerating just how unhinged he was?

He sighed.

He would at least check it out, see if it was worth his time to actually do something about it. He motioned for her to step back as he moved forward. Closing the doors behind him as he stepped into the hallway, he swore to himself that whatever happens, he would do nothing. Hashirama always found a way to ruin his days off. Whether directly or indirectly, there was always something up with his brother that always ended up at his doorway, be it in the form of Uzumaki Mito or a servant, Hashirama knew no boundaries.

They walked down the hall in silence. There was nothing to say. He _had nothing to say._ As opposed to her, she didn't mind making small talk, especially now where none of them knew how to communicate with each other.

"You know, I do not understand your brother sometimes." She confessed.

 _Neither do I._  Yet, he tried his best but it was getting harder and harder. Primarily lately.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he had a concussion from all those beatings he got to his head, you know iron skillets could be quite painful." He shot her a side-ways glance and saw that she was barely holding it together. The taut jaw, the clenched teeth, the tightly shut eyes; they were all features he was well familiar with. He was guilty of the same behavior when another person tried- and failed- to outsmart him.

"It is not anything like that. Do not fret. I will no longer hit him with kitchen utensils, Tobirama." She assured him, though it sounded far from reassuring. He gazed at her. Despite her recent outbursts, Mito still maintained that calm and dignified air about her. She carried herself well as one could expect of a woman of her status; wife of one of the most revered ninja of the shinobi world and a leader of her own respective clan.

She always had that regal look to her, a look befitting an empress. He often wondered how his brother could have gotten so lucky, but then he remembered she was also a willing participant in this marriage- unlike some whom he had known-so who was the real foolhardy one here?

The answer was both. Hashirama and Mito certainly deserved each other.

"Yes, well that's because you're no longer allowed anywhere near the kitchen."

Did she truly think he would not hear of this? He was just surprised that she was actually falling through with the order given by the elders. This only came after several complaints by the maids over missing appliances, pots, pans, knives, everything really.

But the more serious matter was because of her pregnancy. As she progressed along with it, it became intensely clear that she should not be found anywhere near potential harm. For her safety and the child's of course. If she had a problem with the way she was being treated, she sure wasn't being vocal about it. Though he knew she wasn't one to publicly protest against a decision taken. He was sure that she would have her own way, and probably without their knowledge either.

She decided to let his comment slide. For now.

They walked slowly through the tangled mess that were the halls of this household. For an outsider, this place would be considered a maze, an elaborate network of interconnected halls and corridors leading to absolutely nowhere yet headed everywhere. But for a resident, it was only slightly less confusing. The creamy doors, the contrasting wooden colors, the opulent and tapestries on the walls, the whole place was practically build to confuse.

"How is she like?" He heard a soft voice try again. She persisted, it seemed like she was that eager to talk. But Tobirama was confounded, who was she referring to?

"Who?"

He looked down at her and saw that she was still gazing forward, hands tenderly placed over her pregnant stomach. She didn't try returning his stare, so he returned to looking down the hall as well.

"That girl, the one the Uchiha leader marri-"

"I wouldn't know. And she's hardly a girl." His quick and snappish response this time around deserved a dubious look from his sister-in-law. He didn't need to turn his head to see those red brows raised just marginally, or how those green eyes must be wondering what the hell was wrong with him. She had stopped walking but he had continued only a few steps ahead before she responded skeptically.

"That was not what I meant. You are the only one out of us who had actually spend some time with her, surely you must know something."

He didn't understand why she was looking at him like that. Was there something wrong with what he said? He couldn't find a fault. For one, he really did not know anything significant about her. Having someone tail him for two weeks in a secluded settlement did not imply that he had come to know anything about her or her past, not by his definition. They shared meals a few times and then she would return to stalking him as usual. It had become a habit, so much so that he nearly forgot how unsettling the whole situation was. Secondly, being an eighteen year old was far from being a child. Adulthood came too early for him and his brothers. When he was eighteen, he was already infiltrating bases and leading his own units into war. So, no, she was not a girl nor a child.

"I don't." He replied nonchalantly. When she wouldn't budge another step, he turned around. She stood there, dressed in her embroidered, high-collared white kimono with a turquoise under-layer. Her hereditary bright-red hair was arranged in two buns, each held by pins and golden clips holding her bangs to the side. That rhombus-like seal mark on her forehead was perhaps the most distinguishing feature that Mito bore, it was what had set her apart from her fellow Uzumaki clansmen.

"You want to tell me you  _don't_  know anything, is that it?"

"Yes."

_Why is that so hard to believe?_

"Intriguing, I must say. Senju Tobirama does not know something. She must be exceptionally odd."

He didn't deny it nor did he confirm it.

"So, is she you-sort-of odd or Hashirama-sorts-of odd?" She demanded. She was neither, he couldn't quite explain it. In fact, he never really thought about it. She was just odd, he wasn't sure if there was even types of being odd. But now that Mito mentioned it-

"I believe it is more like out-of-this-world-sort of odd. Quite literally." He admitted. This was as close as he got to understanding her. Did he believe that she was truly out of this world? Tobirama wasn't sure. Did she behave like she was out of this world? Definitely. He couldn't say he had seen many enigmas in his life- except for one; Hashirama's existence- but he didn't doubt that she was well above that one.

"That's new. And you said you didn't know anything." She crossed her arms and pretended that she was annoyed with his lack of communication. Okay, she was not really pretending. This was how he was, he expected people to adapt with it, not the other way around.

"I don't." He repeated. He could hardly call that little observation as 'knowing someone'. Knowing someone would entail knowing their surname, their clan affiliation, their skill levels, their chakra natures and signatures, and other things that were not as important, things that were more characteristic; like their favorite color, their favorite meal, their hobbies and whatnot. He wasn't interested in knowing such personal things about people, but if he were forced to, he could not even come up with a legitimate alias for her.

His memory wasn't bad, if he was being truthful, but no matter how much he dug into the depths of his mind, he could not remember a single instant in which she revealed her last name. Seeing that she did not belong to a particular clan, her surname must be unique. Except, she had never mentioned it, not once.

_Strange._

_"_ Tobirama."

He heard his name being called out several times before he was finally snapped back to reality. Mito was standing in front of him, trying to catch his unwavering attention, her fingers pinching his cheeks.

"Yes?" He answered, irritated at the continuous nips. When she finally stopped, he rubbed the pain away from his left cheek.

"It's that way." She pointed towards the corridor that led eastwards, in the direction of the main hall where they were preparing for the Uchiha's arrival. He followed her footsteps, and the closer they got, the louder the commotion became. He could only wonder what the hell was going on. By the time they reached the archway into the vast chamber, everything was going downhill. Fast.

There, at the center of it all, stood the largest presence in the room. Hashirama towered over nearly anyone. Not just in height, but in his exuberant personality that was just as bubbly and warm as his chakra. The man was not subtle, not even when he tried to be. He was shouting buoyantly, flailing his arms around in every possible directions, commanding every single maid to change the decors of the room. His overlong, outstretched hands were a menace as they nearly knocked down china vases on multiple occasions. It did not escape the notice of several maids who were present since the early morning, decorating and cleaning the areas for the upcoming guests.

Tobirama spotted the various frantic looks and anguish on their faces as their eyes bulged out every time his elder brother came close to crashing into a pillar, or bumping into the bonsai pots, tripping over the low plank tables or getting swathed into one of the hanging calligraphic scrolls at the tokonoma; Hashirama was not making this any easier for the poor maids.

"Please, Hashirama-sama. Calm down. And get away from the ikebana." One of the young housekeepers pleaded with him, desperation oozing from her voice.  _"Anything but the ikebana."_

She was referring to the flower arrangement that had been placed in front of the five-foot long scroll. It was indeed a beautiful rikka arrangement, the colors of the Ume contrasted well against the Kosumosu flowers. Tobirama had surmised that it must have indeed taken them a long time to get the arrangement in order and to have their wildly ecstatic leader in the room as a constant danger, well- it wasn't far-fetched to say that none of them were happy about this. To have everything ruined in less than a minute was a scenario none of them wanted to see happen.

Of course, Hashirama hadn't a clue but thankfully hadn't done anything too serious. Yet.

Tobirama's cold gaze followed every hurried step Hashirama took. From wall to wall, pillar to pillar, the man wouldn't stop walking around like he was in a hurry, pointing at every corner of the room, at every detail he deemed not elegant enough, not welcoming enough; he spoke with such enthusiasm it was daunting.

"It's like...like something triggers him when he hears Madara-sama's name-" Mito hadn't even finished that sentence before a beaming Hashirama turned his head to their direction, finally taking in their presence.

"Has he arrived already?!" He asked, elated at the prospect of having the Uchiha arrive hours earlier than they were supposed to. Tobirama looked down on the young woman who was this man's wife. The confusion was abundantly clear on her face; the unevenly quirked brows, the batted lashes, the quiver of the lips but most of all, the frenzy in her eyes. She softened her voice before she replied back.

"No. But honey? Please leave these poor women alone. I am sure they know what they're doing." She tried talking him out of this. But he knew better, his brother was long gone, replaced by a fake, over-hyped, Uchiha-enthusiast dickhead. Sometimes, when his sibling would get into these 'delusions', there was only one way to get him out of it. The fact that he had not bothered with acknowledging Tobirama's presence, meant that he was already far under into whatever the hell this was.

That young maid stood before the great Hashirama Senju, blocking his path from reaching the tokonoma recessed area, from the ikebana. The black bags under that woman's eyes, the outstretched arms as if she was ready to take on the strongest shinobi her clan had seen if it meant it would protect her precious flowers; Tobirama could only sympathize with her. It was the same feeling he had whenever the other man came in near proximity to one of his experiments.

"You should see him in battle." He said mindlessly, to no one in particular. Though, Mito had heard and had looked up at him- brows drawn in concern-, waiting for him to elaborate.

Hashirama was a force to be reckoned with. The passion he exuded now was tenfold worse on the frontlines, except he put it to good used. Instead of using his fervor for inconsequential petty arguments, he poured his soul and energy into his attacks, his every blow, his power; it made him a formidable opponent. One that could beat-  _has beaten_ \- Uchiha Madara.

_But this..._

This was pathetic and he needed to regain his wits, just like Mito had said. Even if he swore to himself that he wouldn't do anything, he couldn't just sit back and ignore this.

"He's not functioning properly right now. Don't worry, I can fix him."

There really was nothing to worry about, he has done this plenty of times before. This was not really different. At the moment, Hashirama seemed to be in a heated argument with that servant about whether that scroll should be hung to the right or the left and if the size of the bonsai was too small for such a grand room and-

_Oh Kami._

If he had to listen a moment longer about this gibberish, he might lose his mind.

"Hashirama." He called out to the man, his voice deep and authoritative, assuring that he would firmly catch his attention. And he did. The tall tanned man with brown eyes turned to greet his younger brother at long last.

"Oh. Tobi-"

Unlike Mito, Hashirama was never allowed to continue his phrase as a powerful jet of water sent him flying back into an obscure hallway and further into the genkan until he went through the shoji that opened onto the outer entry ways, breaking the doors in the process and causing one hell of a mess. Debris and planks of wood scattered everywhere as Hashirama broke through the doors.

After kneading the appropriate amount of chakra in his stomach, Tobirama expelled a large enough quantity of water in the form of a powerful torrent and aimed it towards his ill-fated brother- yet it was not large enough to drench everything in its path. He made sure that the steady stream of water bypassed that tokonoma, avoiding that carefully set up masterpiece.

As for the woman, well- he figured she would rather get hit than let her work get the worst of it.

_Tiger- Ox- Tiger- Rat._

He had begun the signs just before Hashirama had fully turned around and registered in what was about to happen. In a blink of an eye, he had him flying through the hall and out of the house, doused in water and unconscious. His water bullet technique had more uses than just on the battlefield; like now, it came in handy for moments such as these. Everyone in the room came to a stand-still, silent and waiting for the boisterous man to stand up and come back with full force. But Tobirama knew that his brother wasn't going to stand up anytime soon.

_Just as well._

"There. I fixed it. Consider him reset." He said before walking back to his room. His job was done, there was no reason for him to stay any longer. He could feel several pairs of eyes, particularly a set of green orbs, focused on him, though he didn't let that get to him. Walking down the same corridor he came from, he was confident that Hashirama would magically return back with his common sense restored. He just needed some sleep.

A pair of shinobi were lifting the passed out motionless man from under the wreck as Tobirama made his way back into the comfort of his own room, nothing on his mind.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

_What is she doing?_

He was struggling to get the rest of his thoughts in order while being inundated with more than just water.

She swam closer and closer, until nothing separated them but their swamped clothes. Her body glued to his, she wrapped one of her arms around his neck heavily. Everything felt heavy, including her. The several layered kimono was only an extra burden, adding weight to her, weight he was ultimately supporting so both of them didn't sink to the bottom of this tarn. He couldn't float to the surface because of her, yet he couldn't sink any deeper unless they wanted trouble.

She didn't seem like she was going to let go of him any time soon, time he was wasting when he could be trying to get to the surface and _breathe._ When he managed to unlatch her grip, her other hand took charge and snaked around him. She kept pushing and pushing, until he found himself unwillingly sinking _._

_Fuck._

He felt her body slither against his, pushing all his right buttons, his only wish was that they weren't in some frozen lake in the middle of nowhere, but between the sheets of their bed. Preferably with that kimono off. This was no time to think about such things, he would convince himself except, it was incredibly hard when their faces were not even an inch apart. Their lips brushed as their eyes locked, her blue-tinted ones met his own in almost in a daring manner, egging him to go for it. Not that he even could in this position, that wouldn't stop from trying, though.

And try he did.

He should have known.

The moment her upper lip touched his lower, she retreated with a smile on her face. For a second, he thought she would have-

 _"Boo!"_  She shouted. Or what should have come out as shout came out as a distorted gurgling sound belonging to a drowning puppy. She laughed, or tried to, but the sounds were muffled by the water. Bubbles erupted from her lips, nearly blinding him and obstructing his vision. Her uncalled for giggles weren't the only thing that was blinding, her long hair came undone and tangled with his own floating mane, trapping them both within the confinements of their own strands. He couldn't tell what the hell was going on in that mind of hers, all he knew was that he needed her off of him. Now.

It was like she had read his mind and decided to make it that much worse. She let go of his neck and unraveled their dark locks. Using him as a leverage, she pushed both of her hands on his chest, shoving him deeper into the lake while she propelled herself upwards towards the surface, towards the light.

Just when he thought he couldn't fall any further, well- he didn't. His back hit something hard and rough, wide and uneven. It wasn't as painful as he thought it would have been as the water absorbed most of the impact. Curious to see what it was, he swiveled around swiftly, feeling the sandy floor underneath him. There were pebbles and rocks covering the area, with rippling algae sprouting from the ground every few feet or so.

Feeling that he could no longer hold his breath, he used the same method as she did. Pressing down with all his strength and force he could, he pushed himself upwards to where he could take his next breath using both his hands and feet. He swam forwards to the surface. The lake couldn't have been more than six feet deep, he concluded.

The nearer he got, that undeniable sensation of being able to take his breath was growing.

It was overwhelming. _Air_  was overwhelming.

_Finally._

It flooded his lungs, his body, everything. Who knew something everyone took for granted on a daily basis was such a gift? It was in moments like these when one came to appreciate the important things in life. But not Madara. He couldn't wait to get his hands on her. For the time being, he would take great pleasure in watching her try to get over the bank and fail. Every time. Not once, not twice, heck; not even three times. She would fail. Trying to support herself against the slippery earth, she hooked her fingers into the soil and pushed herself upwards a few inches. Only to fall back into the water with a brutal splash, a fistful of mud in her hands.

Again and again and again.

"Do you think, I don't know, maybe you could help?" She called out to him.

"No." He deadpanned. He would rather stay where he was, his lower body submerged in the water while he watched her struggle to get her ass up there. If he could, he would have crossed his legs and sat down under a shade, counting down until she either succeeded in getting up there or until she gave up. Either ways, he was sure it would have taken her a very long time in both cases.

She stared at him, unsure if he was serious or not.

"Please?" She whispered. He almost didn't hear it. The way she looked at him, it was so serious and so innocent, it was irresistible. To someone who didn't know her, as for him; he would have burst out laughing. This was the same women who tried to drown him, laughed in his face after attempting to kiss him and pushed him to the bottom of the lake. He had to remind himself, even if it was pretty hard to forget. So, no. He wasn't just about to help her. Not until she begged for it.

"I didn't hear that, say it again?" He goaded her in the most solemn tone he could muster. It didn't take her long to answer.

"Please." It was slightly higher, but not loud enough.

"Again." He ordered. He could see her strain against saying the words. If she wanted to get out of this freezing waters, she would have to suck it up. Still gazing at him, she gulped down her pride and said,

_"Please."_

It was much firmer and much louder, yet it still wasn't enough. He was very much enjoying this, and she could see it in the way he smirked.

"Please what?"

Taunting her, it was slowly becoming one of the favorite things he liked to do in the world. It wasn't that he didn't want to get out of the chilly water, he was aching to get his numbing body out and away from here. But his pride was bigger, and it won. Anytime, anywhere. He was going to get what he wanted out of her first and then he could take care of his own dilemma.

"Please, help me out." She finally said it. Yet, Madara couldn't get enough. He could never get enough, not from her.

"Help you out  _who?_ " He knew he was pushing his boundaries, but this was the least she deserved after what she had just done.

"Please. Help. Me. Out. Madara. Fuck."

If he had any say in the order those words were arranged, they would have had a completely different meaning. But well beggars can't be choosers. On second thought, he wasn't exactly the beggar in this situation. Should he lend her a helping hand? He was taking pleasure in this far too much to actually want to do anything about it. She didn't wait for his response. Smiling, she said in the most cordial tone he had ever heard out of her;

"Well, you Good Sir, could go shove it up where the sun don't shine. If you'll excuse me." She returned to climbing up the ridiculously short embankment. He couldn't believe what he had just heard, partially because he didn't understand the euphemism. He had guessed she wanted him to stick his helping hand up his-

This was one mighty splash. She had fallen back-first in the water, hands thrashing about after failing to properly grip the grass this time.

_What a shame._

She was so close this time, too. This would never end and they would most likely spent the rest of their lives in the water if he didn't do something about it. Against his good will, he took a deep breath and dove back into the water. In one single sway of his legs, he was already by her side, wrapping his arms around her waist and pitched her upwards with one push. He followed until they were both out of the water and beside the steep land.

She was heaving trying to take her breaths. Enough time was wasted and he didn't feel the need to waste anymore.

Without any warning, he gripped her by the hips, fingers digging into her clothes and raised her over the edge of the bank just far enough for her to grab onto the dryer part of land and raise the rest of her upper body out of the water. He heard her groan as she dug into the ground and tried to lift the rest of her body out.

_Come on._

_What is taking her so long? Couldn't she hurry up already?_  What could possibly be so hard about any of this? He heard more of her struggling moans and whimpers as she desperately tried to get out of the water. It was no use, he saw her slip back little by little. Her thick thighs were already submerging back in the water, the next part was-

Was one that would certainly give him a broken nose if she dove back in.

"Would you _..urgh..._ stop shoving my ass?!"

He had hands around her upper thighs trying to hoist the rest of her up so she did not end up falling on him.

"Yes, well, I don't want my face pulverized by  _your ass._  Now if you don't mind, get the fuck out of the water." He grumbled, halfheartedly. She knew it.

"Ha-ha. Funny." _Strange, she didn't sound pleased._  She twisted her neck to the side and looked down at him.  _"Oh please, you know you'd love it."_

He had to wonder where the hell did she get that much confidence? Was she back to hanging out with Izuna again? That could explain it, it wasn't likely, but it was a guess. He was beginning to second-guess his decision, he was this close to letting her fall back in the lake and helping himself up instead. All he needed to do was let go of her butt. No- thighs, he needed to let go of her thighs.

"Now, push!" She shouted back at him. For someone who was only in this position due of her own recklessness and lack of attentiveness, she sure did order a lot.

_You asked for it._

She couldn't come back and blame him for something she  _specifically_  asked for. And push he did. This would have been infinitely easier had it not been for their dampened clothes weighing them down, particularly hers. Those layers were becoming more of a hindrance than anything. Using not even an ounce of his true strength, he hauled her up in a single thrust, finally getting her to the flat side of the shore.

She let out a sigh of relief as she knelt on the ground.

As he was about to take his turn and jump out, a puny short leg stretched out almost knocking him back in the water if he hadn't caught hold of her ankles.

 _"Don't you dare."_  He warned her. She thought she could easily push him back again? Who did she think he was, an idiot? When he looked at her, he saw her grinning like a fool. It was exactly what she was going to do. Even after he had helped her out of the damn water, this was how she would have repaid him? A thank you would have been more than appropriate.

Not wasting a second longer, he used the muscles of his right arms and his legs to impel himself upwards while his left caught hold of a rock. Using it as support, he propped himself forward until he felt he was far away from the unstable bank. Sitting down on the ground, he could barely think. After being engulfed in such cold water for a seemingly long time, coming out of it was no better. The winds were not doing him any favor, intensifying the bitter sensation even more.

"Madara-sama, Mina-sama, are you alright?!" Yuuki rushed out of the forest on high alert.

Madara didn't have the patience nor energy to reply back. She, on the other hand, was wide awake.

"Yes, we're fine. Thank you." She assured the female ninja, who was still trying to piece together the events that had happened here just now. Good luck to her, because he couldn't even piece it together. Surely the sight of her mistress drenched in water, on her knees and arms heaving and gasping for air while her husband sat motionless, facing the less-than-frozen lake and avoiding all contact; well- it should have given Yuuki a theory or two.

The shinobi stood there for a minute watching them, probably still trying to figure out what was going on. Until she had the brilliant idea to leave them. Bowing down, she excused herself.

"Pardon me, I will go fetch something for you to dry off." With that, she had left them alone. Together. On the brink of a really cold lake. The lake wasn't the real danger here, it was Madara, who was failing to calm himself. How did he even get in this situation, where he was forced to prop her up by her bottom? Why was he in the water in the first place?

"This is all your fault." He said, not directly looking at her but at the eerily beautiful landscape before him.

"My fault?" She replied, her voice hoarse and rugged. A bit appealing, actually.

"If you hadn't tried to _drown me-"_

"If you hadn't let me fall off the bank-"

He shot her a glare that would have shut her up almost instantly once upon a time. But that was long ago. Now, now she... _laughed?_  Laughed. Safe to say, his glare didn't last for long as she dropped to the grassy floor and rolled on her back, facing the sky. She turned to look the other way, avoiding his gaze and covered her mouth with her kimono sleeve while she continued to giggle.

There was no point in trying to talk sense into her. He let her be as he returned to admiring the empty wilderness that surrounded them. Somewhere down the line, where the lake reached its other shoreline, Madara noticed an idle river sprouting from the wellspring of this grand bayou. _So, there is a stream?_

He couldn't see it clearly, but he could tell it was a murky olive color from the swirling of mud and dead algae, there couldn't possibly be any wildlife flourishing under such waters- not in the shallow part, not in the deep-, and even if there was, it would not visible to the naked it eye and definitely not from this distance. It extended from the heart of the forest like a thick artery branching from the heart. But unlike the strong and muscular blood vessels, it did not carry living blood but instead, all the debris that fell in from above, whether it were leaves, snow, branches; everything flowed slowly downstream.

Large skeletal boughs sprouted from the nearby trees and reached into the turbid waters of the lake and river as if trying to scoop up the swarming fish. Fish that were long gone. Swamp-like vegetation and old, rotting trees crept into the river's edge and created slimy pools of decomposed remains from withered autumn leaves and lemmas.

"When I first came here, I thought all of you were aliens. Aliens with atrocious haircuts, they were so horrible it made me cry." She chuckled. Her comment was outlandish to say the least, but the randomness of it was what truly caught his attention. He turned and found that she had scooched closer and sat next to him.

"You know, those ugly bangs you all seem to enjoy." She furthered her point by gesturing to a pair of hypothetical bangs framing her face, rolling her eyes in the process. "What's with those anyways?"

The more she talked, the clearer the insults became.  _Was she even aware of what she was saying?_ One would have to be beyond clueless to go this far. Then again, he was the one who let her get this far. Did she forget who he was?

 _"You have a problem with my hair?"_ He asked, not expecting an answer. Since, he was  _clearly_  being sarcastic, but that did not register with her. She did not seem intimidated, not one bit. He didn't know if the problem was with him- whether he was losing his edge- or that something was wrong with her, like she had just grown a pair of balls. If that was it, then he was wrong. She already had them, but they appeared to have grown exponentially since the last time he saw her. It wouldn't hurt to check what was hanging under the skirt again, would it?

She leaned closer, licking her lips and narrowing her eyes. The raspiness in her voice was all the more evident.

"You look like a damn porcupine."

It took him a while for that settle in.

_A porcupine? Really?_

It wasn't what he had expected to hear. He was not delighted. Being compared to a large rodent with spikes and quills on its back was far from a compliment, it was perhaps the worst insult he had heard and he had been called quite a few vulgar names, but this was somehow worse.

_Fucking porcupine._

This one would stick with him for a while. No one had ever called him this before. To be reduced to such comparisons, to be labelled a fucking porcupine; he would not let this fly over his head. She retreated, visibly satisfied with her little jibe. If he was a porcupine, then what the hell was she? In all fairness, none of them looked their best at the moment.

"As long as I am confessing, I might just as well keep going."

He should probably stop her, but-

"If I'm being truthful, I think your brother's a dick."

_Well, that is random._

How she could change subjects so effortlessly and so seamlessly, it was almost as gallant as Hashirama's abrupt mood swings. But she had said nothing new. Izuna had always been a so-called 'dick', so what was she complaining about?

She sighed, ready to unload the dirt she had on the absent Uchiha.

"Izuna has some serious issues. His sense of self-importance is just as big as your ego and he cares for absolutely no one. He wouldn't think twice about stepping over the weaker."

Madara felt that her venting was just starting. As much as he was interested in hearing what kind of things she had learned about his younger brother, it also hurt him hearing those words. It was by no means the first time he had heard them, only the first from her. But she got one thing wrong, Izuna did care. Just not for much, no one ever doubted his love and devotion to his clan nor to its leader. How he displayed it was another matter, one that may come off as crude or harsh or even as insensitive. She did not get that. Which he found odd, considering the amount of time she had been spending with said man.

"Sometimes I would think he's schizoid or even psychopathic, but he isn't. He's just.. _nuts._  He's worse than me. Not to mention his dangerous sense of humor. He's a walking menace, Madara."

_Still nothing new._

She took his silence as a sign to continue.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think about getting back at him for everything he has done to me. I want nothing more than to whip the living hell out of him till he  _begs_  for me to stop. Cut him open and have him hanging by his innards from the bloody ceiling.  _Oh God._  Or bang his head repeatedly into the floor until a crater is formed. Urgh-"

It was at this point he began feeling concerned. Not for her, but for his brother. The woman was able to paint pictures with her words. The graphic images that sprung to life in his mind would not leave him alone for a long time coming. Although, those images were the least disturbing of all. They were nothing compared to the look she had on her face; how she bit her pinkish lips in a seductive manner, how she rolled her pupils and muffled her moans as she gripped the skirt of her kimono; if he was right, then she was-

"Not gonna lie, it  _kinda turns me on. Umph."_

A red flag had spontaneously appeared. Who was he kidding? This flag had been there from the very start, when he first met her. He had chosen to lower it, thinking that she was some harmless and weak woman. It turned out that her thoughts weren't all that harmless after all. He saw her shift her thighs closer together and her hands laying over her kimono, straightening the creases that she had formed.

"Also-"

"No." This was enough.

"Huh? But I haven't even said anything."

"Stop. I heard enough." He heard plenty, some of which he knew he would be unable to un-hear ever again. There were things he would rather forget at this point, but his memory wouldn't allow it.

"Oh, you have heard  _nothing."_

 _What is she doing?_ Trying to creep him out? What purpose would it serve? He just...didn't understand  _her_ and it was irritating him.

"Fine. It's your turn."

_My turn?_

He raised her a brow, questioning. She raised one in return, wondering if he even understood what she said.

"Isn't there something you want to tell me,  _husband?_ " She cooed. What one would perceive as a gentle and enchanting voice, he heard it as the grating sounds of the gates of hell, opening and unleashing the fury that awaited him inside.  _She knew. How could she?_  That was the only thought that he could properly process. While he may have appeared composed and impassive, nothing but a frown on his face, but there was no denying it, the hairs on the back in his neck rose in anticipation rather than fear. Seeing that he wasn't replying any time soon, she took the liberty of answering herself.

"Oh you know, like why this little boy has this  _ridiculous_  idea that I go around spitting in people's mouths? Or why this  _unhinged middle-aged man_  is so confused that he feels the need to follow me around everywhere I go? And why he watches me while I sleep, unless that was part of his orders, too? Just food for thought, hmm."

He was relieved.  _So, she didn't know._ He went back to looking at the shining lake under the setting sun, sparkling and gleaming under the last of the daylight.

* * *

They were approaching the Senju gates.

The waning light was obliterated by the night. Night had fallen fast upon the land. No more than an hour ago the sky was painted with hues of purples, blues and greys, but all the colors had faded leaving only a dull black canvas with no twinkling stars shining upon them. The darkness was impenetrable and the torches they carried in hand hardly lit the gritty path they were walking down. It barely allowed him to see past an arm's length. Even if it flickered with flames, the heat it generated was never enough, it never reached his skin, his hands, his feet.

Other than the bleak darkness and himself, all that seemed to exist was the chilly wind the never seemed to cease. He could feel it nipping at his skin, pricking at his limbs. He could feel the hairs on his arm beneath his cloak rise in response to the raw coldness of the moonless night. The bitter tingling sensation it left him with did not just stop at the outer layers of his skin, it was more than flesh deep as it gnawed at his bones, wearing him down. This was what he got for walking hours in this weather.

His blood ran cold through his veins.

It reminded him of the countless cold nights he spent sleeping out in the woods, changing shifts, always on the look-out for the next attack; those days weren't that far behind him. It felt like it was just yesterday he was planning the next strike against the Senju, and now, he was walking up to their gates, not to fight but to talk.  _Talk_.

It wasn't something he had ever dreamed of doing, but here he was, standing in front of those familiar huge gates. Made of cedar wood and held together by giant wrought iron nails, the gates felt somewhat rickety and unstable. It had surely been sturdy strong when it was first made, although it was starkly apparent that it had not been varnished nor polished for many, many years and the decay had finally set in. The hinges and the nails had become rusted with time and rain while the emblem-adorned gates hung slantingly at a jaunt angle giving the impression that one good gust of wind could finish it off, toppling it to the ground and disintegrating it. It was a miracle it had stood this long without collapsing, it had seen many wars, many battles and many clashes.

"Madara!" That thunderous voice, it was unmistakable.

Hashirama stood at the entrance of the semi-iron gateway, waving frantically at the arriving Uchiha. Everyone stopped in their tracks, five feet away from the premises and not far enough from the ecstatic idiot who was greeting them. Before the Senju leader made a run for it, he was held back by a painful tug of his long hair, pulling him back to his place and preventing him from doing something a can leader should not be doing.

 _"You are not going anywhere."_  Tobirama hissed at him while keeping him leashed in his place.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would love to hear your reviews on the chapter! If it's criticism, I do not mind honestly, I appreciate any kind of feedback really.


	46. Uptown Drunks

__

**_Hashirama's POV_ **

They were walking down the main street.

This was not how he expected to end his night, he had counted on Mito for this but she had retired to her chambers earlier than usual. She had said that she was too exhausted, too fatigued to remain awake for the rest of the night. Thus, leaving him to greet her personally. It wasn't exactly that he dreaded it, he was simply not up for the task. However, he was clan head, which meant he had to do it either ways, whether he wanted to or not. He might as well do it with a smile, it would make it easier for both of them.

"And that's our dango shop." He said, pointing to the dimly-lit small shop that was closing up. Few people sat on the benches outside, eating the sweet treat. "Have you ever tasted it?" He asked, looking down at his guest. She seemed to be absorbing everything in her surroundings, from the open-fronted kiosks to the variety of small shops that lined the street and the nearby district. The compound was large for one of its size, relatively. It was by no means a village, but they had grown considerably over the past decades. Hashirama could recall how this place, his home, was no bigger than a few streets forming a neighborhood or two with houses clumped together and even less space for training.

But when the population began increasing, year after year, with more children brought into this world- for the mere purpose of fighting, no less- they had no choice but to expand, to build and erect new houses and flesh out. He had seen his people, his home grow and develop over the past few years. He wanted to see the same thing happen to this village that he and Madara had dreamed of as children.

"Your people, they're much...livelier." Her first words of the night were surprising, he could tell that she was not only attentive to the structures but to the people as well. Men, women and even some children were still out and about like any normal day. Some were laughing, others were simply chattering; but they all seemed to be going somewhere, wherever that may be. His people flocked to them like fireflies to a lamp, enthusiasm accentuating their features. The silvery melody of the drawl of normal people and the strong, distinct accents of those old shopkeepers drifted through his ears as they ambled past. There were bell chimes that tinkled incessantly as the people, both shinobi and non-shinobi alike- sauntered in and out of the shops. Various stalls and stores were still opened, some sold flowers and others sold goods, and working even until now. A blacksmith was working his way into the night as the little world inside these walls never stopped running.

"Ha! Actually we're not. It is just..that the Uchiha are more-" How does he say this without insulting her or her clan? "They're simply a quiet people.

The Uchiha were a colorful bunch, there was never an enough amount of words to describe them but he figured  _quiet_  would be the least offensive. Unless he misunderstood her and she was not referring to them, but from the way she spoke, who else could she be comparing them to?

"Pfft. You mean a surly grumpy people."

_That's another way to put it, I guess._

He laughed at her straight on depiction of Madara's clan, if not Madara himself.

"That works too." He couldn't help but agree. Looking back at her, he could see that he had lost Mina's attention once again to those brightly lit lanterns hanging from the roofs of each house, neatly burning candles kindling from within. Shadows of the flames danced across the colorful fabrics, orange to blue, each house was illuminated by a chosen color. Some were decorated, others were not. It was an admirable sight, such a myriad of colors gave life to the inky black canvas that was the night. She was very much entranced by the scenery that she almost tripped over a crate, bumping into a group of stacked barrels. Almost. If it weren't for the shinobi escorting them, she would have caused quite a ruckus. Swiftly guiding her to the side at the last second, they narrowly missed the storage containers. She lost her footing for a moment but quickly regained her composure. The ninja backed away into his original position.

"Are you alright?" He asked, worried. He tilted his head trying to see her face, make sure she was okay.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Thank you."

They continued walking down the street, aimlessly. Hashirama was doing his best acting as her guide but he had this feeling that she was going along with it for the sake of something he has yet to find out.

...

When he first saw them arrive just over an hour ago, Hashirama was instantly filled with glee. And then pain. So much pain. Tobirama did not spare him one of his trademark hair tugs that were his ultimate way to scalp him alive.

 _Good, hope it teaches you to finally cut that hair of yours,_  Tobirama had once said after a particularly painful pull.

Hashirama being Hashirama, he grew his hair even longer, making up for all those years where he sported that awful bowl-cut. Years and years of hair ruffling and yanking made no difference to him.

So, when he laid eyes upon the group standing a few feet away, he was puzzled.

Madara had looked awful with twigs coming out of his spiky hair which was disheveled and rumbled, his clothes in a disarray. A black cloak that barely fitted him, hardly went past his ankles. His other accompanying shinobi were right behind him, surrounding both he and his wife. For a moment, he couldn't see her present and thought that he had come alone. Until a small figure appeared from behind his back, hair puffed in an even greater disarray with similarly suspicious twigs in her hair along with a few dead leaves. A long shawl was placed over her shoulders protecting her from the cold. She had whispered something to Madara though he couldn't hear what.

All Hashirama could think was that they had come into some sort of trouble, a spar of some kind. But that couldn't possibly be true, seeing that the rest of the Uchiha ninjas were spotless, clean as a whistle and not a strand out of place.

_What had they done? Swim an ocean to get here?_

It probably wasn't the right guess either, because as far as he remembered, there was not an ocean that could separate them. Not an ocean, not a sea, nothing of the sort.

He had let them take their time to settle in and freshen up, especially after the long journey that they had just had.

Taking this as an advantage to go find Mito and introduce her to them, he had spent most of his time trying to get to her. As his luck would have it, she was long asleep and most  _definitely_  not wanting to be disturbed, as her personal maid had stressed clearly. Meaning that it was all up to Hashirama to host his guests for the rest of the night, since Tobirama spontaneously decided that this was the perfect moment to go scouring the area. It wasn't even his shift, yet he took it upon himself to take guard duty for tonight.

Hashirama knew better, his gut feeling was telling him it had nothing to do with wanting more work. His little brother always had a knack for avoiding things he didn't want to deal with or people he didn't want to see. He would know, Tobirama had tried his best to avoid him and his annoyance all his life. But now, it was different. He wasn't dumb, he knew his brother hated Madara. Although, he could also be trying to avoid Mina, for Kami knows what reason. His brother was a paradox within a paradox, forever inexplicable.

_Speaking of trying to avoid people..._

He had bumped into her in the middle of the hall. It appeared that she was lost, that was when he thought of taking her out to see the neighborhoodin an attempt to ease the tension. He doubted that she ever had the chance to really see what went on in the Senju compound when she was last here for his wedding. He offered to guide her through the complex, if she was willing, and much to his surprise, she had agreed.

Looking much better than when she arrived, she seemed to be delighted to be going out for some fresh air. He could have mistook her enthusiasm for something he didn't know or wasn't sure of, it wasn't particularly something he wanted to think of right now. Shaking off those thoughts, he called for a shinobi to accompany them as they made their way out into the night.

...

"It's very warm here." She commented, partly shocked but mostly elated.

He really couldn't disagree to a certain extent. In truth, it was indeed cold, to him at the very least. Although, it was incomparable to the freezing temperatures up north where the Uchiha stronghold laid.

"I guess you could say that." They never stopped walking. "It certainly is less colder here than it is where you live up north. In contrast to you, we're more southbound."

"Oh." She sounded fascinated, as if geography was a foreign concept to her, much like this world was. However, he couldn't help but notice that glimmer in her eyes. Whether it was a reflection of her awe or of the lanterns' flickering lights, he couldn't tell.

"But you know, the winter here isn't half as beautiful as it is up there in the Honshu forests. You are blessed with quite a view, if you ask me. Here." He pushed one of the curtains to the side, inviting her in. She hesitated at first, waiting for someone to elaborate.

"Don't worry, I won't kidnap you! It's just a tea house." He tried to break the ice, but was failing. It just made everything seem that much awkward. Instead of shutting up and letting the uncomfortable silence pass, he tried to laugh it off just as awkwardly as the whole situation was. She didn't seem to mind. Giving him a quick glance, she thanked him quietly and entered first.

He sighed, relief overwhelming him. There was something off about Mina. But then again, he didn't really know her. The only other time he had seen her was during the wedding and the morning after, when she was in full panic mode about Madara leaving her. Now, she just seemed composed. Too composed for someone who was unbalanced, according to Tobirama's words.

_Unbalanced?_

_Unbalanced._

He guessed that he would just have to find out for himself how unstable she was. After relieving the shinobi of his task, Hashirama entered the small tea house and took a seat next to her. There was no one else in the small cozy room save for them and the shop keeper. They sat on the stools in front of the wooden counters as the old lady in charge came to greet them. Setting the broom to the side, she stopped sweeping the floor and stood on the other side of the counter. Bowing down to her leader, she addressed him in the usual formal manner they were all used to.

"Hashirama-sama." She was smiling broadly, though it quickly toned down into a small nod as she hesitated to bowing down to the stranger that was in the presence of her clan leader.

Hashirama didn't need a sharingan to see through this facade, a pretense that extended well outside this simple tea house. There were harsh gazes some of his people reserved for certain Uchihas. To each their reason, but he couldn't just ignore it or dismiss it easily. Thankfully, some of these glares haven't made their appearance tonight on their walk, and that was probably due to the fact that most people couldn't tell that she was an Uchiha.

She looked nothing like them. If anything, one would say that her looks landed her more into their territory; appearing more like a Senju rather than an Uchiha. But this elderly woman could only begin to assume who Mina was and still wouldn't get it right had a hundred years passed.

Well, introductions were long overdue anyways, he might as well get it over with.

"Oba-san, this is the Uchiha matriarch. Mina-sama, this is-"

"Pleased to meet you." Mina greeted her with an equal smile, small and just friendly enough so it didn't appear as if she was hostile. The old woman replied with the same formality, more reserved this time.

"Likewise." She nodded and then returned her focus to the imposing presence in the room.

"The usual, Hashirama-sama?"

He nodded back and she disappeared into the back kitchen while he sat here, lost for words and sweating profusely.

 _Calm down Hashirama, she doesn't know anything._ Or so he tried to convince himself, there was no way he could guarantee that she didn't know about the wager. But from what he could tell from the moment they stepped into his homeland, she and neither Madara seemed to say anything about it, they didn't give off the vibe that they were angry, mad, frustrated or even happy.

Madara wasn't one to hide his homicidal tendencies, especially when it came to Senjus. So, he couldn't possibly know about it. As for her, he didn't really know anything about his wife, how was he supposed to predict her possible reaction? He couldn't even gauge the one she was conveying right now. It seemed like she was analyzing the place, gazing at every corner, every light bulb, every table and every cloth. The white interior of the place usually gave it a peaceful atmosphere, but her mere presence here was disturbing that.

"I hope you like green tea!" He exclaimed, half screeching and half shouting. She gave him a bizarre look as if he was the crazy one. "Sorry." He apologized in a hushed tone, taking back control of his voice.

"You're sweating." She pointed to his forehead, where the slick sweat seemed to originate and streamed down his face. Before he could reply, the back drapes were lifted letting through the old lady carrying a tray of steaming tea and dangos. Laying them down over the counter, she gave them the same restraint smile as before; wrinkles and creases finally appearing. Her white hair tied in a bun similarly to Mina's.

"Enjoy." She noted before grabbing the broom and returning to the back room, leaving them alone with the privacy they needed. Each took hold of their own cup and settled it before them. The hot vapor spouting from the cup was a clear warning to them, none of them was willing to burn the insides of their mouths just yet. Leaving the tea to cool down, they both sat in silence with each one contemplating on what to say the other. He could hear it. The wind outside was beginning to pick up, its howling and mighty roars gave this night the eerie vibe it rightly deserved. Swirling like tiny whirlpools in the air, draughts of wind slowly drifted between the curtains of the shop causing them to tremble and sway while a snatching of cool air coiled around their feet.

It was an exhilarating feeling, where raw cold met blistering heat; it made him feel...mellow.

"If you don't mind my intrusion, but where is it that you and Madara met?" He asked, still focused on the yellowish liquid in his cup, on the mini swirls in the center of said cup, stirring can do that but his mind wouldn't accept it.  _It is just like an eddy,_  he thought, he couldn't stop himself from making the connection. Everything was like an eddy nowadays. Eddy here, eddy there, he knew something was wrong over there at Uzushio yet he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was.

Her light chuckle caught his attention. He looked sideways, facing her and saw that she was smiling, the deep creases in her cheeks visible as her smile widened even more.

"Hmm, that would be a forest. We met in a forest." She took her first sip as she recalled that fateful day. From the look in her eyes, Hashirama could tell they didn't just  _meet_ , there was still plenty to tell and he wanted to know every single detail. Perhaps there was a side to Madara even he didn't know.

_How interesting._

"A forest?"

"Uh-hum." She began drinking as did he.  _Act normal_ , he had to remind himself. There were still people who were not used to his...behavior. He didn't want to give her the wrong impression right from the start.

"What were you doing in a forest?" What a weird place for a first-meet. She didn't seem to be bothered by the question.

"It's a  _very_  long story, maybe one for another time."

He returned to his tea, not knowing what else to say. A long story sure sounded fun, though his hunch was telling him this one was probably far from fun. Maybe harrowing, a bit distressing, a mix of both perhaps, but who was he to judge? He hasn't even heard it. Though, from the mere start of it, bumping into a war-torn, murderous and trigger happy Madara in the middle of a secluded forest was already bad enough. He couldn't envisage a story that could possibly be worse.

"I bet he was a gentleman, wasn't he?" He chuckled at the thought of Madara helping a lone damsel in distress. "Sweeping you off your feet and all." It was meant as a joke really, not some ironic jab at her encounter. She began laughing loudly, very much so that she was beginning to shake with laughter. Any more and might just go ahead and bust a gut. He was a bit unsettled as she continued to cackle longer than he had liked, his joke wasn't even that funny.

"Sweep me off my feet alright." She calmed down a bit. "And knock me against a tree. Break my spine in two while at it, pfft."

"Ha-ha?" It was his turn to burst laughing, thinking this was a joke as well. Though, considering Madara's nature, he wouldn't be too surprised if that was exactly what happened. She looked him dead in the eyes, all mirth was gone and replaced with a serious front.

"I'm not kidding." She said solemnly.

He swallowed before gulping down the rest of his tea, eager to change the subject.

_He sure knows how to treat a lady, that Madara._

No wonder she was a bit off, did he hit her on the head?

It left a sour taste in his mouth. Then again, it could be just the sudden realization that, that-

The tea wasn't enough, he needed something stronger, more intense, but above all, more intoxicating. At that moment, an idea had already deep-seated into his mind, pulling every string there was to get him out of this tense atmosphere.

"I think a moment like this calls for a real drink, wouldn't you say?" He offered to take her with him. She had every right to say no, but from that wicked smirk on her face and the bright lustre in her eyes, he could tell that she wouldn't refuse.

_"Thought you'd never ask."_

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

_What have I done?!_

He couldn't stop chastising himself. How could he have left them alone together and expect the world not to come to an end?

_What was I thinking?_

That was just it, he wasn't thinking. All he wanted was to leave the moment they arrived, find himself something to do. Like work, work was the perfect excuse. Seeing them arriving in the distance, his fears were finally laid to rest. If something had happened to them- which was unlikely considering who they were walking with-, he was sure that they would never hear the end of it from the Uchiha.

But here they were, walking up to their gates, around three hours late.

On first glance, they looked like phantoms aimlessly haunting their dark woods. Step by step, they became clearer. Less ghost-like and more Uchiha-like, then he realized the only one who looked out of place was the guest of honor himself. The guy looked like a mess, smelled strange too. There was no way he would let his brother get anywhere near him like that.

In reality, that was simply an excuse to pull at Hashirama's hair and leash him like a dog. A clan leader can not be going around hugging other clan leaders, especially when they smelled like rotten carcasses and had the appearance of a raccoon who just invaded some trash can. Well, if he had to be honest, Madara didn't look that bad. Just a few strands out of place, remnants of broken branches sticking out of every crease in his clothes as much as his hair, dead leaves cluttered his cloak. Everyone else seemed to be relatively clean.

Everyone but her. He hadn't realize that she was even there, hiding behind him, until the moment she decided to reveal herself by peeking out from behind his back and taking a look at the sobbing man in his hands.

It had been a long while since he saw her, but he hadn't forgotten what she looked like.

And she did not look like  _that_.

A copy of Madara, that was what she was. Same exact look, except in place of the spiky hair, her wavy locks were ruffled and unruly, much like a bird's nest. Strands were tangled and refused to be tamed; overall, she had looked absolutely bizarre.

_What did they do? Wrestle in the mud?_

On second thought, he did not want to know what they were doing or how they ended up looking like that, as long as they were alive, then nothing else mattered, meaning he didn't have to stay there a second longer.

He didn't.

...

It had been four hours since he left Hashirama to take care of their guests. Which he now just figured out that it may not have been the greatest idea he has had. What's more was that Mito also seemingly decided at  _the same time_  he did, to leave such a responsibility to her husband as well. What a disastrous coincidence. At the very least, one of them should have been with him. Tobirama had counted on her presence.

_How to fix this?_

He was already working under the assumption that something had already went wrong and whatever semblance of peace they had back home was crumbling into chaos. Making him the only one able to salvage things, because at the end of the day, he was Tobirama, the fixer of all things and an expert in cleaning up after Hashirama's mistakes.

It was just past midnight and he was making his way through the halls, wondering where the hell everyone was. Most shops had closed by now and there was not a soul wandering the empty streets. Even the maids, very few were still awake at this hour but when he caught sight of one, he grappled with the chance and did not let her go straight away.

"You there." He called out to her.

"Yes, Tobirama-sama?" She let go of the basket she had been carrying and greeted him. He was still in his gears and armor, the clanking of metal would surely wake up the residents who were already sleeping, but he couldn't care less.

"Where's my brother?"

This game of hide-and-seek was getting to him. He wasn't in his room as he was informed, not in the training grounds- not that he had even been there as of late-, he wasn't even in the dining room nor the main hall. This place was far too big to keep searching room by room. He would just have to rely on his luck- or

He could actually put effort and try sensing his brother's chakra signatures.

Not only did he not want to waste effort on him, but he was also extremely tired coming back from scouring their territories. He just wanted to go to his room and lay back in bed, letting nature take its course as sleep blinded his senses. But not before he cleaned up after the aftermath of a meltdown, or better yet, prevent the disaster before it even occurred.

"Hum, I believe he's in one of the guest rooms. Two halls down, to the left."

He didn't waste a moment longer, he began moving in the direction that she had gestured.

"Wait!" She called out to him. He was already impatient, how far did she want to test his limits? When he turned around, he finally recognized her. She was that young woman he doused with his jutsu earlier that morning. She could tell that he was not in a happy mood at the moment- evidenced by his growing frown- but she had to interrupt him.

"He's with..a- uhm- guest." She twiddled with her fingers as he gave her one of the most iconic looks he was known for, one that usually told them to shut up or say something that wasn't stupid. It was fascinating how he could say so much in so little words, if any at all. The deadpan look sure made her feel like an idiot for blurting out the obvious. Not wanting to intrude on his precious time any longer, she held the basket and left silently, her dignity handed to her. As for him, he was on his way to that guest room.

There was a great chance that it was Madara in that room. If that was the case, he would leave. And if it was anyone else, he would still leave. But first, he had to check if his elder sibling was alive and in one piece.

_There it is._

He was at the end of the hall that led to the room Hashirama was supposedly in. It appeared to be true, as the lights inside were shining bright with shadows moving in the background. The whole corridor was unlit while the only light came from that suspiciously bright room. He started walking towards it, with the noise gradually increasing as booming laughter and shattering glass echoed.

It wasn't Madara, he didn't sense him. Even if he wasn't using his own chakra, shinobi like him or his brother were hard not to notice unless they didn't want to be, and at this distance no less. He could feel Hashirama's own in abundance, but there were no other signatures. Yet, there was another voice in there, cackling and talking. It was feminine.  _It could only mean-_

His hands brushed the black lacquer, latching into the round finger catch but never sliding the fusuma door open. Similar to shoji doors, they have sheer semi translucent panels that separated rooms apart or acted as doors. He could hear everything that was going on inside and one thing had particularly caught his ear's attention.

 _"You must answer me this, Hashirama. Promise."_  Mina said, seemingly happy with a hint of eagerness in her voice.

 _"Of course, of course, what is it?!"_ Hashirama replied, perhaps even more ecstatic than she was. Which he began to suspect wasn't due to his natural carefree personality but-

_Kami, he's drunk, isn't he?_

Having a tipsy Hashirama around her was not a good idea. What if something bad happened? What if Madarahappened to walk in? There was only so many ways that this could go wrong. Resigning himself to finally sliding the door open, something stopped him yet again.

_"Tobirama."_

_Huh?_ He hadn't expected to hear his name in the middle of this yet-to-be-determined conversation. To hear his name on her tongue-

_"So, what's his deal?"_

_"Huh? What do you mean, Mina-c-"_ A hiccup _, "chan?"_

 _"Well, you see, I've been wondering since the last time I've been here..."_ There was a pause before she continued. He had heard rattling of bottles followed by more gulping of what he no longer doubted was sake.

 _"Does his..."_ There was this sharp ripping sound that eclipsed the words that she had just uttered. He was leaning as close as possible to the door, his ears practically glued to the panel trying to catch on to what they were saying. Any closer and he might fall through, breaking them to pieces. He cursed under his breath as he missed those words.

_"-match his you know what?"_

_"What do you mean?"_ Hashirama sounded confused, much more than Tobirama was. He was internally grateful for his brother's doltish mindset when he was drunk, now she would have to repeat her question.

_"Does his you-know-this matches the color of you-know-that? The curtains and the-"_

_Not this again, is she talking about carpets and drapes again? What is wrong with her?_ Just when Tobirama was about to put it past him, here it was, practically offering itself to him. The fact that Hashirama still hasn't answered after nearly a minute meant that he didn't get the reference either.  _Good,_  he wasn't the only clueless one around here. He must have been scratching his head over and over trying to find a meaning to her words. A part of him felt proud.

_"Oh, I get it!" He exclaimed._

_What?!_ That couldn't be right. How could he know while Tobirama didn't?

_"Oouh, you're talking about Tobi's pubes, eh Mina-chan."_

_..._

It appears that there was wax accumulated in his ears because he was sure that he had not heard what he thinks he had just heard. As if that had made sense. He had to rewind back a few seconds when the word pubes reverbrated across the walls of his mind.

_...Tobi's pubes._

_Pubes. Pubes. Pubes._

The word sounded...creepy. This wasn't enough. He had to rewind back to a few months on that wedding night.

**[...]**

He smelled the sake a mile away, before she even called out to him.

"... _fancy seeing you here._ " He contemplated if he should even answer her. He knew from experience,  _experience being Hashirama himself,_  that talking to drunks was useless. They didn't listen nor pay attention to anything or anyone besides themselves. But...

"Yes. Fancy seeing me here in my own home." He retorted but just as he expected, that rhetoric comment went straight over her head.

 _"I know. Congratzzz by the way. So, you're next in line eh?"_  She giggled as she said so. He didn't respond this time. He didn't know how to.

 _"So you are! Who's the lucky gal? Hmm?"_  Mina kept prodding him in search of an answer she wasn't getting. _"Or shall I say guy?"_

"Of course not!" Tobirama didn't hesitate to correct her.  _How dare she insinuate something like that?!_ Even if Tobirama has never taken a woman yet, and that included to bed, no one until now had dared say that he was into members of his own gender.  _It was outrageous!_ _But was it what everyone truly thought?_

If this woman, who barely knew him for more than ten minutes, managed to conclude that, then what would the others who have known him for years would think? Surely, they've come to their own conclusions but who's to say it wasn't similar to the one she just blurted out. It began to distress and worry Tobirama.

 _"Aiiiee relax would you?!"_  She raised her hands as if in surrender and he saw the bottle which was the source of her stupor. _Had she drank it all?_

 _"So, I've always wondered. Are you like really.."_ She looked to her sides as she lowered her tone, as if someone would listen in on the 'big secret' she was about to reveal. She brought her hands to her mouth and said as inconspicuously as she could,

" _Are you like an albino or did your mama, you know..."_ She winked at him. It took him a moment to catch on to what to she was suggesting and it shocked him as much as it angered him.  _She had the audacity to even-_

_"But Butsuma would have had her head no? I mean he strikes me as a mean guy. Like really mean. A bully.. pfft. What a mean bully. You would know."_

Even if they were just two sentences, she described his father down to the point. As if it wasn't strange enough, the fact that she even knew that put Tobirama on high alert. Sure, it was known to most about what kind of person and father Butsuma was, but this woman shouldn't have known.  _She didn't belong here_. He knew that much. It was the only explanation he could arrive at. No wonder her presence had always bothered him even if, believe it or not, he still didn't have a logical reasoning. Even so, Tobirama was shocked that she could so casually suggest his mother could have betrayed her husband so intimately as that. Butsuma surely would have had her head, the woman was not wrong.

She may have been drunk but she wasn't completely gone out yet. He waited for her to continue, curious to know just how much she  _knows_. And maybe then, he could understand who she was and where she came from. He only needed more proof to confirm what he was already suspecting. However, she didn't blabber on as all her sensibility was gone. Instead, she questioned him about his skin color.

 _"Man, I'd place my bet on being albino. You're white as a sheet! I'd have taken you for a ghost if it weren't for the makeup you paint on your face! Swish swish swish!"_  She swung her arms around in an attempt to mock him by pretending to put on makeup herself.  _"So how long does it take you to.."_ She sneezed and it sounded like a tiny kitten struggling horribly to take in its first breaths, it was scary. Another sneeze was followed by more loud noises. He had to wonder if she was allergic to something that she had already ingested or was currently smelling.

 _"Right so where were we?"_ Her short term memory was as refined as that of a rock. Another thing he had just learned about her.  _"Yeshh, you're white, aren't you?"_

"Yes I am. I didn't think it was that obvious. But kudos to you for figuring that out." Unintentionally, he couldn't hide his snarkiness any longer.

 _"Ooh, contemptuous, are we now?"_ His snide comment didn't pass her by like the previous one. Yes, sometimes Tobirama could be critical, not just of the people around him but to himself just as much. It would make him appear judgmental and scornful. It was true, he always tried to find fault in everything. It was just the way he was and he was doubtful that he would change now or any time soon. He didn't reply back.

_"Hmpff, despite your attitude problem, you've always been my favorite hokage. And the sexiest too..."_

_Hokage?_ His ears may have also caught on to that hint of flattery but he couldn't be sure, he had no idea what she was talking about. A hokage, in literal meaning, meant a fire shadow but before he could even ask what the hokage was, she went on.

 _"I mean what's not sexy about that face. I mean just look at it..."_  She came forward a step, raised her free hand and tried to grab his face. He took a step back to avoid getting anywhere near her.

_"From that white hair, down to that crazy jawline and... Speaking of which..._

_Do the carpets match the drapes, hmm?"_

Tobirama was only growing more puzzled by the second. He couldn't comprehend what she was talking about now. She had been chattering about how his father was a brute then went on to somewhat compliment his looks and finally ended up talking about carpets and drapes. All in the matter of two minutes.  _What did she care about the carpets and drapes matching? Unless it was some kind of euphemism..._ But he had never heard anyone use this term to refer to...Well he didn't know what she was honestly referring to.

And then Izuna invited himself into their conversation. The way those two interacted with each other, it was clear to Tobirama that they were more than just friends. Her apparent lack of use of the honorifics, something he had also picked up on the moment she introduced herself, didn't just extend to him but to Izuna as well, and Madara too, later on.  _How could someone like Izuna end up with someone..? Just what kind of person was she?_

**[...]**

Suddenly, everything seemed so clear right now. Very clear.

Carpets and drapes.

_Carpets and fucking drapes._

How could it have taken him this long to figure it out? And how could she have been so crude yet so subtle? To be that low-key and delicate with her words, it was evident that she was an expert. He felt so stupid for being incapable to decipher her euphemism, but felt even more embarrassed and shy about it. The heat in his face was rising.

 _"Well, to answer you-"_  Hashirama began.

"NO!" He broke down the panels with a push of his arms when he had tried to open it instead. He may have used more force than he had anticipated, tearing through the sheer partitions and yanking them from the wooden rails that held them in place, but was also the very cause of their movement. The panels fell to the floor with a loud bang while the broken wood went flying to every corners of the room, scattered and splintered.

The tenants of the room seemed awfully surprised but were too intoxicated to actually react.

"Well, that's good to know." She said, drinking straight out of a bottle. He hadn't meant to answer her question, even if it was the wrong response. He didn't care when he had thoughtlessly blurted it out. The only thought that was going through his mind was that he would do anything to keep Hashirama from answering that inappropriate question. In doing so, he had inadvertently replied himself.

 _"You..."_  He glared at his severely drunken clan head, unable to contain his anger. There was a light blush spread across Hashirama's cheeks, not from shame- the man had no shame- but from the inebriation. Though, it paled in comparison to Tobirama's raging fluster, the entirety of his face was tinged with a deep red one could only get when they were seething with fury or when they were so embarrassed, they were mortified with humiliation. In his case, it was a mix of both. It was something they didn't really need to know.

"Tobi, it's so good of you to join us-"

 _"Shut up!"_ He snapped at him then turned his focus to the woman sitting beneath his feet. Her long brown hair fell to her lower back, wave after wave just like the sea. Her eyes looked up at him, boldness and intrepidity reflected in the depth of her irises. She grinned and the dimples in her cheeks deepened, meeting his harsh gaze with a dauntless one of her own.

"Hey Tobes, stop being such a  _buzzkill_."

_How dare she?_

Such informality was an insult, to him and to anyone of his position. She had never crossed this line, yet here she was doing it. In reality, it wasn't the informality that was irritating him as much as her nicknaming him Tobes.

_Tobes._

'Tobi' suddenly sounded that much better, but Kami forbid he get anything to go his way.

"Tobes? That's brilliant!" Hashirama gushed, happy at the newfound name he could forever damage him with.

"I know right?!" She responded. Clinking both of their sake bottles together, they cheered before gulping down their fair share of alcohol. They completely bypassed the porcelain sakazuki cups and went for the bottles meant that he was already too late, they were shit-faced drunk. He could see the scarlet tint begin to color her pale face, starting from her forehead and slowly yet surely creeping down to her plump cheeks and her neck.

"Come here!" She crawled over to his elder brother's side and roughly slapped her arms around his neck, nearly making him drop the bottle in his hand. It was then that Tobirama had realized the amount of sake bottles that rolled across the floor and over the table, surrounded by empty plates of food, used napkins, tea cups and water jugs. It was as if they held a feast in here.

"You know, everyone says you're stupid,  _Hashiii-ra-ma,_  but I think that you are just too kind, hmm." She giggled as she nuzzled into his ear, causing him to laugh even louder.

"Stop it, it tickles!"

Tobirama couldn't believe his own eyes, he simply couldn't accept what was happening in front of him. If Mito stumbled in at this very moment, it would-

_Forget Mito, Madara will kill them._

Two of the least desirable people were sleeping a few halls away, unbeknownst to them what was going on in this room. He took a step forward, ready to strip her away from his brother.

"That's funny. Tobirama always said you were unstable, but I think you just want to have fun."

 _Fuck. Hashirama, shut your mouth._ He silently pleaded with his brother to keep his mouth closed before he said anything else. It was hard considering Hashirama couldn't keep eye-contact with him constant for more than a split of a second.

"Is that so? Well, Tobirama,  _I do like to have fun."_ Unlike her drunk counterpart, she could hold his daze steady, for days if need be and he still wouldn't be able to tear his eyes away from hers. There was something about it, something conscious and fully alert, in contrast to his brother's sluggish movements. She smiled at him, not the heart-warming kind but the cold and distant sort.

"You need to leave." He ordered her, trying to take control of the situation.

"Don't be rude to our guest Tobi, we were just talking!" He whined like a little child would when a grown-up tried to steal his candy away from him, he was this close from throwing a fit. He was beginning to seriously doubt his brother's words. Talking was what they were doing the  _least_.

"Oh really? About what." While he would have loved to hear the rest of that unconventional conversation, there were boundaries not to be broken nor crossed, yet Tobirama could name around fifty they were breaking just within this room. This was bad. And he couldn't help but notice how her arms were still lingering where they shouldn't be. When she realized what he was staring at, she removed them though not fast enough.

"About how Madara is a better water-stylist than you." She claimed as she stood up, sake bottle still in her grasp.

_Hold up._

"Madara? Better than me?  _Repeat that again."_

What an insult. Who did she think she was? Madara could never beat him in water release, he was a fire style user for Kami's sake. Did she even know what she was talking about?! Perhaps all that sake had finally gotten to her mind.

"You heard me." She began circling him, skipping every other step and twirling as if she were a dancer. "Madara. Is. A. Better-"

"Prove it." He dared her. His ego was finally getting to his head, making him push everything else- important or not- aside.

"Aren't I right Hashirama? Madara is better, isn't he?" She referred to his brother for back-up to which he surprisingly confirmed. Tobirama didn't buy any of this, what kind of joke were they playing?

 _"Prove it."_  He repeated, growing irritated. He crossed his arms, waiting for her to prove him wrong but she only turned to give her back to him.

"I would, but that would require me to have a dick, to which I  _don't_ ,  _buuuut_ -" A pause, "This will have to do."

 _What_? Before he could process the structure and the meaning of the sentence,-  _wait, where's that sake bottle?!_ In a blink of an eye, she turned on her heels a full one-hundred eighty degrees, and- to Tobirama's absolute and worst shock in his life, a strong jet of water came spurting his way. He was so stunned, he couldn't move, he was frozen in place, rather letting his face get drenched in-

_"Water style: Piss no Jutsu! HO TAKE THAT!"_

His eyes widened as drops of amber colored liquid dribbling along his face. The rush of the urine- no,  _it_   _was...it was sake_. It had stopped. Still, it didn't mean that he was any less disgusted. He rubbed his face violently, trying to get every drop dried before irritation seeped into his eyes. He stepped back, almost tripping over a wooden plank but caught himself at the last moment.

_Dammit!_

_What the hell was wrong with her?_

Her loud laughs mixed with Hashirama's own were contagious. Not in the sense that made him want to laugh with them, but in the sense that he was this close from losing it, turning him mad along with their insanity.

"I must admit, your aim is better than Madara's. Ha!" He finally stood up, praising her weirdly accurate aim. Wobbly and barely able to hold himself together, he walked flimsily over to where she stood, with a sake bottle attached to her lower midriff, where a dick-

_She isn't just unstable, she is out of her fucking mind._

Safe to say, Tobirama was still furious and in a frenzy, even as he wiped his face with his white fur collar. He tried to muffle every cuss word he could think of calling them under the white fur. He felt like he was in a mad house, trapped with the most sickening, humorless little idiots there could have ever existed.

"Want to dance with us Tobirama?!"

 _"I'd rather die!"_ He shouted back, no longer caring as to who was speaking. To him, they were all-in-one Hashirama. If this was his idea, Tobirama would make sure he paid for it. Pumping Uchiha Madara's wife with alcohol until she turned into a second, slightly more annoying version of him and bringing her to a private dinner for two was not a good idea, in this world or the next. Judging from the way those tatami mats were placed and how everything was set, this was most definitely a dinner for two.

_Kami._

He goes out for three hours and this was what he comes back to. The world didn't have to end after all, hell would soon arruve at their doorstep.

"Come on Hashirama, on the count of one, two, three-"

"No. Stop." He warned them, but they wouldn't listen.  _Fucking drunks._

They started snapping their fingers, twisting their steps, rocking their hips; all in synchronization as if they had been practicing. This wasn't happening, he tried to convince himself but one look from her and he knew everything was gone. She whipped her hair back and winked at him, daring him to put an end to something she knew was long out of his control.

 _"This hit, that ice cold_  
_Michelle Pfeiffer, that white gold_  
_This one for them hood girls_  
_Them good girls straight masterpieces_  
_Stylin', wilin', livin' it up in the city_  
_Got Chucks on with Saint Laurent  
_ _Got kiss myself, I'm so pretty"_

What was this? He couldn't tell what they were singing but it seemed so organized, so coordinated; he was sure she was responsible for this. Their voices blended together roughly, with the words following a certain melodic tone that echoed across the room in booming sounds. Wrapping their arms around each other, Mina and Hashirama showed no signs of stopping as they sang in unison;

 _"I'm too hot (hot damn)_  
_Called a police and a fireman_  
_I'm too hot (hot damn)_  
_Make a dragon wanna retire man_  
_I'm too hot (hot damn)_  
_Bitch say my name you know who I am_  
_I'm too hot (hot damn)_  
_Am I bad 'bout that money, break it down"_

 _"Stop this madness now!_ " He snapped back at them with the most spiteful tone he could imagine using, but like the drunkards they were, they had absolutely no idea he even existed.

Hashirama began laughing while she marched on.

 _"Girls hit your hallelujah, whoo!_ _Girls hit your hallelujah whoo. Come on Hashirama help me out!"_

She was egging him on, encouraging him to follow through with this foolishness.

There were times in which Tobirama felt like even blindness would not cure him of the sights that he had seen throughout his life, well- this was one of those scenes. His grown brother, aged twenty-eight, married with a kid on the way- was dancing, dragging his feet across the floor in a sliding motion while wriggling his arms.

_"'Cause uptown funk gon' give it to you."_

_"'Cause uptown funk gon' give IT TO YOU, shake it Hashirama!"_

They returned back to singing together, turning their volume that much louder.

 _"Don't believe me just watch_  
_Don't believe me just watch_  
_Ta, ta ta, whoah  
_ _Hey, hey, hey, oooh"_

He began stepping back, slowly so they couldn't notice him. Tobirama had given up, with enough traumatizing memory to last him for the rest of his life, he figured it would be best for his sanity to remain intact and get out of there. Whoever stumbled upon them- Mito, Madara or whoever- would be their problem. He had come to conclude that this was never his  _problem_  to begin with and he would not make it his  _problem_.

They were still at it, drunk out of their minds, faces flushed and hands flailing in the air as if raising an imaginary roof. His pace increased, until he didn't care anymore. He was about to turn around and walk out of there but ended up bumping up into his cousin, Touka.

"What the-" They both exclaimed, rubbing their heads from the impact.

"What are you doing here?" He asked sternly, completely blocking the view behind him.

"I heard you were back." She replied, the typical hoarseness of her voice never wavering a pitch "I thought I should hand you this so you could give it to..." Her voice trailed off while she peeked over his shoulders to the ongoing disaster in the room. As much as he would have loved to shove her out of there before it was too late;  _it was too late_.

 _What the hell_ , he heard her mutter as she moved closer to the room, watching the spectacle that was going on. She seemed so fascinated with it, her hazel eyes widening in response. Her lips- painted a dark maroon color much like her intricately tied hair- parted in an oval shape as he could barely hear her astonishment.

"Wow.."

 _"Uptown funk you up_  
_Dance, jump on it_  
_If you sexy then flaunt it_  
_If you freaky then own it_  
_Don't brag about it, come show meh"_

Touka took another step forward, stopping as she reached the frame of what were once doors to this chamber. She crossed her arms as Mina and Hashirama returned to singing the chorus at blast volume, not sparing their audience a single moment to decapitate their ears. Tobirama followed, scowl in place and a temper in check. Barely.

_"Stop, wait a minute."_

For a second, he actually thought they were talking to him. Or Touka. Or a ghost, he wasn't sure. Being drunk, they stopped midway of their performance and placed their hands on their waists. They started swinging their hips, side to side, back and forth in a hypnotic motion. The view, despite the severe undertone of the whole situation, was quite a funny one. With Hashirama towering over her, standing by her side and mimicking her motions, Mina seemed to be the one in control, the one whose catchy voice eclipsed his brother's rough one.

"Bold as brass, that one. Huh." Touka said, referring to that guest they were hosting.

"Tobirama?" She called out to him, a strange nuance in her words.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to leave now, before this gets bloody." She was finally able to tear her eyes off them and look at him. "I need you to give this to him, when..uhm...when he's more stable."

Without another word, she had disappeared into the cold night. The Senju heir stood there, on the verge of the dark hallway and examined the missive he was handed carefully. It had Uzushio's seal on it; the characteristic circular swirls remnant of an eddy belonged to the Uzumaki. He began speculating on the contents of the message, to no avail. Only Hashirama would be able to open it anyways. Looking back up again, he was reminded of why he had always been the logical, level-headed one. And why he certainly stayed away from alcohol, or at least tried his best.

Just looking at them was tiring him out. Not to mention that killer headache that was threatening to split his head apart. He had hoped that they would tire themselves out but they seemed far from being finished, especially with new unopened sake bottles in their hands.

_"Fill my cup, put some liquor in it"_

On cue, Hashirama opened a bottle and filled her cup to which she happily slugged down in one sip. Tossing the cup to the floor where it shattered into thousands of glass shards, Mina only got more disturbing.

 _"Take a sip, sign a check_  
_Julio, get the stretch_  
_Ride to Harlem, Hollywood_  
_Jackson, Mississippi-eh_  
_If we show up, we gon' show out_  
_Smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy"_

Just when he thought they were about to go back to the chorus yet again, they didn't. They hummed as they frolicked around the room, twirling and spinning, completely oblivious to the absurdness of the whole situation.

If he couldn't get to her, he would try to reach out to Hashirama for the last time.

"Brother, stop this." But he wasn't listening. Only one name would pull him out of his stupor. "Madara. He'll-"

"Come on, Tobi, we're just danc-"

As sudden as it was, a large bottle came swinging at Hashirama's head. Hard. Tobirama was immediately caught off guard, he nearly missed the second swing, this time by the other bottle in her hands. The big man nearly fell to the side, struggling to keep his balance as his feet failed to hold his whole upper weight. His knees were getting weak and the assaults to his head were making him dizzy, though not dizzy enough to the point he could not identify his attacker. He rubbed his swelling head, squinting at her.

"Why are you doing this, Mina-ch-"

 _"Oh I'm so sorry, Hashirama!_  It was an accident!" She shrieked, panicking. However, she made no attempt to comfort the semi-unconscious man. Instead, she went for one of those wooden planks scattered across the floor and snatched it up.

Tobirama could hardly keep up with their act. This was _not_  how he had anticipated this night would turn out. She walked closer to his older brother, who was one swing away from collapsing to the floor. He should probably stop her-

_Whack!_

The sound of wood coming in contact with flesh sent shivers up his spine, he felt for his brother but couldn't do anything about it. If it would put him down, then Tobirama really couldn't object to that, could he?

And put him down it did, the large figure fell to the ground with a loud thud that echoed not just in the room, but in the halls. Saliva was drooling down his chin as his snores could be heard all over the other side of the Fire Country. His chest heaved up and down; that was when he knew that his brother had fallen asleep, not unconscious. Like an infant. In spite of everything that just happened, there was one thing for certain; that this was no accident.

" _Finally_." She sighed. Tobirama turned his gaze to the main spectacle of the show. His ears picked up something he hadn't heard before in her voice. The clarity and sharpness in her tone, it did not belong to someone who had just gobbled around five bottles of sake.  _Was she even drunk?_ She rolled up the sleeves of her white kimono as she bent down and dragged Hashirama by his feet to the center of the chamber.

 _"About time you lose it."_ She spoke to his sleeping brother, still oblivious to his own presence or, she could have been completely ignoring him. Until she didn't. She looked up at him, a stoic expression in lieu of her befuddled appearance. Though, a fierce blush still flushed her face. Standing up and never yielding eye contact, she said,

"You could tell him I was drunk. Or crazy, I don't really care. I am sure you could come up with something." She then squatted over his clan leader's body and began undressing him, starting with his haori. This would have been a perfect example of yet another boundary being crossed and the perfect time for him to put an end to it.

Stepping back into the room, he confronted her.

"Have you no shame?" Offensive or not, he didn't care. It couldn't have possibly been more ludicrous than what she was doing.

"Uhm, no." She stopped what she was doing and gave him a wide grin, shrugging.

"Get off my brother." He demanded. It wasn't something that needed to be said, but he was still ignored. Yet again, for the tenth time. She went on to undress the rest of his clothes, her hands searching for something between the folds of Hashirama's kimono. His muscled chest, his bare shoulders, his tanned forearms; everything was on display as she attempted to molest his brother in front of him, rummaging through the thick fabrics that covered Hashirama's modesty, well- most of it.

"Again, no." She said firmly. She stood by her words and would not stop until she got what she wanted. "Your brother has a debt that needs to be paid."

"Debt?" He asked, questioningly. Why did this sound familiar?

"He owes me money for my  _services_. "

_Services?_

_"Ta-da!"_ She cheered as she found a pouch full of bills and coins stashed in Hashirama's inner layers. She removed the bills and began counting them, one by one as she hid the coins in her pockets. "They may not be fifteen thousand ryos, but we could call this an early deposit." She smirked.

"Fifteen thou-" He bit his tongue before saying anything else.

_Damn you Izuna!_

There were never enough words to curse that brat. How could he be so stupid as to go ahead and tell her about a bet he himself initiated while simultaneously getting him and his brother involved? If he had been here right now, Tobirama wasn't so sure he could hold his tongue, nor his sword. He would have went for his neck, sliced it open and hung him on a stake, exsanguinating him as every drop of blood in his body was emptied,. Then he remembered something, a promise he made his brother about not biting off their heads or something of the sort. Though he recalled clearly that nothing implicit was ever said about,striking a sword through their pale bodies.

_Calm yourself, Tobirama._

He tried to reel in his anger before it became too obvious and she would begin to suspect him too. He did not want a few bottles flung to the head or a wooden plank knocking him down.

 _"In fact, let's call this the first installment of many more to come, what do you think Tobirama?"_  She giggled as she remained straddled over the unconscious man's laps. She loosened the cherry-tinted obi and opened her kimono, caching in the rest of the bills in her cleavage.

"I think you need to leave." He reiterated once again. She should have left a long time ago before things got this far. At this point, he feared that they would get caught in a situation like this than repercussions that he would face if she figured out he knew about the wager and did nothing about it.

"Oh, but Tobi, I was just having so  _much_  fun." She may have been talking to him but her focus remained on the laying man beneath her, narrowing her eyes at him in anger. He had never heard so much venom in her voice before, nor in anyone's. She must have picked it up from Madara, he had guessed. Cupping his cheeks, she shook his head to the sides violently, drool spurting with every shake. Hashirama was sleeping soundlessly almost peacefully, while the real world around him was in chaos and was about to get more tumultuous as he heard footsteps nearing.

His senses instantly ignited.

_That chakra..._

"Get up, now!" He hissed at her. She was definitely ignoring him this time, he knew it. He had no choice but to take matters into his own hands, literally. As the overwhelming chakra became stronger, more apparent, he grabbed her by the shoulders and tried to yank her off his half naked brother. She slapped his hands away pushing him backwards as her grip tightened on Hashirama's neck.

_Crap._

She could surely hear the steps outside in the halls, they were so incredibly loud, to him it was practically deafening. But of course, she couldn't hear it above her own giggling.

"Mina!" He tried getting through to her by calling out her name but that only made her laugh more as she jumped over Hashirama, up and down. The urgency in his voice was mind numbing. There was no time to react, he bent down and snaked his arms tightly around her hips, successfully unlatching her from the poor man, even if it was a mere inch. He pulled harder, she was heavier than she looked. It was as if she was purposely weighing herself down, making it that much difficult for him. She snuggled her head in the white fur collar and moaned.

"It's so soft, hmm." She bit her lips as she nestled her face in the nook of his neck.

"Stop it." He whispered, still trying to pull her away.

All of a sudden, the shoji on the other side of the room slid open. A sinister presence emerged, dark chakra flaring uncontrollably and a pair of red eyes glowing brightly with hate. They both turned to the intimidating new attendance that had just arrived. No one dared to say anything, each of them preferring the deadly silence rather than the uncomfortable truth. Tobirama gulped loudly as she squirmed against his armored body.  _This is bad._

_"Get. Your. Hands. Off. My. Wife."_

 

* * *

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uptown Funk lyrics belong to its creators.  
> Comments are always appreciated! Thanks to everyone who takes the time to comment and leave a review!


	47. It Takes Two to Tango

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like this chapter is just...meh. So-so. It was fairly hard for some reason, which is why it took me longer than usual to type it up. Regardless, I hope you enjoy.
> 
> *Should probably clarify this; so, I am sure most of you have realized it by now. But Mina's character has been taking a turn for the worst, I know that and it was partly intentional. Ever since finding out about the bet, particularly from Izuna himself- who was the last straw-, it took a toll on her. In more ways than one, and I feel like she had been devolving ever since, eventually culminating in her erratic and confusing behavior in the last chapter and in this. While her intentions were to take revenge on those who were responsible for a lot of her mishaps, she had unknowingly started to regress into something and someone she is not.
> 
> You will understand after finishing this chapter.
> 
> As the writer of this fic, I will do my best to build her back up to who she really is, not some warped image of her.

 

* * *

 

 _'Get your hands off my wife'_ would have been the appropriate cue for Tobirama to get his hands off her.

Did he? No. Did he want to? Yes, very much so.

_Step back._

As much as he wanted to, the absurdity of the whole situation got to him long before Madara did. He could easily say the truth, that this was not what it looked like despite it actually looking exactly like what he must think. But Tobirama doubted that an explanation to this mess would fly over the Uchiha leader's head. He could try and tell him what happened here, though he knew it was probably useless. Attempting to talk to Uchiha Madara like this was as good as talking to an angry wall.

 _"Hey there, sexy beast."_ She purred, he was fairly surprised when he heard those words but then he realized, they were never really directed at him. He saw the lewd expression she was flashing towards the glaring man standing by the doorway. What a way to counter his burning gaze, it didn't seem like her husband's presence affected her much as she continued to grope his brother. In which case, what he was truly focused on were the taunting fingers that were travelling up Hashirama's bare chest.

Tobirama instantly snatched them away, getting her hands off of his sleeping brother yet remained his own on her. It was as if she was intentionally trying to piss the Uchiha off. In any other circumstance, he would have applauded her, encouraged her even, but having her kneel over Hashirama's body with him on top of her arranged like a stack of cards, well- this was not the one circumstance he wanted to be part of. Yet, here he was. A part of it. How he got himself into these situations were beyond him, he only knew it always traced back to one person, who also happened to be safely unconscious and away from any harm, relatively. Even if harm did come for him, at least he would not be awake to experience Madara pummeling him through the ground.

Speaking of which, he would be the one getting pummeled if he didn't get his hands off, as he was kindly reminded. His brother was the least of his worries right now. Her not-so-drunken stupor was what would get him in deep trouble. Against the murderous glare from those sharingans and the consistent wriggling of her body against his, he was finally able to let go, though not fast enough. She elbowed him in the face as she fell face-first onto Hashirama, causing him to he stumble backwards, still on his knees. The pain in the right side of his face was burning. He felt a cracked jaw barely able to move.

 _Fuck._ He steadied himself and yanked her hair, pulling her back up in a sitting position. She shrieked.

"What was that for?!"

"Better think twice about elbowing me next time, you damn-!" He spat bag, rubbing his lower jaw. It was also mainly to get her lips away from Hashirama's; he was not blind, had he let her fall further and she would have ended up kissing the wrong husband.

Madara entered the room- interrupting their little chat- a step in and the floor beneath his feet began to crack under the pressure of his hostile chakra.

Tobirama wasn't one to make excuses for himself, especially when he did nothing wrong. But, in this case, it wouldn't really hurt, would it? He was careful not to show a hint of reaction of any kind, otherwise his words would have lost all its intended meaning, making him seem like he wasn't truthful.

"If it interests you to know, it's not what it looks like." He said impassively, ignoring the pain in his mandible.

"On the contrary  _Madara_ , this is  _exactly_  what it looks like." She interjected.

Tobirama shot her a death stare, but she only grinned. Not only was she trying to piss Madara off, she was also trying to get him killed. For what? What had he ever done to her? Nothing serious as far as he could recall. Mina stood up, feigning a drunken stance as she waddled past him and over his sibling. For someone who was supposedly acting drunk, she was doing a very good job at it. Staggering from side to side, she made her way to an infuriated Madara, another sake bottle in her hands. She was quick.

 _"I'm not afraid of you."_  She antagonized him, looking straight into his eyes. Had he been in her place, they would be the last place he would be looking at. Unlike him or any other shinobi, she wasn't prone to horrific genjutsu like they were, she never had to nor would ever have to experience the kind of depraved and grisly illusions this particular Uchiha could come up with, and in a sense she was quite lucky that way.

Standing up to him with her arms akimbo and a grin plastered across her face, Mina bumped into him, chest to chest and attitude running amuck.

 _What the hell was she doing_  was a thought that had long expired, and now replaced exactly by  _what on earth is the nature of the relationship between these two?_ Asides from being husband and wife, Tobirama found it  _a tad_  hard to believe that Madara would stand such insolence from someone, be it his wife or a lover, it wasn't in the man's inherent persona. Or at least that was the impression he had always had, that impression was currently being rewritten.

He stood to his feet, slowly and soundlessly. While they were both very passionately engaged in a stare-down, Tobirama took this little squabble as a chance to gather his sense and reason before he did something ultimately stupid. As for the disrobed man laying on the floor-

_Let him lay on the floor._

It was the least he deserved. Using his foot, he nudged Hashirama in the ribs, making sure he was still alive. He seemed fine, a night on the cold floor won't do him much harm. Sensing the chakra emanating from the other man has dwindled, Tobirama dared to sneak a peek from a side-way glance. Just because his sharingans were deactivated and his chakra dissipated, did not make Madara look any less menacing. He was more than a head taller than her, twice her size, made strictly of muscles almost as hard as rock; yet, she who was barely surpassing the average height and had no known  _explicable_  abilities, did more than most of any shinobi he had seen; poke Madara Uchiha in the chest and get away with it.

Most people rather preferred not to be in the proximity, much less in the distance she was in, of said man unless they were carrying their swords with them, and a few other weapons. For safety precautions, they say.

 _"What'cha gonna do about it, Mada-kun?"_ She kept prodding his ribs annoyingly, Tobirama could count down the exact seconds in which Madara would lose it, though it did comfort him that he wasn't the only one with a horrendous pet name. Mada-kun was far worse than Tobes, but it also added a new weapon in an arsenal of long nicknames he had come up exclusively for Madara. And one thing was for certain, they weren't all as pretty as  _Mada-kun._

He couldn't hold his smirk back any more, Tobirama was secretly enjoying this but was internally plotting something that would shed light on Madara's secret epithet, and basically anything that would embarrass the man. Like this for instance. His smirk grew wider.

 _"That's enough."_  Madara finally spoke, the more accurate would be scoffed, although, all was the one and the same to him. He grabbed her by the arms roughly, forcing her to bend over. Even with that, she seemed completely unfazed and smiled as he began dragging her out of the room.

" _Aw_! We're leaving already?!" She whined, but turned her focus to a seemingly satisfied Tobirama. Mimicking his reaction, she teased;

"That's not fair! Tobi-" She hiccuped,  _"-wama was just 'bout to show me the time of my life, urgh."_ She stuck out her tongue in jest before she started laughing, swinging around the bottle in her hand. The grin he wore gradually turned upside down as Madara caught her none-too-subtle comment. As he came to a stop, he let go of her arms, turning his strangely calm gaze towards Tobi.

It was somewhat scarier than the glare, because now, he couldn't tell exactly how angry Madara was. On a scale from one to one-hundred, he would say it was about one-hundred and one. In spite of that, Tobirama forced himself to turn that frown back up, giving the older Uchiha the toothiest grin he could cast.

_"You heard her, I was about to show her the time of her life."_

_..._

He could very well be saying goodbye to his head right now had he not moved an inch a second before that chained sickle was flung at him. Madara's kama narrowly missed his head and ended up impaled the wall behind him. It wasn't supposed to be a miss, Madara never missed. He was undoubtedly fast, but Tobirama was faster. His swift reflexes are the only reason why he was still keeping a proud head on his shoulders. Something he would be reminded of for the rest of his life. He wouldn't deny it, a bead of sweat was slowly making its was down his face under his happuri. The spontaneity of Madara's impetuous attack was quite alarming on its own.

 _"Wipe that smirk off your face or I'll wipe it for you."_ He warned him, eyes glowing red once again, black tomoe rotating until a unique form had taken shape. Making this one of the few times he had seen Madara's Mangekyou this close up. It was...thrilling, to say the least. Without much as a tug of his gloved fingers, he finally released his hold on the rigid chains and pulled the over-sized sickle straight out of the wall nearly going for his head a second time but successfully managed to trim a few white strands instead. Tobirama's eyes followed as the strands fell delicately to the floor, light as feathers.

_My hair._

True to his nature, he didn't let that slow him down.

"Gladly, come do it then if you can." He challenged him, not withholding back the joy he felt at the mere prospect of entering into a battle with him. Hashirama wasn't around to stop them. Going over that again, he was indeed around, just not in the same reality as they were. Even then, he still wouldn't be able to stop them laying there uselessly. Tossing him to the side would be easy enough.

 _"But-"_ Tobirama raised a finger and pointed into the direction of the dark hall in which she took off, screaming at the top of her lungs as she caused a stir.

_"I'd put a leash on that first."_

Madara followed his gaze until he could barely make out her figure, though he could hear her loud and clear, and so did the others most likely. He was given a choice, to catch her while he can or...to waste his time in fighting the Senju heir in his own home, undoubtedly causing a scene that wouldn't bode well with the residents. He knew that, but the thought of having that latter choice becoming a possibility simply made Tobirama tremble in excitement.

From the way Madara cursed under his breath, he knew what he had chosen. In a flash of a second, he had reset his kama into place and shot him one last glare before disappearing into the cold hallway, leaving him alone with an unconscious, semi-nude Hashirama sleeping by his feet in a room trashed with broken glasses, littered bottles, cracked plates and perhaps the most obvious of all, without doors.

At least it was not scorched to the ground. Which was a positive side to all of this. Looking back down at the mess that cluttered the floor, he sighed, putting down the pretense that he been playing along with.

"Quite a lovely night, isn't it?" He asked him, but knew he wasn't about to get an answer any time soon.

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

He could hear loud thunderclaps in the distance, crackling through the sky the same way anger was tearing through him.

He was carrying her back to where she belonged, to where she should have been from the very start; behind closed doors. Preferably iron bars with chains around her wrists and ankles, restraining and binding her to the ground so that she may never see the light of day again. Or a Senju for that matter.

He failed to comprehend how she slipped past his fingers, so easily too. Where the hell were the shinobi he specifically asked for to accompany them- mostly her- if they didn't serve to prevent scenarios like this from happening?

It wasn't that he had predicted something like this would happen, not at all. It was the last thing he could have ever dreamed of, the worst nightmare he could possibly have had. It wasn't much of a nightmare anymore as much as it was a reality that almost happened.  _Almost_ , and he had never been grateful for having the right timing for once. Grateful for something he wasn't usually keen on. But now, now he couldn't get the disturbing scene out of his mind.

The bottles, there were so many of them, it was enough to cater a whole party. Food graced the tatami mats and the clothes they wore. And the plates, thrown in every direction at every wall, not including the countless sake cups that were shattered across the carpeted floor, tables were upturned, doors were unhinged; he would have placed his bet by all accounts on some sort of brawl that must have occurred had it not been for the view he walked upon. One would consider it a brawl in some twisted sort, except, he was not that  _one._

He was Uchiha Madara.

And he did not just find his wife tucked between two men who also happened to be his childhood rivals.

He didn't. He just imagined it, that was all. He had a sick and distorted imagination, that was all there was to it. The veins in his temples protruded, thumping against his skin as a headache ravaged his brain.

"Madara?" She finally spoke, but the sound that came out of her was jarring. It made him twitch, any movement from her sent a shock-wave up his spine. "This seems familiar, doesn't it?" She said it matter-of-factly, each pronunciation crystal clear. There wasn't a hint of a slur in her speech, not a single one. Not like before, anyways. He had seen her drunk before, and this was not her being drunk. She was just in that first stage where any remaining inhibitions were dropped and a more unrepressed, unabashed tendency was brought to life.

He didn't answer her for he could not imagine holding himself back had he actually responded. He was not in control of himself at the moment, he was simply and mindlessly following instructions from his brain. It told him to get to her before she got to the rest of the house in her state of senselessness. He did and now, she laid over his shoulders, stomach-first, head in the back, bum out front. This was indeed reminiscent of a similar night back in some woods,  _long, long_  ago. This was the only way he got her to stand still, grabbing her by the arms like a child proved even more difficult than he thought. Like a sack of rice, she was flung over his left shoulders carelessly.

"Like déjà vu, no?"

He had successfully ignored her up until now, but the longer this was dragged out, the little self-restraint he had rapidly faded, wearing thinner than a thread. Though, her obliviousness didn't pick up on that.

"But who am I to complain?  _I mean this view..."_

He felt a tingling sensation make its way down his spine, a burning feeling following her fingers as she trailed over his shirt and down towards his-

"That ass though, Madara. Umph.  _It's so firm and perky, and yet so soft and well rounded,_  I just wanna bite it." He felt a full palm cup one of his cheeks, and at that instant he let go of her hips, letting her fall to the ground head-first with a hefty thwack.

He turned around and took a look at the huge glob of mess that laid there, splayed and rubbing her head, groaning in pain.  _What a wreck._

"Ouch! Be a bit gentler please." She smiled. No matter what he did, she never seemed to waver. Having had enough, he told her;

"In. Now." His order was simple, to get herself up and walk through that door to their right side before he did it for her, and he couldn't guarantee being any more  _gentler_  than he had already been. She didn't take him seriously.

"Pfft, for a guy who always jumps at every chance to grope my ass, you're awfully sensitive about yours." She pouted as she leaned back on her hands. He didn't care if she was right. Her care-free, dismissive attitude was offending him. All day today, it was as if something had gotten to her head. He couldn't tell what. For all he knew, she was already drinking before they even made the journey here.

 _"I said get in."_ This was the last time he would repeat himself. One more time and her hair would have taken one for the team. Thankfully, some sense was brought back into her as she stood up unsteadily. She used the walls for support as she slid the doors open and entered. Before walking in, he tried to reassure himself that he was  _not_  angry, that he was  _not_  going to get out of control, and that he was most definitely  _not_  going back to snap that white-haired schmuck's neck.

Too bad, he wasn't one to keep his promises.

He did it. He took the first miraculous step in without breaking down the walls on his way. To him, that was his own little victory.

Bit by bit, he slid them back closed, locking it securely. That wasn't enough, he reached out for a chair settled by the sides of a dresser and placed it underneath the small knobs. Now that they had privacy-

"Better check there isn't a hole in that, too." She gestured to the door behind him, her back still to him as she talked. He wasn't going to be fooled that easily, there was no way she could change the subject that bluntly and expect him to get along with it.

For a moment, everything stopped. Even the howling wind held its breath. A streak of hot silver split the sky casting light onto the dark room, showering her in flickering bright light. Only a second later was it followed by rolling booms of thunder, one after another, cracks after cracks, the clouds came to life as they rumbled in the air.

"Look at me when I speak to you."

She turned around and looked at him, just like he had asked. This was his it, his turn. He wanted her to look him in the eyes as he talked. But he didn't, he didn't know what to say, didn't know how to say it. He was angry, very angry. He was frustrated with her and has been for a while. Then again, he also felt confused. There were many things that he was feeling and much more that he wanted to say, yet none of them came out. He couldn't get them out, he was stumped for words. He had never attempted to release his rage through words, he would very much prefer to use his fists but he doubted that it was the appropriate response for something like this. She wouldn't handle it either ways.

"Okay, I'm lookin'." She took a chug of the bottle as she shrugged off the moments that just preceded this.  _How could she do this?_

_"What the hell is wrong with you?!"_

_Ah, there it was._

It was a simple question, yet it was completely mind boggling. He meant it in every possible way, he wanted to know what was wrong with her in this moment, in the moments before, in yesterday's, in the days before that and way back until the day he first met her.

"Uh, everything?" She appeared to be confused as well, rolling her eyes to the side wondering if anyone else had understood his question. Except, there was no one else but them. "I'm surprised you just realized this now." She added.

Everything was not the answer he was looking forward to, but it would certainly explain, well- everything. Still, it wasn't an answer, he wanted to know what went through her pretty little mind when she decided to throw herself to those damn Senju. And what in Kami had she done to Hashirama, the old fool was out cold as she went on feeling him up.

 _"Try again."_ He was giving her a chance to come up with a better, intelligent and a well-structured answer that did not include exaggerated eye-rolling and sarcastic remarks that were dangerously close to popping his bubble, that same bubble that has been holding him back from doing something he would really regret. He never left the door. Standing there in front, essentially blocking her from exiting. It was not something he would risk again.

"Everything, like I said. What's it to you, anyways? Can't we just go back to snuggling?  _I know you miss it, heh."_ She approached him, face glowing red with her increased intoxication. It didn't affect her talking though, just her walk. She swayed left and right, until she finally reached him, standing less than an inch away, he could feel the smell of sake ooze out of every fiber of her being. To the point he could very well taste it on his tongue.

It wasn't the only thing he could taste. She leaned in gently and inhaled sharply. She rested against his warm chest chiseled to perfection as she slammed her lips into his, nearly knocking all the wind from his lungs. He hardly had a moment to react before she pressed her tongue to the seam of his lips and without his permission, had delved inside his mouth. It was a very sloppy kiss with the strong scent of fine sake being exchanged in the intermingling of their rippling breaths. Her arms reached up and tangled around his thick, strong neck, tugging at his extraordinarily long hair.

_Maybe she is drunk, after all._

_"Like you miss Tobirama?"_ He retorted, finally parting his lips from hers and taking her jaws in his hands, tilting her head up so she could look him in the eyes. There were things he could casually forget, but her spending three weeks with the man in an empty settlement was not one of them. And having to come back to this, to her cradled in his arms hunching over a dangerously naked Hashirama was not his definition of taking a break. Because this was what it was, this whole journey to get here so she could spend a few days away from the confining space of the Uchiha walls was nothing but an extended break. Was this how she repaid him? This was never supposed to be part of it, he didn't plan for it. Not by his recollections, at least. He knew there was something going on, he always knew it and still chose to put it aside. As a result, he was here, now questioning just how close she was to him?

Because, from what he saw, they were much too close for his liking.

She quirked her brows quizzically before it dawned on her. Arms still wrapped around his neck, she smiled and said,

"Oh so we're back at the jealousy thing, are we?" Her mocking words were lost in the thunder that boomed overhead, each bolt came crashing against the dark landscape. The untamed powerful echoes reverberated across the charcoal sky, they felt that much closer now. The sound of heavy downpour was just the beginning as the first drops of rain came lashing down over the roof above their heads, the only shield protecting them from the tempestuous storm that was about to unravel.

 _"You tell me."_ He felt his grip unconsciously tightening around her jaws, slowly moving down to the alabaster skin of her neck. If he had been hurting her, she showed no signs of it. Instead, she opted to stick it out, her tongue, and lick his lips. He could say that he got used to it, that he wasn't thoroughly appalled by some of her actions at this point, but unfortunately, he hasn't. She never ceases to amaze him. Just when he thought she couldn't possibly take her tongue any further, he felt a long and wet dab lapping up the side of his face. Her arms around him tightened as he attempted to shove her away, just like that first time.

When they were here, in the Senju compound. When she was drunk out of her mind, just as she was now. And when she latched onto him like a possessive child, just as she did at this instant. Everything that happened from that moment onward up until this point in time was almost impossible to grasp, to believe. How things had changed. Except this. They seemed to have ended in the same place where they started.

Using both his arms, he unclasped her hands from his hair and settled her onto the floor, a good foot away from him.

"Would you relax, Madara, I was just trying to get under his skin, not his pants." She said it so casually, it was like she didn't- or couldn't- hear the weight her words carried.

She walked back to the bed, strutting like there was not a care in the world.

"Is that so? I was under the impression you were trying to get into  _Hashirama's_  skin." He rebuffed. He didn't forget that either. As if Tobirama wasn't enough, he would love to hear the story behind how a fairly nude Hashirama ended up beneath her, stripped of his robes and out like a light, flaked out over the floor. This would surely turn out interesting. It had to, there couldn't be another explanation that wasn't mind-blowing.

 _"Uhh-"_  She was speechless, unable to come up with an excuse. Exactly as he thought, there was nothing to say.

"Okay, so I can't come up with an explanation for that right now, but-" She admitted, pointing the bottle at him.

_"Drop the act."_

For how long had she planned to go on? Whatever the answer to that question was, Madara wasn't willing to wait that long. Stepping forward, another bolt of lightening had struck, illuminating everything in its path, everything in the room, including the sullen turn her expression took. Not too long after came the second peal of thunder, rippling through the silent night. If there was anything in this world that could even come close to feeling the same way he was, it was the wrath this storm has yet to unveil.

"Was it that obvious?" She quipped, though not really sounding half as clever as she felt it was. Whatever delirious state she was in was beginning to fade as her posture straightened, upholding a more serious pose. "Is that what gave me away? My curious tongue, or my brash words?" She tossed the green bottle to the bed and crossed his arms.

"It's your lack of self-respect, have you forgotten your place?"

Her eyes widened, yet a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She took a step forward, cutting the distance that separated them and placed her arms on his chest.

"Oh I know where my place is, right next to my  _fabulous_  husband. And don't worry about my self-respect, it's still intact." She patted him, something he wished he could return, so she could understand how annoying and condescending it was.

 _"Stop. Patronizing me."_ He cautioned through clenched teeth, grasping her hands and halting them in place, preventing them from going any souther.

"I'm not trying to patronize you." Mina countered. She wriggled her wrists out of his loose grasp and walked back over to the side of the bed, near the window where the only source of light in the room came from spontaneous flashes of white lightning. Shedding glow over her long wavy locks and the ivory-colored kimono which hugged every one of her curves. Bending down, she picked up the sake bottle and placed it on the night-stand and uncovered the sheets, patting the pillows.

"Oh Madara, Madara, setting your attitude aside, you really are the eighth wonder of the world. Your looks alone are-"

"Stop changing the subject, you crazy woman." She was going to drive him up the wall, sooner or later. And for some reason, he was betting on sooner  _rather_  than later. Had he not valued his eyes as much as he did, he would have surely tried to gouge them out long ago. He clenched his hands into round fists, trying to reign in his anger.

"Me?" She turned around and gave him one of the strangest looks he had ever seen. "I'm not changing a thing." She proceeded to untie the rose colored obi that kept her kimono bound and in place. He couldn't hold himself back from gazing as her fingers slowly undid the sash. He knew where she was going with this and he was determined not to be sucked into whatever warped deception she had concocted for him. Forcing his eyes to look back up at her face, he confronted her.

"You need to stop this. Now."

"Stop what? I'm just getting ready to sleep." Mina tipped her head, seemingly muddled. Which meant quite the opposite. Even with that, her fingers never stopped fiddling with the obi that was loosening with each second.

_"We aren't done."_

"We aren't?"

The obi was the first to go, then the dōura, the eri and fuki were already thrown on the floor with the sleeves following their steps. Everything that came after was easy and were taken off within less than a minute. Layer after layer, each one was tossed to the side carelessly. The nagajuban wasn't spared from the same treatment. A heap of clothes on the floor was the result of her negligence. Until she was in nothing but in her bare hadajuban, that was more than just see-through. Though, for once in his life, that was not what Madara had been focusing on, it was the bronze coins that seemed to be dribbling from under her skirt and to the floor. One coin after the other, they all fell from between her legs.

_What the-?_

His eyes were following the trail back up to the person responsible for this. She, too, appeared surprised as she lifted the skirt up to see the sight for herself.

"Ha, I almost forgot." She didn't hesitate to take off the last layer of clothing, baring herself to him. Much to his surprise, more bills and coins came tumbling forward, ryos and ryos, there was no end to them. Bills fell to the ground while some stuck to her body on sheer sweat, other coins fell in a heap similar to the one of clothes on the side, though much smaller. She just laughed and bent down, grabbing a handful.

_Where did she get all this money?_

_No, she couldn't have-_

_"What have you done?"_ He was shocked, disbelief betraying the very same expression he had been tying to maintain ever since entering this room. He wasn't even angry anymore, he was merely...shocked, dumbfounded and a bit irrationally anxious as all kinds of thoughts on how she could have gotten her hand on that much money whizzed trough his mind. A mind which was fractured from years of over-thinking and he was only just beginning to scrap the pieces together.

Words had left him. He stared into those big brown eyes in anger he wasn't even aware he still had.

 _"Answer me!"_  He barked, yet nothing escaped his lips. The thunderstorm outside was only getting louder, creating an eerily vibe to this already unbelievable night.

As always, she didn't have a care in the world, only focused on the money she was oh-so enjoying. Blowing paper bills everywhere, she danced through the flurry of money that surrounded her, her giggles getting louder and louder, until he could take it no more. He took her by her forearms and brought her to a stand-still in front of him, peering into her eyes that seemed so awfully unfamiliar in that instant. He didn't know what he was looking for. The truth? Perhaps. Assurance? But from what? That she didn't go and do something so incredibly stupid as selling herself to-

The train of thought that he was leading himself into was one bound for a disaster, and he would make sure he would take her along with him.

"How did you get this money,  _Mina_?"

His breathing became erratic as each second passed in which she stood silent, smiling up at him. His worst fears were beginning to finally sink in as images that accompanied said fears ran rampant inside the corners of his mind.

"I won the bet, that's how. Well, to be more precise,  _we_  won the bet." She smirked, biting her lips. He couldn't tell if she was lying or not, in times like these, he really couldn't read her as much as he had thought he could. Albeit her stressing the word  _we_  hadn't escape his notice, still, to have understood what she had said would take effort Madara wasn't willing to use right now.

"Because I am assuming you were duped into this, as well. Right?" She asked.

"What are you talking about?!" He was beginning to lose patience. Up until now, she had neither denied nor confirmed what he was thinking. He could have straight-up confronted her about it, though he didn't know how to find the right words that didn't necessarily end up hurting either one of them.

"You should ask your brother about that."

What did Izuna have to do with any of this? He had no clue, the only thing he was sure of was that she made absolutely no sense. Then again, when had she ever made any sense?

_Goddammit._

_"How about you spill it?"_

_"_ No, I think Izuna should do it instead." She said firmly. Her voice was steady, cold and aloof, taking on the distant tone whenever his brother's name was ever mentioned in a conversation or otherwise.

He could feel the heat of her naked body emanating from her and seeping through the gloves he wore, pricking his skin as a warm almost inviting feeling took hold of him. His focus wasn't quite at its full potential at the moment, yet he remained strong and avoided eye-contact with any parts that were not directly attached to her face. Which was incredibly hard, even in this darkness where he could barely make out the outlines of her shoulders.

"Look, I'm going to be generous and give you half of the money. It's only fair, you know since it takes two to tango." She raised him one of the few gold coins that happened to be thrown in along with the others. She flipped the oval-shaped golden coin in her hand, exposing to him the other side. He looked at the coin and then at her and back at the coin. What correlation did she, Izuna, this money and those idiot Senju brothers have in common? He was about to find out. If not from her, then surely from someone who was willing to talk, with enough incentive that is.

"What do you say? Seven and a half for me, seven and a half for you." She stepped back, gold coin rolling between her fingers, sliding seamlessly through each one until disappearing into the palm of her hand.

"What do you think you're doing?" Was she bribing him? To keep himself quiet? Was she stupid?

"I'm offering you half the money Hashirama owes us, that's what I'm doing."

 _Hashirama?_ He always managed to find his way into Madara's life even if he was not invited. This was infinitely worse, what he couldn't figure out was how he managed to get her involved in whatever ridiculous gamble he was venturing this time around.

"If you don't want it, fine by me. I'll keep all of these riches." She exclaimed, walking back towards the bed. Turning on the lamp on the nightstand, she plopped herself down on the nearest edge of the mattress. She licked her lips as she flashed a devilish grin, one Kami-sama wouldn't be able to wipe even if they tried. He had tried so hard to keep his eyes from wandering to places he swore he wouldn't wander, but the amount of orange glow pouring from the lamp shone light on the same places he had been trying to avoid. From her bare shoulders down to her magnificently plump ass, to the impeccably smooth legs that were crossed one over the other; from the random spatters of those brown dots across her abdomen to the unswerving pink scar on her hips, near her lower pelvis.

It irked him, the way the flushed pockmark gashed through her skin.

So much for his focus, everything related to logic was thrown out the window.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You've seen me naked countless times, this isn't much different, you know."

"Nine." He didn't hesitate to correct her.

"What?"

"Nine times."

He didn't need to count the number of times he had seen her naked, but if he did; he would go back as far as the happenstance of the very first day they met, then to their wedding night and eventually, that week right before Takayama's death, where they had slept together, that was just it; they had simply slept.

"Well someone's counting, and it isn't me. Shocking, heh." He could see her eyes light up in delight. There was never enough irony to her words, even as she sat there, counting the bills and enjoying herself while he stood a feet away, drowning in the inner turmoil that was his current state of mind The tension didn't just stop there, it leaked into his bones, into the muscles of his back and his shoulders, the stiffness in his neck was beginning to become insufferable.

"I'm going to ask you one last time." He kneaded the back of his neck, trying to relieve the tension that was building up. Madara closed his eyes, forcing himself to regain his concentration. There was no way his eyes could wander once again if he couldn't see, easy solution. 

 _"What. Have. You. Done?!"_ He barked as his chakra flared uncontrollably, realization dawned on him, all the pent up rage was just beginning to overflow. Sensing that she may have gone overboard this time, she let the money fall to the ground and raised her hands, surrendering.

"Okay, okay, it was probably not one of my proudest moments-"

When he opened his eyes, he saw that she had already scooched back into the bed, legs dangling in front of her as she untangled the covers, getting ready to tuck herself in.

"I may or may not have angered Tobirama, pumped Hashirama with alcohol, knocked him on the head and stole his money." Mina looked up at him and shot him the most innocent and virtuous smile she had. "Just your everyday routine. _"_

He felt his fingers begin to twitch involuntarily as the hairs on the back of his neck stood erect. Out of all the possible lies she had spewed all night, this had to be the most ridiculous, most preposterous and the most far-fetched cock and bull story she had come up with. Did she really expect him to believe she knocked Senju Hashirama out cold with...a snap of her fingers? A bottle? A pan?

The number of shinobi that could only wish of doing what she did were second to infinite and the number of who had actually done it was a lot less. Even in their wildest dreams, they could have never gotten close to the Senju leader to actually lay a finger on him. And here she was, claiming to have 'knocked him on the head', he would believe her once he himself knocked him on the head, then again, if Hashirama was stupid enough to get himself drunk, a five year old would still be able to put him in a coma.

"You're going to give him back his money first thing tomorrow." Madara told her. He did not marry a kleptomaniac, and under no circumstance was he about to let anyone get a whiff of that.

"B-but we won it fair and square." She whined.

"I don't fucking care. You are going to return to him his money and then apologize,  _do you understand?"_

The closer he got, the more nervous she became.

"Let me make something clear." He said, gaining the upper hand in this chaos. He closed in on her and the bed and she inched backwards as he continued to corner her.

"You are  _my wife_ , do you know what that means?" He knelt on the edge of the bed, his full upper body eclipsing her own. He moved over her as she crawled back slowly, cowering beneath him.

"That you're my husband?" She prodded him in the ribs, trying to act funny. "Eh, get it."

_Being a smart-ass, are we now?_

_"That you do what I tell you to do."_ He elaborated, flaunting a wicked smirk that could very well parallel her own. She stopped crawling back, any more and she would have found herself plunging to the floor yet again.

 _"That also means you stop with the drinking."_ He hissed, drawing closer to her flushed face, his eyes glowing an even brighter shade of red. He might as well make these memories last just a bit longer than they were supposed to.

"Ironic, I never had a drinking problem until I came here-"

" _I see a sake bottle around you again and it will be going everywhere but down your mouth, I'll make sure of it personally. 'Get it?'"_ He shot back her own words and saw her gulp down whatever she thought she could spit at him. Caressing her cheeks ominously, he was just about ready to clarify a few boundaries he should have set long ago.

 _"Whatever game you think you're playing, you will end that as well. So, stop filling that boy's head with nonsense."_  He was referring to Kagami and the infamous tales she had recounted, some of which he doubted the kid had even understood. As if the mention of Kagami had triggered something within her, she started to laugh. Back to the bed and hands covering her face, she trembled with laughter, her breasts bouncing up and down as her chest heaved with each laugh. Both his arms stretched on either side of her head, steadying himself on top of her so his body didn't completely flatten hers.

"What's so funny?" He dared to ask.

"Nothing,  _Mada-kun."_ She teased, though to him, it was an act of travesty. He glared at her.

"You will refrain from ever saying that name on your tongue ever again."

"Or what? You'll cut it?  _I dare you."_ Mina stuck her curiously long tongue in defiance. Thinking that she was about to pull the same stunt once more, he took her hold of her face and stopped her mid-way through her antic.

_"I don't think you understood."_

"No, I don't think  _you_  understand, Madara." She pushed him off and sat up, kneeling. "I did nothing wrong."

 _"You just assaulted the Senju clan head in his own home!_  How is it you did nothing wrong?!"

If there was any truth to what she had just said, then that was exactly what she had done and no matter the context in which she brutally hit him on the head, bet or not, no one was going to look upon this incident and smile. They have been here less than six hours and she was about to have them kicked out.

"And you just nearly beheaded his brother, how is that any better?!" She countered, the same exasperation he was overwhelmed with could be heard in her voice, in the way she exaggerated her hand movements. That titillating tension with lurid suggestive nuance between them was spiraling out of control just as the chaotic storm escalated outside.

_"You-"_

_Are impossible!_

The words just wouldn't come out and for the second- no, third- time that night, he cursed himself for his inability to clap back at her, he was dumbstruck and she knew it. She knew she had him when he hadn't snapped back the instant those words came out of her mouth, and that made her little conquest that much sweeter. Her mere presence seemed to buzz around him like a fly that you can never swat. For every word, movement and breath she took seemed to infuriate him to no end.

Feeling as though he had lost control of everything in this room, he pulled his shit together and found himself standing in front of the door. In a blink of an eye, he had gotten up and headed to the exit. He may have lost his control on other  _things_  present, still, he miraculously had his anger strained on a tight leash, and he wasn't about to lose control of that in here as well. Maybe it was the fact that she was right or maybe not, it didn't matter, he was suddenly finding this room too intolerable to stay in. He knocked the chair to the side and broke the lock unintentionally as he tried to leave.

"Oh, and Madara?"

Against all better judgement and common sense, he had turned around one last time and took a good look at the woman scarcely covered by the sheets. She laid on her side, head propped up by her elbows. In her arrogant triumph, she did what anyone would do; smirked. Something she had been doing a lot of lately. Just a small pouting of the lips, a narrowing of the eyes and a tilting of the head; she had managed to convey the very own smugness his brother was known for. She waved at him. He didn't bother with a reply.

_"Happy birthday."_

* * *

**_Eiji's POV_ **

He stood on the opposite stone wall, gazing up at large sturdy doors.

_If I could only get in._

If that could happen, then half of all his problems would be gone. Poof. Into thin air.

Except he knew that no such thing would occur because, at the end of the day, he wouldn't be able to get through those wooden barriers. It wasn't that he didn't have the capabilities, it was simply because he knew he would get caught either ways. No matter how hard he would try to suppress his chakra, a step inside that chamber and it would be no secret that he had tried to break in. Why it would be considered such a thing was due to the fact that he didn't have the clearance to enter in the first place.

But that wasn't going to stop him. He was going to get what he wanted and he will still not step a foot inside, not if he could help it. On the other hand,

_She will._

Unlike him, she wouldn't leave a single trace, no one would know she was in there. Not unless she made it purposely so that she would get discovered, in any case, that was on her. She would be the one who would get the short end of the stick. Though, not before she got him what he needed. He knew it was in there. All his life, he knew deep down they wouldn't have destroyed it. And now that his father was gone, who would be more deserving than him as to obtain what he was seeking? It was rightfully his, his birthright and it belonged to him and him only. Not stocked behind some stupid shelf or mantelpiece. He'd be damned if he let it rot away for the remainder of his life.

It had been so many years and there was no better time than to get his hands on it.

His eyesight was slowly deteriorating over the past decades, this should help remedy that. He could feel the adrenaline run through his veins, flooding every vessel within his body. He could feel his heart beat against his chest, pounding and hammering, trying to find its way out. All by the mere thought of just tearing the bronze casts, the rivets and hinges off the ebony-tinted doors, barging in and knocking everything down only to grasp it out of its shell.

Then again, he knew better. Fantasy was meant to stay as fantasy, reality was better left in the hands of those with sound minds and a penchant for practicality on any given day. Though, a manipulative streak of exploiting others wasn't really going to hurt a combo like that, trifling with whatever it took to use for one's own ends, now that was one philosophy he could stand behind.

There were books still littered across the floor. Although, most were already shelved by now, some still laid unopened and in heaps. He stood in between, leaning on the stone cold wall, admiring the view in front of him.

Yesterday night's storm had worked its way well into the night and was still going strong this morning, showing no signs of stopping any time soon. Since he was already underground, he couldn't quite hear the howling winds or the crackling of trees. Eiji was too focused on the dusty books that surrounded him, using a finger to swipe off grime strewn all over their surfaces.

 _These must have been the ones in his hideout,_  he noticed that this stack was different from the others. They were certainly muddy and stained with soot. He took the topmost book from the stack and skimmed through. They were vintage and fairly old, he would say around a century or two. His father's most prized possessions- otherwise known as books, were stored in the little cave he had made himself underneath the library. Where he had made it his home till the moment of his death. Who was he kidding, surely they were bound to find out about that little recluse area.

_I wonder what else they found._

Book still in hand and eyes roaming through the pages, Eiji could hear footsteps draw nearer until they came to a stop a few feet away. He didn't have to raise his eyes off the pages to know that Izuna was  _casually_  walking by.

"Have you thought about taking some of the books?" He was asked.

"No. Keep them." He shut the one in his hands and placed it back onto the pile. He wasn't after the books, he couldn't care less about them.

"I see." Izuna made so gesture to keep moving, it was evident he came to say something and from the way it looked, it wasn't great news. Be that as it may, there was no such thing as good or bad news to him. He finally looked up and met the other man for the first time in weeks.

"What is it?" He asked, not really caring to know but for the sake of the conversation, this was one question pegged to be asked. The younger Uchiha took a while to mull it over before he broke the news.

"So, she now knows about the bet, and I am quite confident that she is  _not_  ecstatic about it..." He coughed, clearing his throat.

It turned out it wasn't exactly good news, but what did Eiji have to do with it? He placed a random bet and he lost. The mater was over, he didn't see a point in it. He widened his eyes and said,

 _"Oh now I wonder why that is."_  He rubbed his beard sarcastically, contemplating the many ways she could have gotten this brat to talk. It must have been quite serious if she managed to put and two together and ended up with what possibly little information she had now. To think this kid was easily hoaxed into revealing his own set-up, it astounded him. This whole debacle was turning into some crazy, crude satire sketch he couldn't have come up with even if he wanted to.

"Yeah, well, she'll come after you too. Once she figures out you were in on it." Izuna admitted offhandedly. If there was one thing Eiji understood from that revelation was that, as of current date, she had no idea he was in on it. Still wouldn't have made a difference to him even if she knew about his own wager.

_"Let her come then. See if she's really as tough as her words."_

His comment raised a few eyebrows, Izuna's mostly. The second-in-command crossed his arms and smiled.

"Oh Eiji, you'd hurt her, wouldn't you?  _Tsk-tsk."_ He shook his head in disapproval, smirk still unwavering. For very logical reasons, he did not bother to answer him.

"It's a good thing you didn't answer that." Izuna said, resuming his walk. After passing by him,  _"It's also a very good thing Madara didn't hear you, let's just say he wouldn't be too happy about that."_

His subtle caution echoed through the hall as his figure disappeared further down the corridor. If Izuna's warning was supposed to make him care more than he did before, well- it didn't. Honestly, he had forgotten about the senseless bet that made him lose nearly three-hundred ryos. It wasn't exactly one of his most thought-out decisions, but it happened. And he wasn't about to sulk over such a silly thing.

He returned his focus to the heavenly gates before him.  _The only barrier,_  he kept repeating to himself.

He put one of his hands in his pocket and retrieved it, a piece of jewelry that was all too familiar to him. He had kept it all this time, consciously making himself a willing target. But no more. It would do for an exchange.  _Surely she would want it,_  he convinced himself on several occasions.

He clasped the silver chains as he held it in his hand. The concentric circles, the dazzling silver, the stone; everything about it was like a remnant of a bad dream. It shone a bright red color, akin to a ruby. It was beautiful, yet deadly. It lay in the center of his palms, insignificant to him as he was to the world. Only one thought reverberated inside his mind and that was; he had a score to settle.

_Soon._

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, two important questions here.
> 
> 1) I've been PM'd on multiple occasions and have been asked several times to write a lemon again- or as some call it 'NSFW goodness'. But I wasn't sure if you guys enjoyed it the last time. I don't know though..  
> So, I'm asking now; do you guys want more smut/lemon?  
> Warning, I will be taking any silence as 'no, stop traumatizing us. Refrain from ever writing smut ever again.' Lol?
> 
> 2) If the chapters are too long, or the updates between each chapter gets lengthy, would you like me to write a summary for the previous chapter before the start of the new one? That way, you guys don't have to return to reading a shit tonne?
> 
> Anyways, reviews are always appreciated! And thank you to those who had never given up on me. You guys are the best! Don't forget to drop by!


	48. Cosmic Retributions and Startling Encounters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the late update! This chapter was supposed to be published two days ago, but as a result from over-typing recently- trying to pump out as much as I can before Uni starts- my wrists were hurting. A lot. My whole right arm gave out on me lol. But here I am.  
> In regards to the lemon(s), refer to the end notes of this chapter.

 

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

_Oh God, it hurts._

The aching in my skull ebbed and flowed like an ocean tide, yet the pain never went away. It was as if there was a balloon inside my head, ramming against my cranium as it inflated and inflated and inflated, pressure mounting with each second I remained awake. That balloon had to be my brain, swelling again and again until my skull couldn't contain it anymore. The waves of nausea weren't helping either, I could hear my stomach lurch and gurgle as the dehydration I felt was becoming too obvious to ignore.

Might as well have had an ax planted through me and it wouldn't have made a difference, I couldn't move my limbs an inch. I wanted nothing more than to retreat under the covers but my body wouldn't respond to whatever signals my brain was still miraculously sending. The feeling of dehydrated saliva coating my chapped lips hurt like a sting, though incomparable to my dry throat that was like sandpaper scraping against asphalt. I could chug a lake and it still wouldn't be enough. I sunk deeper into the bed, having nowhere else to go.

This was possibly the worst hangover I had ever felt. It was in fact the only one I had ever suffered and something told me it would also be my last.

I tried to raise my eyelids only to have them fall shut halfway through. My eyes struggled to cope with the daylight shining through the parted curtains, yet couldn't bear the darkness that blinded my eyesight. Either way I saw it, there was nothing I could do to magically wish this away. It hurt to move. Against my body's protests; the sore muscles, the stiff neck, the numbness in my legs, I felt so heavy but I had to force myself. Just when I thought I was finally making progress, I had only achieved in lifting a finger.

_Dammit._

Clenching my teeth, I used the little force I had left to flip myself over to the other side of the bed, facing the wall.

Instead of digging into my lower back, small, round coins prodded my hips, delving into my skin. It was uncomfortable, although it wasn't half as bad as the feeling of being drenched in sweat with bills glued to my body on every side. The whole bed was overlaid with ryos, both bills and coins. I knew exactly how they got there. It wasn't that I didn't remember what had happened, because I did. Crystal clear. In spite of that, there was only one thing that stole my attention. That bottle, the one on the night stand. It was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes, it had also been the last image I had of the night before.

It was...strange. Looking at it now and wishing that I had not touched it, that I hadn't gone near it nor the four bottles that came before it. That I could have held myself back.

_What was wrong with me?_

_Just why? Why did I do it?_

Everything seemed so clear-cut, that I had a reason for everything, there wasn't a question left unanswered. Then, why was it that, now, awake and sober- somewhat-, that I couldn't find these so called answers? Were they just a dream? Somehow I doubted that. The more I thought about it, the louder the pounding inside my head became. Like a hammer, it was incessant, one batter after the other until I couldn't withstand it anymore. I couldn't cope with my own thoughts, but what really tore me was that stupid bottle. It wasn't just irritating, it was maddening; a constant reminder of events that occurred less than twenty-four hours ago that also happened to be something I didn't want to remember.

With nothing but irritation and self-loathing as my driving force, I was finally able to pull myself up. Sitting up with my legs dangling off the edge of the bed, I tried to reel myself back to reality as a dizzying confusion took hold of me. I closed my eyes and forced myself to count down from three. Again and again until the world stopped spinning and the floor stopped revolving. When I had felt it was safe enough to stand up, I pushed forward and took my first step. Towards the night-stand. Closer and closer, I went for the sake bottle. It was so tempting, oh-so much.

With a swift swing, I took the bottle and began walking in the other direction, where I had assumed would take me to a washroom.

I had assumed correct, thankfully.

I didn't know exactly how I was still functioning, but I was. Just enough to get me to open the knob and enter the bathroom. I couldn't even walk properly, the numbness wasn't completely gone yet and dragging my feet along was the only way I would get around. Using the door-frame as support, I headed towards the sink. Everything looked remarkably unfamiliar, then I supposed that was the way it was. I was in the Senju base after all.

The taste of vomit was one that I wouldn't know how to get rid of. I could already feel it even before having churned to my heart's content. I crouched over the porcelain sink, ready to expel my guts if I had to. But nothing came out. I waited and waited, and not a single drop came out, though the nausea remained. Gathering all the courage that I had, I straightened up slowly and looked into the mirror that stood face to face with me. I turned to the bottle that I placed on the basin.

I had no idea how long I stood there, engaged in an unfathomable stare-down with a goddamn bottle. All I knew was that I had this inexplicable urge to just grab it and- and-

I removed the damn cork and tossed it across the room, emptying the bottle into the sink. I watched hypnotically as the amber-colored liquid gushed out and poured down the drain. Never letting go until the last drop was emptied and far away from me. When my own strength ran out on me, the ceramic bottle fell onto the vitrified sink and cracked. My hands shook ever so subtly and when I knew I could no longer control them, I leaned them on the edges of the only stable structure in this room. I tightened my grasp onto the cold porcelain, hoping that my fingers wold stop trembling.

I tried to take the deepest breaths I could, to get in as much air as I could but it was useless.

The mirror was wide and over-sized, encompassing everything in the room. I wouldn't be able to look away even if I wanted to. It had that warm patina that always came with age glazing over its silver frame. I stood there, slanting and unable to understand just exactly who I was looking at. It wasn't me, it couldn't. Yet, this mirror was showing me someone I didn't recognize but what the world saw, what they all saw and somehow, somehow, it didn't feel right. Nothing felt right. This tightness in my chest was going to crush me.

_Who...who is that?_

The hip-length brown hair, the disheveled and overgrown bangs, the black circles under the eyes that I no longer remember; it was all so...confusing? My mind could barely keep up with my accelerating thoughts, how was I supposed to make sense of the stark naked reflection staring back at me? Perhaps, it was something with the mirror. Running a finger over its frame, I felt the cold ridges and the grooves, it was smooth and slick, not a dust particle on it. And yet, the bags under my eyes, they were puffy and swollen, they felt so unnatural to me as I traced the outline of the dark circles. Every move I made, the reflection in the mirror did the same, mimicking every little detail, every brush of a finger, every caress of the hand, as if she was my copy. It was unnerving and made the hammering in my chest that much louder to my ears.

_What happened to me?_

What happened to my shoulder-length hair? To my pale skin? To my lips? To my clothes and to my body? My blood-shot eyes refused to take in what had become of me, all those melancholic feelings of wanting to get back who I was, it was intense. Something I never knew I felt like how I never knew that time could be such a treacherous thing. Then again, Father Time really didn't wait for anyone, did he?

Still, this- this was not me. I know myself and this was not her, not who I was and not who I am. This was not the image I had ever had for myself.

God, I only wished for her to stop staring back at me, like I did something wrong.

It angered me for some reason, I couldn't quite put a finger on it. It was just-

I snatched the bottle and was ready to hurl it at the mirror, to shatter it, to break that reflection but the weakness in my arms put a stop to something I knew I would have regretted. The empty bottle fell from shaking hands and to the floor, breaking into the smallest of scattered pieces with the punt still intact.

_Fuck._

Jittery, I crouched down unsteadily and tried to pick it up. A move I had immediately regretted as one of the broken shards pierced my skin, drawing out amounts of blood I wasn't ready for. As the pain hit me, I quickly tried to cover the bleeding wound with my other quivering hand, to no avail. Feeling as though I would faint from the dizziness of simply hunching over, I stood up, using the basin's counter-top as support. Blood was still dripping from the palm of my right hand, I was growing anxious and furious. Enraged though I didn't know at what. I was just...angry. At the bottle, at the pain in my already numbing arms, at myself. It didn't last for long as a new wave of nausea overwhelmed my anger.

I didn't have time to react.

I felt my stomach contract suddenly and so violently, the vomit came out looking like clam chowder filled with chunks of yesterday's food. The creamy chyme propelled forward into the air and splattered all over the ceramic bowl and the mirror. It was always the first heave, it had set off a chain reaction, my stomach wouldn't stop contracting, the knots got tighter and tighter until I couldn't hold it anymore. The sound of my own retching was nothing but an encouragement to keep going. I heaved and spat out everything I had in me. The taste of stomach acid burned my throat as the stench of the puke assaulted my senses. Just when I thought I had stopped, that I could finally gasp for air, I opened my eyes and saw the unholy mess that greeted me.

Vomit dribbling from the corners of my mouth, hair strands plastered to my sweaty cheeks and a deep gurgling sound emitting from the back of my throat; the same disgusting pitch-perfect image looked back at me daringly from the spew-smeared mirror. It was enough to make my stomach heave one more time as retched bile came belching out and mixing with the blood trailing down the sink.

There was no one around to offer me a cup of water, no one to pull my hair back from the vile mess that was accumulating in the sink, no one to comfort me.

And I deserved it.

I did this to my own body, I knew that but I couldn't help it. I couldn't even help myself.

I tightened my clammy grip on the counter once more as I mentally prepared myself for the next round.

 _"Damn it! Damn it!"_ I shouted, rage finally spilling over.

It began. And I wouldn't stop until the only thing that was coming up and out was a clear, translucent liquid.

_What have I done to myself?!_

* * *

The feeling of hot water scorching my body was a tempting, almost pleasurable one. It was a sensation I never thought I needed until now. As the water poured down, my mind faded into absolute dullness as everything around me became nothing more than foggy illusions, just like the steam that bathed this room.

...

After having made a sufficient mess out of the bathroom, I had absolutely no energy left in me to do anything else than to just lay on the floor in my own little disparaging havoc. The bleeding wouldn't stop and the pain inside of me wouldn't wind down. But I knew I couldn't stay there much longer, I needed help as fast as possible before I lost any more blood. Despite the immense throbbing in my head, I forced myself off the ground and tried to find someone. Quickly putting on last night's kimono in a disorderly fashion, because at this point, I couldn't care what people would think of me. Cutting the hem of one of the layers, I used the ripped fabric to tie a knot over the wound, anything to stop it for the time being.

What happened in that bathroom was not something I would have wished upon even my worst enemies, except Izuna. Definitely Izuna, though this was not about him, this was about me trying to find a maid is this goddamn place that could help me. It was simply my luck what I had run into, not a maid, but Yuuki, that shinobi that had accompanied us here. I had no doubt that Madara had gotten her to watch over me throughout the night. Otherwise, why would she have been standing there by the door?

Setting that aside, I barely said two words before she took in my overall appearance. As if she got the hint, she excused herself and went to find a medic. I would have been dying of shame had I not been already been dying from feeling crapulent. Because that was exactly what I was feeling, crapulent. Drunk, hungover, not like crap, then again, I suppose I did.

Sitting in this foreign room was daunting enough, but being left alone with my thoughts was torture. They were almost as painful as the gut-wrenching aches that tore through my body. This couldn't have possibly been just the hangover, it was something else. It was the sickness that I felt regarding my own obnoxious actions. It all seemed to be a good idea at the time, although now;

I strained to hold back a whimper.

Everything was out of control, everything. By some strange means, I was still dizzy and muddled, yet the world wasn't spinning. It was just me, and me alone.

Until the medic had arrived.

The amount of time that would have taken me to convince her to not heal me by chakra as it was clearly useless, was one I didn't want to waste on speaking. I had little energy to begin with, to have to open my mouth and inform her that what she was doing was futile. She continued to try and channeling her chakra to the wound that wasn't closing. The gash across my palm didn't seem to be healing which was causing her visible distress as she wasted her energy and chakra on a simple injury. The wound was relatively small, any inexperienced medical-nin would have been able to patch it up in less than a minute.

The problem wasn't her.

Her Shōsen Jutsu was fine, it was simply pointless to try and speed up the natural healing process of a body that didn't have chakra in the first place, there was no chakra she could manipulate in order to rush the healing. It was just that. And when it became increasingly frustrating for the squatting medic that her efforts weren't paying off, I finally decided to say something.

"Can you please just clean the wound and stitch it up?"

I was tired of losing blood and my body was growing weary and drowsy the longer she pursued it. I didn't know if she had heard my mumbling, I could barely hear myself. Though it appeared that she did and stopped emanating the green aura. She flashed me a taut smile while holding onto my palm. I was sitting on the edge of the bed while she preferred to stoop down to the floor in front of me. Yuuki, on the other hand, chose to stand a feet behind as the medic did her job. A sour look was plastered all over her face as the frustration took a toll on the iryo-nin.

Or perhaps it was the fact that I wasn't responding to her treatment. Whichever it was, I could already imagine what kind of curious thoughts were running through their minds. It was a contradicting sight, especially if compared to just a few moments prior when they first entered. They didn't hesitate to eye the whole room, which looked something parallel to a cheap room out of some seedy brothel where only God knew what happened in there.

The unmade bed, the scattered money, the hazardous heaps of clothes tossed everywhere, the strong and musky smell of sake and sweat. Not to mention the pungent odor of vomit issuing from behind one closed door- a door that opened onto something more chaotic than the one we were standing in. All because of me.

They were my clothes, it was my sweat, my sake, my vomit. It was all me. Save for the money, then again, I was responsible for that as well.

I was burning with whatever humiliation I still had in me. She had tried to comfort me, saying that the servants here were used to such things as some people here were quite...the heavy drinkers. I knew she had been referring to Hashirama and some others. I didn't deserve her comfort but I still took it anyways, because I was desperate for reassurance, greedy for solace. I wasn't proud of myself.

Sitting here as she searched through her patch for antiseptics and her sutures, I could only imagine the amount of disappointment that Madara must feel right now. I didn't understand exactly why, but I cared. And I felt more than horrible for doing this to him, because, as much as I would have liked to ignore it, I knew my actions would very well reflect upon him. I wouldn't put it past this society, considering the era that I was living in at the moment. If word got out of any of this, I, I-

 _"Fuck."_ I cussed as silently as I could at the sudden sting of the antiseptic coming in contact with my open flesh. It was meant to prevent growth of any harmful bacteria, but why the hell did it have to hurt so much? It wasn't like I had enough already, having her repeatedly touch the wound while it burned was outright painful. She had already tried to dry off the blood before rubbing the antiseptic on. When she saw that it was dry enough, she used a needle driver to grip the sutures. I simply stopped paying attention to everything that happened from then on, otherwise I was sure to have passed out. I still did.

I felt as if I had blacked out yet was still completely wide awake by the time she finished stitching the cut and applied the antiseptic one more time before bandaging it. She had gathered her things and placed them in her pouch. I thanked her as she got up to leave, she replied by giving me that same restrained smile, clearly much more uncomfortable now. She reiterated that she would be alerting the maids of the situation. Closing the door behind her, I looked back down at my palm and I remembered thinking that it was some neat work. The way the stitches were perfectly spaced yet weren't too wide part, the way the ends were tied as to not prick at the wound; I was so transfixed with the way she had covered it, I nearly ripped the bandages off. I was brought out of my miserable thoughts by a sullen voice. In all fairness, I had completely forgotten that she was still around.

I looked up and saw a relatively angry looking Yuuki. Arms crossed, she hunched over and asked;

"No chakra, huh. What are you,  _dead_?"

...

I was pretty sure I felt dead.

_Was I?_

I wasn't so sure anymore.

By their definition, I  _should_  be dead. No chakra, no living being. Simple.

Obviously not. I wasn't looking for complicated at this point. I only wanted to enjoy the soothing water without any nagging voices inside my head.

_What voices? I haven't said anything in a while._

_Shut up._

_Fine, but you know I'm still here._

_No, no you're not._

_Yes, I am. I'm also the only reason you are alive._

_You're the only reason I got caught in the first place!_

_I know, and I'd do it again, ha._

If I recalled correctly, this was the same voice that told me to run away back in that day in the forest. The day I woke up here. It told me to run, run like my life depended on it. It also failed to mention that I would be running into Madara's arms. Then again, who was the one sitting in a bathing room having a full blown argument in their heads? I thought that voice had disappeared forever, that I had just imagined it all. What if I was still drunk? I knew very well that I wasn't, but it was better than the alternative.

I sunk deeper into the bath.

They had ushered me here, to a small bathhouse. It was a private one, built within the home for personal use. Or so the housemaids have told me while escorting me here. They wanted me away from the room as they cleaned it. I was oh-so very grateful for their lack of relevant commentary on the whole situation, even if they do talk about it, I was certainly thankful that they spared me from the humiliation straight to my face.

This was the closest I have ever been to a hot spring, and I was glad this one wasn't situated outdoors at this time in the year. I wasn't sure if I would have been frozen by the cold wintry air or burned by the scorching hot water, it would have made for a weird combination and one confusing feeling. But, this...this was beyond so good. The moment I stepped into the steam-filled room, onto the chilled ceramic floor, my toes flinched and my muscles eased up. Even after washing up with soap in a separate stall as it was required of me, it felt nothing like taking off the body towel and slowly entering the wide sunken tub, inch by inch, my body became submerged in the relaxing water.

I couldn't hold back a moan as my mind swirled endlessly in loops. I closed my eyes, letting the heat of the water soak into my skin, into every pore in my body, relaxing the rest muscles. The burning heat slowly turned into something mind-numbingly warm and pleasant, gradually tugging me into a trance as my body slunk even deeper into the water until it reached my shoulders. A sauna paled in comparison to this.

That head-splitting migraine was beginning to wan, leaving in its place something completely numb. The tingling sensation crept down my body as I leaned against the edge of the wooden bath. My hair was tied in a high bun to avoid getting drenched in the steaming water after I had stripped down completely, unbothered by no-one.

A minute had passed, then two, four, eight minutes. I had stopped counting after that.

Staring up at the high ceiling, I was completely lost. Not just in thought, but in mind, it didn't even feel like it belonged to me anymore. So many things had happened, one after the other, they wouldn't stop until it was too late. It was too late for everything. I had to wonder, was this what regular drunkards did? Drown themselves in alcohol and wake up with an upturned stomach while questioning their very own existence?

_How depressing._

Or maybe it was just me. I wouldn't know. But I did know that I never wanted this to happen again. Never do I want to wake up and look in the mirror and find someone else, someone I don't recognize yet wore my body like a sheath. I never wanted to wake up and feel disgusted with myself, repulsed by my own body that I couldn't crawl out of it fast enough.

Yesterday had gotten out of hand. It was never supposed to get that far. Wan't that how it all started? When one thing led to another then another-

The same excuse every drunk individual has and will forever use to excuse themselves from whatever wrongdoing they committed, whether a crime or adultery, it always started like that. One drink. All it took was one drink and all sorts of ideas started popping into my head like light bulbs, ideas that I wouldn't even dare give a second-thought had I been sober.

But I wasn't sober and I had never intended to go soft on him. However, it had never been my plan to pump Hashirama with alcohol, knock him out and steal his money. All I wanted was to mess with his mind just a bit, get him to slip a few words, maybe secrets, anything that I could use against him. All I ended up knowing was that yesterday had been Madara's birthday, Hashirama had a thing for dangos, that he could possibly have a concussion from all the head beatings he has had recently and that Tobirama's pubic hair color  _definitely_  did not match his hair- which was something I didn't believe for a second no matter how many doors the younger brother had to break down in order to prevent his leader from revealing something as personal as that.

That was about it.

I could vividly recall the moment in which I got so angry that my mind couldn't bear it. Something told me that I had to get him even more drunk if it meant he would talk more. It proved worthless, and for some reason I thought I would just go for it, take his money and run just like a petty thief. Why that seemed like a good idea at that time, I really didn't know. It just clicked and the next thing I knew, I was smashing his head with sake bottles left and right until I had him falling unconscious.

The worst part was, it never hit me. It never occurred to me until this morning. The one thing that set all of this in motion.

That Izuna could have lied to me about this. That Hashirama may have never even known about such a wager, let alone bet on it. For one, he was never there among the perverted audience that night as he left hours before. So, if he did place a wager, did he trust Izuna that much that he would take his word for it? Would he just willingly pay fifteen thousand ryos because his childhood friend's brother told him so?

I could feel my chest tighten as the realization could in fact be true, that I may have just assaulted a man shamelessly in his own home without a reason. Even if there was, I struggled to see one good enough that would let me act out that way.

 _Should have just listened to him,_ I scolded myself.

Tobirama always seemed to have a good head on his shoulders, unlike me. In my drunken stupor, I failed to acknowledge that and as a result, I landed myself in even hotter water with Madara.

This wouldn't be the first time Izuna had duped me, though. And it wasn't the first time I had fallen for it like the fool I was. In my own chaotic haste that night, so overwhelmed by resentment and panic; I didn't even think twice about what he said, I just gobbled up like it was the gospel, why I never doubted him was the greatest mistake I had ever overlooked. Now, here I was paying for it. Regretting everything that I have done. I had never had a regret that left me with such a sour taste in my mouth. Truth was, I shouldn't have been in Izuna's room that night.

_Why me?_

Why was it always me? Why did I have to get the short end of the stick? Why did I never think it over before I did it? In fact, why did I even come here? It wasn't like me, this fucking recklessness just wasn't me. This strange fierce hatred that I was feeling as of late...it didn't feel like me either. The guilt that accompanied it was ten-folds worse and I had no idea where it came from. This stupid hair wasn't mine. These quivering fingers weren't mine. These weak knees, this loud mouth- if only I had a time machine, there was so much I would change, and it wouldn't just be that fateful night at the school parking lot.

But we never got what we wanted, if we did, than this wouldn't be life, it would be hell. No one got whatever their little fluttering hearts desired without something valuable in exchange. And what I wanted was my old self back. I was hopeless, almost as hopeless as the thought of never returning to my own world. As shallow as it seemed, I didn't care.

That was one thought I haven't had in a long, long while. I couldn't help but smile woefully. My world seemed like such a far-fetched idea to me now, much like an illusion, like I was dreaming of something that never really existed, and without it neither did I. It just didn't make sense. There have been more than one occasion that I thought the world had it out for me, like some sort of cosmic justice for all the shit I had done with my life. Or maybe it was Karma deciding to be a bitch and just going for it.

_What if this was it? This place, was it the end?_

Speaking of cosmic retribution-

 _"Mina-chan?"_ There was a light spine-chilling tap on my shoulders.

The startling and most certainly sudden interruption had me shrieking and nearly slipping head-first into the water if I hadn't held onto the edge of the bath. Flailing my arms, I tried to balance myself on the step in the water that I had been using as a support, inadvertently causing a few splashes. I slowly turned my head in the direction of the voice and found a beautiful red-head staring at me wide-eyed.  _Fuck, how long had she been there?_

Was she there all along? Watching me walk up the steps? Naked? Had she seen me sliding into the water? And how did I not see her?

"I'm sorry if I made you nervous, though I have been trying calling out to you for a while now." She said politely, trying to reassure me. Of what? I had no idea. There was only one thing going though my mind right now and that was to get out of here.

_Oh God, she knows, doesn't she?!_

Looking at Mito through the clouds of steam, I could barely make out her signature buns that were uncharacteristically tied into a larger messy one. Locks of her scarlet strands stuck to her face in the dampness of this room. In contrast, her byakugou seal was as clear as daylight. She was too close for my own comfort and when she had sensed that, she backed away.

"I'm Uzumaki Mito, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." She nodded her head and having no other way out of this, I nodded back, though I didn't say anything. I simply smiled afraid that the next words out of my mouth would betray me. She could tell that I was uncomfortable, that was evident. She refrained from saying anything else for a while and returned to leaning besides me on the margin of the sunken bath.

"I must apologize for not being able to properly greet you upon your arrival, I had been preoccupied unfortunately." She sounded genuine, but I didn't know her. She appeared to be a smart woman, a quiet one too.

"It's alright, no need for apologies." I was trying to return her the same reassurance she had seemed to give me.

When in reality it wasn't alright at all. Had she actually been there, then last night probably would not have happened. It wasn't her fault though, I couldn't blame her for something she had no part in, I just couldn't.

I just hoped to God that she didn't know about the  _little_  party Hashirama threw yesterday. What if she figured out I was there as well? Or Tobirama had the galls to go ahead and spill everything? _No, he couldn't._  It wasn't in his character, otherwise he would have to admit that he was also there and did nothing to stop his brother, making him a willing accomplice to the whole fiasco.

But I could very well be wrong, I didn't know any of these people. Heck, I was having a difficulty time sorting myself out, how could I possibly be able to sort others? I did my best to try in remaining civil and calm, I didn't want her to begin suspecting something was wrong. When she tried to strike up a conversation, I always responded as best as I could according to her words but when the required answer demanded an intelligible response that was more than just a nod or a shake of the head, yes and no were my go-to answers.

"My, aren't you red?" She chuckled. "Would you stop? You're putting my hair to shame."

It took me a while to get it, and against my own volition, I turned even redder. I looked down my hands that were still partially submerged in the water, I didn't need to raise them to see that they were precisely ruby-red, I could only imagine what my face looked like right now. I tried to laugh it off, more awkwardly than I had anticipated.

"The water is a bit hot." I stupidly stated the obvious which only pushed her to laugh even more.

"It is, but I don't think it's the water." She commented, the subtlety didn't escape my notice. I quickly turned to look ahead in front of me, rather preferring the view of a landscape painting hanging over the wall than the visage of someone who was- who was getting so close. As if being naked wasn't enough embarrassment on its own, being naked and huddled in a shared bath was more or less tense. While it was mentally draining to constantly worry about how I looked, to be self-conscious about myself, I have recently learned that it was useless at this point.

Not only had Madara seen me without clothes on, on several different occasions, but if he had a problem about it, I figured he probably would have said it to my face, or kicked me out or something along those lines. It was becoming increasingly easier not to care about the issues of clothes or lack thereof when he was around. But this woman, it wasn't that I felt uneasy around the fact that we were simply naked and bathing together, it was her identity, who she was in a nutshell.

She was beautiful no doubt, intimidating on some level or another. I mean, what part of her wasn't attractive? That exquisite hair to the flawless skin of her neck and bare shoulders. The perky nose down to the plumpness of her oh-so ample globes, breasts round as goddamn melons that make you want to shake them. And these were just the parts I could actually see, what else could she be hiding?

Why did I care, especially when the real question should be what was I hiding that I was willing to let her know of? The answer to that question was most definitely not yesterday night. What truly irked me about all of this, this bath and this circumstance, was Mito's seemingly cluelessness about what had happened with Hashirama and I. If Tobirama didn't tell her, maybe the maids who surely saw us did. The same maids who could possibly be cleaning my room.

_Oh God._

_"_ If you stay here any longer, you might damage your skin." She kindly reminded me. Having hot water damage my skin was not really one of my concerns at the moment, not when I knew my shame would probably damage me first.

"Yes, you're right." I agreed, silently sinking and falling back into my own little cocoon of delusions.

"So, where are you from, Mina-chan?" Mito asked, glowing with radiance I didn't know she had. I was stumped. No one had asked me that question in ages, not since Madara  _hilariously_  tied me up in a shack. It made no difference if it had been days since I was last asked, or weeks, months or even a hundred years, I still couldn't up with an answer. I could always lie, but I had just missed that critical window in which one was permitted to lie and the other person wouldn't be able to notice it, essentially getting away with it. That window was way too narrow in women, and I had just missed it by a long shot. My silence reflected the current state of mind I was in; a mess. As I struggled to come up with a coherent phrase that didn't seem too far off into la-la land that would make her think I was indeed crazy.

"Uhh, a small village. On the borders of a river."

It was the best I could come up with. I wasn't completely lying though, I did live on the outskirts of a town that was situated near a river. The city wasn't that far from where my family and I had lived.

"Oh is that so? That's interesting, I only know a handful of settlements in the Fire Country that live near a water source." She said, completely immersed in thought. Just when I believed that she wasn't going to pursue this matter further, she said something I never paid much attention to before.

"The Senju base is actually one of them." She flashed me another one of her smiles, although I couldn't help but notice the lack of warmth in that particular one. I wasn't utterly idiotic. The foolish insinuation that I could have come from anywhere around this place was nonsense. She only wanted to know where I had lived precisely and she could have easily counted those places down one by one if she wanted to. But she didn't. Thankfully. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known what to say. So, instead, I had settled for a redundant;

"That is interesting."

Feigning as much interest as I can.

We sat in silence for a while. None of us knowing what else to say, introductions were well out of way, there was nothing else to talk about while we were both...less than decent. I was sure this was much awkward for her as it was for me. The rising temperature of this chamber was starting to get to me as I felt beads of sweat roll down my face.

I didn't know how much longer I could withstand this.

This place, this setting, this whole mess; I was reaching my limit and I knew it. I just didn't know how to stop it, I felt like I was a train-wreck waiting to happen. The last time I had ever felt like this was in the summer of my fourteenth birthday, when I nearly stabbed my uncle in his guts with a scissor. Finally unable to handle the nightmares of my childhood creeping into my sleep every night, I took matters into my own hands as best as a fourteen year old can. Matters being anthropomorphized into actual scissor blades.

Which could have very well landed me in juvenile penitentiary had my uncle so graciously decided not to press charges.

That was one period of my life I never wanted to revisit. Yet, those feelings from the past never left me. The pent-up anger, the humiliation, the self-pity, everything, I was feeling everything once again. Unconsciously dragging myself into the past, I had completely ignored the present. This was history repeating itself, just with different people, different settings, different circumstances, but the raw emotions were still the same.

Did it make me want to bang my head against the wall? Yes, anything to make the memories go away.

Did it make me want to scream at the top of my lungs? I did, if it meant anyone, just anyone, could hear the real me. It was so eerily familiar, it reminded me of falling down a mysterious black hole that didn't seem to have an end nor a beginning. But in some sort of distorted reason was a parody that imitated my own descent to this world; I felt like I was falling through that rabbit hole all over again, except this hole was darker, everlasting and existed purely within the folds of my mind.

"I would suggest you hurry up, you'll turn to vapor any time now." Mito's upbeat voice briskly pulled me out of my daze. And I was glad she did. Though when I turned to my side to thank her, she wasn't there. I swiveled my head around, looking for her. She was standing on the edge of the wooden deck flooring that surrounded the bath.

I didn't mean to, but I had let out a nearly inaudibly gasp. It wasn't because of her shamelessly standing there in all her naked glory, not because of that untied bun of sleek hair that reached her lower back, not even because of her slender waist or the way her body was covered in sheens of water, drops dripping from every corner. It was that belly. That almighty pregnant belly that overshadowed the small tuft of red hair beneath it.

She was pregnant.

How far along? I couldn't tell, but she was leaning towards the ends of her trimester.

_No wonder she was preoccupied. They don't bum around, do they?_

As if reading my very confused mind, she answered merrily, "Well, Hashirama doesn't exactly like to waste time!" She laughed as she wrapped the body towel around her figure and tied her hair back up.

_I could see that._

And for the love of everything that walked this earth, I wished that I hadn't.

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

They both sat there, quietly. Only a measly table separating them.

On one side, sat the Senju leader, eyes heavy with lack of sleep and head bandaged to perfection, but above all, that hysterical laugh he bellowed whenever he was nervous. A trait Madara had learned by heart. The gentle rubbing of the nape, the avoiding-all-sorts-of-eye-contact look, the roaring intermittent laughs that came out as grating as an unhinged door; Hashirama was a nervous wreck.

On the other side, sat the Uchiha leader, emotionless as a block of ice. Arms crossed and an impassive look plastered across his sharp features, Madara continued to glare at the white bandages that covered the top layer of Hashirama's mop of hair, it even encompassed part of his forehead.  _There was no way,_  was his first thoughts which was slowly transforming into,

_Can't believe she's actually done it._

She actually knocked him out. How crazy was that?

Very.

Perhaps on any other occasion or in a completely different scenario, Madara could say he was proud. But this was not such scenario. He was more angry than he was pleased with her actions. Though, to see Hashirama like this, it was satisfying. Not many people could say that they have knocked the Senju Head unconscious and got away alive, but she did it. But not without the knowledge of the how-to's to get a man drunk- knowledge he still didn't understand how she obtained- she wouldn't have been able to come nearly as close as she had done.

She had sake on her side, unfortunately for Hashirama, he didn't even have his head.

_Keep it together, fool._

He had sworn to himself that he wouldn't think about yesterday night's catastrophe until he got this little private meeting over with, though he was finding that extremely hard to do right now.

They were seated in Hashirama's private quarters, a small room adjacent to his study. It wasn't vast, but it wasn't small either. It was empty save for the three foot high butterfly palm plant placed in the left corner of the chamber, a few lanterns decorated the ceiling, casting light onto the already dim room. Not to mention this chabudai, the most valuable piece in the room as it kept Madara from reaching out and wringing the other man's neck.

The doors that opened onto the outer yard trembled in fear as the wind showed no mercy. The soft pitter-patter of rain drops from yesterday night were now the clacketing of torrential rains. The weather was everything but improving. The cold gusts of air penetrated the shoji and filled the room with an atmosphere almost as chilly as the tension between the respective leaders.

He had been waiting for him to begin this hellish encounter.

Despite his growing agitation, Madara managed to reel in most of his explosive temper before it got out of hand.

"I'm so glad you could make it, Madara!" Hashirama exclaimed, knowing well that his counterpart wasn't particularly in a jovial mood.

"To be honest with you, I never thought you would actually reply." He contemplated on the several letters he wrote to him and received the cold shoulder as a response.

 _"Neither did I."_ He didn't try to hide his contempt, which was more than clear in the way he spoke, in the tone of his deep voice. Madara found himself sitting on pins and needles for what was about to happen, not out of excitement or impatience, but out of anxiousness and agitation. Willingly or not, he was going to listen to this fool blab on whatever he wanted to talk about. He had bothered to make the journey all the way over here, he might as well take what he was being offered.

"Well, aren't you glad you did?  _Ha!?"_

_Absolutely not. Not in hell. Not even over my dead body._

Safe to say, Madara was itching to jump out of his skin and possess his goddamn host. The effort he was exerting in order to keep his psyche from breaking was too much. Too much for him to handle, he would rather use that much effort into something more...permanent. Something that hurts. Like rearranging Hashirama's face, or better yet, Tobirama's. But that self-absorbed bastard wasn't even here, not even in the vicinity. Madara couldn't sense his fowl chakra which only meant he was putting as much effort as he was into concealing his chakra.

"Get on with it, Hashirama."

One would think that the dense idiot would get the hint and move onto the more serious issues, but there was a reason being 'a dense idiot' was never one of the qualities of a clan leader. But here he was, proof in the flesh that just about anyone could make it. Even so, he wasn't intimidated by Madara's tactics, preferring to let his downbeat personality slide.

"Alright, alright, I was just about to suggest we eat breakfast first, but since  _you're so eager-"_ The taller man shuffled through his inner layers of the kimono until he removed three different scrolls, each with a different clan insignia branded onto the thick material. Madara's eyes instantly recognized two of the emblems, with the third one being completely foreign to him.

"What's the meaning of this?" He asked, blindsided by the lack of amusement Hashirama offered. He couldn't lie, he had expected the foolish clan head to propose something preposterous or utterly nonsensical it would be considered laughable. But judging from the way those scrolls were tightly sealed with not just a simple branding but tagged seals that would require a high-positioned shinobi- probably Hashirama himself- to open it using his own chakra, well- it was clear that they were formal missives sent by the clan heads themselves.

Setting them on the table, one after the other, Hashirama's smile widened. Leaning forward, he was finally able to talk freely with his long time friend.

"It seems other people want to share our dream, Madara."

The gleam in his eyes was as bright as the first day he had met him. The few times in which Madara saw that same look in his friend's eyes were the times they used to spend on the cliff side admiring the view. Talking about their so-called dreams, it seemed like eons ago they were on the edge, feet dangling into the air as each proclaimed what the other tried so desperately to do. While Hashirama went on to lose another brother, Madara fought tooth and nail to protect Izuna. There were many times in which he came close to losing his last sibling, fortunately for him, he didn't.

"The Yamanka and the Sarutobi?" He hushed. To say that he wasn't surprised was to say that he had fully anticipated this, which wasn't the case. Why on earth would those mind-reading circus freaks and those...those Sarutobi- for the lack of a better, more accurate nickname- want to join them? More importantly, why was Hashirama actually considering this?

"This was never part of the agreement Hashirama." He shot him down before he could even start, but that proved to be useless as long as Hashirama pretended not to hear him.

"But Madara-"

"No. You never made this a condition of the alliance, and now you want to modify whenever you see fit. Tell my why I should even listen to you?." He was growing irritated by the mere suggestion of allowing others into the treaty that was already cut-clear from the beginning. On Hashirama's part, he was already prepared to deal with Madara's narrow vision, of his close-minded condemnation of people he knew nothing about other than their skills on the battlefield.

"I know-"

Madara never let him continue his phrase, never gave him the chance to explain to him his point of view, in fear that he would actually end up convincing him.

 _"Do you?"_  He asked rhetorically, brows raised and an annoyed look on his face. "I agreed to this, despite the many willing me not to do so and  _despite_  the fact of some of the most insulting and prejudiced clauses I have ever read, I-"

"And it's exactly for that reason why you should hear me out, Madara." Hashirama pleaded. "These people want the same things we want, to keep our children safe. Why should we be the only ones who are-"

 _"We are not responsible for them, Hashirama!"_ It infuriated Madara just how naive how this man could be, they weren't children anymore. Their versions of peace differed, at least for Madara. That dream that his eleven year old self cherished was much different now, while it was still the peace that he wanted, it wasn't the same peace Hashirama was envisioning.

 _"If they wanted peace, they could have achieved it long ago!"_ He added. The same could have been said about the the strongest clans of their era; if both Uchiha and Senju wanted peace, they could have done it long ago, long before either of these men were born. But they didn't. For reasons that were constantly changing, whether it was for money, for land, for profits and conquests or just for the thrill of it, it didn't really matter. Madara just didn't see why they had to share what they fought for with their sweat and blood with others.

It was a selfish thought, but it was his thought. It was no surprise, Madara only cared for his people- the exact reason he signed up for the treaty at all-, the scope of him caring for anyone or anything else beyond that was practically non-existent.

"Well, here they are trying to achieve it." Hashirama said, pouring tea into their cups. "That village of ours is useless if we can't put up a united front."

_United front?_

A cup was slid over to his side but he made no move to grab it.

"You don't think Iwa or Kumo will jump on every chance they could to get their hands on our lands? The Fire Country will never be able to defend itself as long as each clan are constantly at each other's throats."

Madara could tell where he was going with this.

"I'm sure we could defend ourselves if it ever came to that." The way he said it, the pride in his voice and the smug air Madara exuded, there was no doubt he believed in his clan's abilities, even in the Senju's. So much so that he was willing to bet on them putting up a good fight against ninjas from other countries. It was an amusing thought to Hashirama.

"Ha! I'm glad you're optimistic about that, Madara. But that won't stop the wars from coming to our doorsteps. Everything we've built for the settlement is worthless if we can't keep it safe."

"There will always be wars, I don't get what you're so pessimistic about. Conflicts no matter the era, remember?" Having to throw Hashirama's own words back at him gave Madara a bit of pleasure in this already dampened gathering. It didn't necessarily have the intended effect he had hoped for, seeing that the bulky man only laughed as he drank his tea.

"Ouch. But you know, unlike you Madara, I can only find strength in unity. You're always used to doing things yoursel-"

It wasn't the Uchiha that had interrupted him this time around. It was a much smaller creature, yet it did more damage than he could have ever done in this state.

A small bird came flinging from outside, tearing through the rice-papers and forming a hole nearly the size of Hashirama's fists, and Hashirama's fists were  _quite_   _big_. It fell to the ground, flapping and thrashing around like a fish trying to survive out of water. No way it had flown in there the way it did unless it was blind, someone must have hurled it.

Madara was intrigued, the blue-feathered creature tried to fly but couldn't with the weight it was carrying; a scroll nearly its full size. It was weighing it down. Not a second later, Hashirama was already on his feet, cupping the poor thing in his hands as he healed it. He untied the knot and released the scroll. He couldn't help but wonder if this was another missive from another clan asking to join in on the treaty.

Madara eyed the scroll in his hands, trying to read through the papers. Then again, he had the sharingan, not the byakugan.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, it's from Tobirama! There's a note." He sounded pleased, almost ecstatic. He had to be if he was willing to read the note out loud. " _'Here, you dumb ignoramus. This came for you last night while you were drowning with her in a-'_ "

Just when Madara's ears picked up something juicy, Hashirama abruptly cut himself off, preferring to read the rest of the intriguing note in his mind.

"Who were you drowning with, hmm?"

The other man laughed it off and crunched the paper, tossing it to the side. His eyes never leaving it, Madara made a mental notice to take a good look at that piece of white sheet. Until then, Hashirama sat back down, forming the required hand-signs to open the seal. As the scroll was now closer, he had recognized the Uzumaki crest printed on the outer green parchment paper of the missive.

Not a moment later, the facial features of the typically happy Senju were slowly fading. The ghost of a smile had long left his lips, a frown beginning to creep into every ridge and crinkle. His brows furrowed the more he read on. It soon became clear to Madara that this wasn't a request to enter into the treaty- not that the Uzumaki would need such a thing, considering that their clan matriarch was already married to Hashirama. Something was amiss, that much he could tell.

"What is it Hashirama?" He asked, more or less concerned about the sudden change in the man's behavior. After seemingly read the message enough times to ingrain the words in his mind, Hashirama took a few moments to mull it over before finally settling on handing the scroll over to Madara.

"Look at the date." He told him, while passing the message over. The rush of air from the storm outside leaked into the room, dropping the temperature inside a couple of degrees. Befitting for the alarming message he was about to read. Exactly as he was told, Madara's eyes went straight for the date written at the top left corner of the page.

_It was dated for two weeks ago._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!
> 
> If you've made it this far into the chapter, I congratulate you!
> 
> I have decided; I WILL BE WRITING LEMONS! They're just kinda fun and awkward honestly, and I like fun and awkward.
> 
> Now, why I haven't written one in this chapter or the next. Simple, there are two reasons:
> 
> 1) Timing isn't right. If I had written it in this chapter or the next, it would have seemed rushed. Too rushed. And the current plot didn't leave place for it. If I had written it, it would have been a mistake, and I didn't want to repeat that whole wedding mistake all over again, I wanted it to be somewhat meaningful this time. So, writing a smut scene between Mina and Madara while they were both *mad*- enraged in Madara's case and crazy in Mina's- it would have certainly made for an awkward scene. Not my type of awkward.
> 
> 2)I want to take my time writing it. Like, I wanna make it hot, lol. I want it to be emotional but like also very descriptive, and did I mention *hot*?! You guys deserve some gobsmacking, drool-inducing smut, and I just wanna provide that.
> 
> So, who's with me? Are you all willing to wait three more chapters?!
> 
> I apologize if it seems too long, but I wanna make it right this time!


	49. Eddies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, forgot to mention this a few chapters earlier, Uzushio's destruction in the timeline of this fic occurs earlier than in canon, meaning it happened long before Kushina's time. For the sake of avoiding confusion, I'm simply going to refer to it as Uzushio or the land of whirlpools.
> 
> *Done proofreading, if there are still mistakes, please inform me, thanks.

* * *

 

He was on his way back to the room secretly hoping that she had pulled her shit together before he pulled it for her.

While her little situation was indeed concerning, something else was plaguing his mind. That was one meeting he could not have anticipated. The way it ended- it wasn't exactly reassuring. Madara had tried to shake off any thoughts still lingering about that more-than-dour encounter, convincing himself that whatever happened wasn't his problem. It was Hashirama's and Mito's.

If Hashirama wanted his help, he would have simply asked for it. End of story.

He had managed to go along with his own fabricated plot until he came face to face with her. Again.

Taking in the deepest breath he could while simultaneously trying to silence that voice in his mind that was telling him- and eloquently put- to screw her over and leave her behind like the last time. It might teach her a lesson or two, hell, if his luck was on his side, she might even come crawling back to him. But then-

_Tobirama._

That's right, he had nearly forgotten about the douche's existence. He could remember it like it was yesterday, how he had wrongfully threw her into his room, stranded her and left merrily on his way, not a care in the world. He didn't particularly regret that part, he only regretted what came afterwards. And as such, he swore that he would not repeat the same mistake twice, thus, screwing her over and ditching her was not an option.

He would have to settle for taking a deep breath and hoped to Kami it worked.

He was surprised to see the doors were left ajar, but thought nothing of it. He slid them open the rest of the way as he took a step inside. He was surprised to see that the room was clean to the dot, he even second-guessed himself whether he had taken the wrong turn down the hall. The only thing that convinced him otherwise was her sitting by the windowsill, trying to peer out into the wilderness.

She had her quirks, he knew that. Some of them explainable, others- not so much. But he had learned to deal with it, it came along with the whole enigmatic thing, he couldn't disassemble her and simply take the parts he enjoyed and throw the rest which he deemed less than favorable. This was maybe one of those unexplainable ones.

"Why don't you stick it a little closer? I'm sure your head can break through." His ironic words caught her off guard so, that she found it necessary to squeal and raise her hands in surrender, as if being caught red-handed by the owner of a home she had been trying to rob. It was a stupid decision though, as she completely lost her footing and fell to the ground face-first. He could only stand there, watching her as she so passionately kissed the floor with her face.

He couldn't believe they were back to the breaking-windows quirk. For one, he was not a fan of walking on broken shards of glass everywhere. He thought that they made a silent agreement; that she would stop sneaking through windows in exchange of- well, nothing. She wasn't supposed to be breaking glass panels in the first place, hence why he never understood her penchant for shattering shards. Secondly, they weren't in the privacy of their own home, this was no time to do something just as stupid, especially not after yesterday.

Madara looked down on her while she gathered herself, rubbing her cheeks as she cursed under her breath, but he could still hear her. He couldn't say the same thing about her, it didn't look like she even recognized his presence nor footsteps even after he entered the room- which, as he came to notice, looked pristine, shining even. The complete opposite of the mess it was less than half a day ago. More importantly, that sake bottle was no longer in sight. Either she had followed his orders and got rid of it, or she drank it whole and essentially getting rid of it as well.

He had no way of knowing.

What he did know however, was that he had been far too lenient with her. It stopped now.

"Get up." He ordered her. She complied, though not without hesitation. Standing up to her feet, she smoothed the creases in her skirt as the purple hakama dragged onto the floor, too long for her.

If he thought she would easily obey his words longer than this, he was wrong. Whether she was defiant by nature, or just plain heedless to others, it didn't seem to affect her. She may have gotten up, but she didn't stay up for long. Going straight for the bed, she pulled her hakama upwards to avoid tripping over. If it hadn't been for lengthy strips following her every step, he wouldn't have noticed the leather sac settled on the nightstand behind her. Next to it were the bills, neatly collected into a stack and tied together by an elastic rubber. The pouch itself must have held the coins, or so he concluded.

_She was going to give the money back, huh?_

That was a bit surprising, and a bit distracting as well.

_Focus, Madara, focus._

_What was I supposed to say, anyways?_

He came here with the intent to hypothetically bash whatever he wanted into her head, he knew it wasn't about the impropriety and crudity of her recent behavior- he had a mouthful to talk to her about that later- but it wasn't what he came here to tell her. It was something about-

"Uhm, Madara?" She called his name, timidity written all over her face. She even went as far as twiddling with her fingers, playing with the hem of her sleeves and ultimately- and the worst peeve- never looking him in the eyes. He couldn't tell if it was all an act or if this was indeed the same woman from yesterday's horror. Heck, was it even the same woman he had married? The number of different split personalities he had seen emerging from her; it was too many to count. Serious doubt began to creep into his mind.

 _"What?"_  He snapped, trying to regain his own focus but was getting seemingly distracted with every single detail with this godforsaken room. His brusque response startled her.

"Uh, about yesterday-?"

_What about yesterday?_

When she followed him through the woods? When she tried to drown him? Or better yet, when she drowned herself in alcohol? With their hosts? When she stole their money, too? The list could go on forever, Madara had realized. It would have been great if she had continued that sentence, but she was dragging this out longer than it needed be. The least he deserved was her having the guts to look at him while she apologized. She  _was_  going to apologize? Right?

"Can we pretend it never happened?"

Did he hear that right? He wasn't sure, maybe she had meant 'I'm sorry, Madara' but then it came out as 'I'm an idiot, please forgive me'. No, it wasn't that either, there was no apology in that statement-sounding question of hers. Though she did sound apologetic, it was just not for him but for her actions.

_Can we pretend it never happened?_

That was highly unlikely for him.

"Please?" She sounded unexpectedly sincere, as though she felt remorse. Shocking. What was even more surprising was that she finally decided to stop with the pesky fidgeting and locked eyes with him. And for a fleeting moment, he thought he saw regret fill her. Though, it wasn't just regret, there was that same despair he first saw on that wedding night, not his but Hashirama's. When she was drunk, although now that she was sober, that feeling couldn't have been more palpable than in this moment.

_Focus for fuck's sake._

If he could hit himself with a bat, he would. Only if it had him concentrating on what he came to say. Which was-

"Gather your things, we're leaving."

_Right, that was it._

There was no need for them to stay any longer, he came for what he was called for and now he was leaving with nothing. Due to unforeseen circumstances, of course. Still, a part of him didn't feel right. Successfully shrugging off that nagging part of him yet again, he also had no problem with ignoring her own pleas. Which didn't seem to last long as she stood up, that sorrow look swiftly replaced by a perplexed one.

"Oh, already?" She voiced her disbelief, momentarily taking a peek at the windows. The images that played on the other side of that glass panel were quite frightening, but to Madara they were simply part of another day, another month, another winter. He could already imagine the kind of thoughts going through her mind. That they couldn't possibly walk- or even run- through the writhing trees and the howling winds that were just as loud as the wails of a keening banshee. The storm was growing the ever more powerful, smothering every sign of light that could have been, graying the world around them as carnage ensued. The noon darkness and the dampened air, the skies rolled as rain came pouring down, like a waterfall sent from the heavens.

Unlike a waterfall, this rain wasn't in the least bit soothing nor strangely calm, it was merciless, hard, driven. Drops the size of almonds tore into the ground tearing plants from their roots, smashed through whatever foliage was left on trees and hammered against the weak glass that was their shelter. It wouldn't be long before those drops turned to ice. Madara could feel it, snow was just around the corner. Again.

If her silent protest wasn't enough, surely the onslaught of downpour would persuade him?

He wasn't going to lie, it was. Having to run through that wasn't exactly a welcoming idea, but what could he do? How could he remain here in this place if Hashirama himself was about to leave?

"Madara? Can you hear me?" She was up in his face.

Strange, she was five feet away not even a minute ago. His annoying glare was bold enough to warn her off. He didn't just forget what happened yesterday, he was still angry, it wouldn't just disappear like that- with the snap of the fingers. Not in the way she was. Sensing that it was still too soon to break another boundary, she stepped back clasping her fingers and mumbling another apology.

"I was just saying that...that- I think it's not wise if we leave in the middle of the storm. Besides, you should finish whatever affairs you had with-"

"It's done. Now get ready." He repeated, not expecting another objection after his final order.

"That fast?" She sounded surprised as if it had never happened before.

"Yes,  _that fast._  Stop wasting time-"

"So, how was it? That bad or that good?" Mina asked, curious to know exactly what had occurred between him and Hashirama. Something she never seemed to feign interest in until now. Even so, he didn't particularly get the gist of her question.

"I'll answer that once you make sense." He turned on his heels, ready to assemble his armor for the looming departure.

"I mean, either Hashirama-sama had some very tempting offers you possibly couldn't refuse,  _or_ -" She began, only stopping when she knew she caught his attention. He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at the speaking woman in front of him. She stood elegantly, hands still clasped and settled over her violet hakama falling just after the ankles, her red-collared white kimono tucked in just below her bust-line. The expression her face mirrored was a subtle one, quietly analyzing everything in her surroundings, mainly him.

"- _Or_ , it must have been so awful you couldn't help but refuse right away."

While it was amusing to hear her reasons for why the meeting duration was so short, it was a shame both of them were wrong. He took another good look at her before he turned his head away.

"Or-"

_Another one?_

"Hmm, what if something had interrupted that meeting?" She pondered loudly, edging closer to reality and further from speculation. How she even came near that guess eluded him.

"That would certainly explain your foul mood, you do hate interruptions."

She wasn't wrong, he did hate interjections that were worthless and time-consuming. How she managed to pick up on something like that- or even read him like a not-so-open book, they were frighteningly surreal. Just how observing was she? Trying to take back control of the situation, he snapped back with the most obvious, most flagrant affront that was weighing heavy on both of their minds.

"Ever thought it was because of  _you_  and  _your drunken folly_?"

Just from the top of his head, this was one of those things she did that drove him inextricably mad. Aside from the abrupt changes in personality, the lack of vigilance towards her own actions, the irresponsible pranks, her endless jargon of euphemisms that  _no one_  seems to understand, and the list could go on and on, but he stopped himself short. He would just settle for the most blatantly obvious problem, her drunkenness.

She seemed to retract back a few steps, painfully aware of her own mistakes.

"I said I'm sorry about that-"

"No, you didn't." He corrected her. He could tell that she was mortified, right on the spot. The blush became much more noticeable as heat rose to her well-rounded cheeks. She stammered, trying to find her voice while tucking an already pleated strand of hair behind her ears.

"I know...L-look I'm sorry. I alr-ready feel disgusted about it, no need to remind me of it. Can we just...you know..." She trailed off, not knowing how to ask this of him.

"Pretend it never happened?" He continued for her, repeating the same words she uttered less than ten minutes ago. It was easier said than done. Was he willing to try, though? Madara wasn't exactly sure. Although, he was willing to put it aside for now if she stopped this nonsense and gathered her things.

"It won't happen, ever again. I promise. But please, think it over, how can we travel in a weather like that? What is so important that you feel the need to drop everything and leave?"

"I didn't drop anything!" He barked, his anger making an abrupt appearance. It wasn't solely the dwindling anger he felt towards her, it was the persistent headache that wouldn't leave him alone since yesterday. A day he would have rather spent alone in the comfort of his own home, training with no distractions in mind nor body, it wasn't a terribly extravagant thing to ask for a birthday that he did not even care about. Twenty-seven or twenty-eight, it felt just the same. A day did not make a difference. But that wasn't where he was, he was in the present, somewhere far, far away from what the past was.

"It was Hashirama." He found himself muttering despite trying to remain quiet. It was what had piqued her interest as she raised her head, eyes lighting up with confusion and intrigue.

"Hashirama?" She echoed under her breath. "What happened?"

When he made no move to reply back, she took initiative and went to him instead, grabbing his arms and forcing him to look at her.

"Would you at least do me the honor of telling me something for once?" Mina questioned, looking at him in both boldness and desperation. Madara couldn't believe that she would have the gut to keep her hands like that, after all that had happened, he figured that some space was more than what they both deserved. Apparently, she thought otherwise. Her brown eyes glimmered under his gaze. He wasn't sure how to take her words, she didn't sound like she was blaming him, nor was she that sanctimonious to think that she had any right to tell him what to do after her own predicament. She simply sounded...well- desperate. Hopeless even.

"I mean, I tried to be honest with you,  _I really did, Madara_. But you never bother to mention a word to me about anything. I didn't even know we were coming here had it not been for a maid."

_Huh._

That was funny. He recalled going to her room one day and found her snuggling the kitten. He even recalled feeling large fleshy lumps in his hand, hardened nipples between his rough fingers, the smooth skin in his palms; he could remember very well what he did but more so, what he felt. What happened immediately afterwards was more or less hazy. He had told her to get ready as they were about to leave, though Madara couldn't particularly remember if he had told her where they were going.

He blinked a few times, pulling himself out of his own deluded daze. Brown irises never leaving his own, they delved deep into him. She retracted her hand, yet still maintained a steady gaze.

"What was so important that the mere interruption of it caused Hashirama to drop everything, Madara?" She rephrased her words, seemingly getting closer to the truth. Whether she knew how close she was or not, Madara couldn't tell how she could just jump leaps like that, from one boat to another, she was playing on the assumption that there was indeed an interruption. She wasn't wrong, but still-.

She was more astute than she looked. Then again, he never really explicitly denied her claim.

He mulled it over, unable to shake off that hassling premonition. Should he really-?

"There are issues that he has to deal with at Uzushio. He's leaving. And so should we."

"Issues?"

"Yes, issues. Did you hear me?" He was getting tired of having to repeat himself, but even more exhausted by having to stand here and explain everything, especially when he couldn't have cared less about it.

"I did, but you're still not answering my question. Did something happen at Uzushio? Was that the important interruption?"

So. Many. Questions.

_And she manages to ask all the right ones, too. What are the chances of that?_

"You tell me. Take a guess, I'm sure you could figure it out." He sneered, turning around to face her. She was on a roll, Madara was quite eager to hear her next suggestion. Who needed him anyways? She appeared to have all the answers herself.

"But..but I don't know. I wasn't there." She stammered.

"What makes you think something happened there?" He began, there was a long list of questions he was keen on getting through. Starting off on why she assumed something had went wrong at Uzushiogakure. Issues could have several meanings, none of which necessarily meant something nefarious had happened. For all she knew- or claimed to not know- it could have been a simple misunderstanding between both clans, a new signing for a trade agreement, heck, perhaps their matriarch felt homesick and decided on a spontaneous visit that Hashirama simply couldn't refuse- while that particular scenario didn't exactly warrant for the immediate departure specifically in the middle of a meeting, still, the countless connotations that accompanied 'issues' weren't that narrow.

"The way you said it, it seemed as though it was urgent. Am I wrong?"

"What exactly is it that you know about Uzushio?" He avoided her question by asking one of his own, the second one on the ever-growing mental list, a list that had been piling up for quite some time now. She was more reluctant to answer this one and that was when he knew he caught her. There was something she was hiding that wasn't common knowledge. Though, that didn't stop her from trying to sell him something he already knew.

"Well, I'm waiting." He pushed.

"It was an isolated island in the wh-whirlpools, home to the Uzumaki clan for centuries, that's al-"

_"Was?"_

Her use of the past tense in this situation was disconcerting. Inching closer to her, Madara didn't know what to make of her words, whether it was a slur in her speech or an intended use, he wasn't sure. But he had this agitating feeling that this was far from a simple mistake in verb tenses. The timing, too. After the distressing missive that he had just read, this was too good to be true. He really tried not to read much into it, but he couldn't. Instantly realizing her mistake, she tried to backtrack almost as soon as he repeated her words.

"I meant is. It's an isol-"

"You clearly said  _was_ , elaborate.  _Now_." He ordered.

His mind was growing frantic as one scenario began taking form of a possibility, a deadly one.

_What if Hashirama's too late?_

The urgency in that scroll was felt within each stroke of the brush, each loop and each character, each word, each phrase as they both read it. Once, twice, thrice. The message was clear despite the rushed hand-writing, as if the author was pressed for time to send for assistance before heading out for battle. Which was most likely what had happened. Uzumaki Ashina must have been in dire need of help if he bothered with sending a missive requesting aid from the Senju.

_Two weeks ago._

That was perhaps the most disturbing piece of the whole writing.

Details of how forces of various shinobi clans began immobilizing around their territories, the several incidents regarding the disappearance of both Senju and Uzumaki ninjas, the lack of correspondence with his own squad that he had sent out; Hashirama was aware of this situation for quite some time, as it would appear. That was what Madara had come to surmise, except it did not seem like he was expecting this, now of all times.

What had really set him off was the date of that missive. Two weeks ago was a long time for a message to be sent. In this weather and in these conditions, it would have taken, at most, three days to arrive, whether it was by a shinobi or a messenger bird. The mere fact that it had stayed for weeks before reaching him...it was as if it was held or kept back only to be sent to its destination whenever the time was right.

 _Or, it could have gotten lost,_  as he argued in vain, knowing very well that if it had, it would have never turned up in Hashirama's hands.

"Who told you?" He was getting frustrated, not with her but with the situation and how she seemed to know everything. He wouldn't be shocked if she knew about this even before they knew about the message. Which would peg the question-

"Told me what?" It wasn't long before it dawned on her. When it did, her eyes widened, and for a brief moment he thought he saw terror, no- fright in her eyes, "Something did happen, didn't it?" She whispered, afraid that if mentioning the words out loud was already a sign of bad omen, that the words themselves would come to life.

No longer needing to refute that claim as it was now pointless trying to hide anything from her, Madara could only focus on one thing;

_"How do you know?"_

It was impossible that the word had already gone out. Even if it did, how did it reach her ears? A maid wasn't privy to such information until it was already too late. A servant was out of the question. Unless, Uzumaki Mito had done the honors, then again, she probably didn't even know about the contents of the scroll before Hashirama had read it first. Not even that idiot Tobirama would have been able to get his hands on it. The list of people who could have told her this beforehand was essentially nonexistent.

"I-"

"You want me to be truthful with you, yet you yourself don't say anything. You cherry-pick what you want to say and leave me guessing for the missing pieces. Now, tell me how  _that's fair?"_

It felt so good to finally say it. Kami knew he was guilty of doing the same, but she...she was the worst at it. He was tired of sitting around, waiting for her to come around and talk to him. He knew it by now, that it would never happen. Never would she come to him just to...talk, let alone tell him her secrets. How could he be so foolish? He held her by the arms lightly, forcing her to look up at him. This wasn't the first time he had done it, he doubted it would be the last.

"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you, Madara."

_Believe her?_

"Try me." He dared.

"But I have." She pleaded, her voice feeble yet accusing. Her lashes fluttered as she tried to give words to her own thoughts. "I-it's li-like  _you refuse_  to accept it, or even hear it, but  _this isn't my world. Never has and never will be, Madara."_

There was something in those words of hers, in that look, in the way she placed her palms on his chest. He watched as she squinted, as her brows furrowed, he saw but pain in those eyes like it had sat there all its life, trapped behind doors and doors of confusion and melancholia. Those minuscule almost invisible hazel specks he always saw shining whenever he looked at them, they were beautiful, but in reality, he could see that they were nothing but cracks in those once tightly sealed doors, gradually opening to reveal what was hidden behind them.

"This isn't my world, not my reality. They're yours and yours only."

 _Not her reality?_ His confusion must have been plainly obvious, because she didn't just stop there, she couldn't. Her soft lips stretched into a thin smile, yet never reaching her brown eyes. They lit up with sadness and were one of the most forced expressions he had seen, it would have looked quite comical had it not made his heart feel...heavy.

"You see, where I'm from, you're sadly nothing more than a few scribbles on paper. Your life long planned before you even took your first breath." Her smile widened, dropping her voice down to a notch, just barely above a whisper. Her words were taking on a turn he didn't particularly like. And when he let her go, trying to step back, she didn't let him go.

"The crazy thing is, it's not because of destiny or fate or whatever you call it, it was because of one man's mind. One man. One paper. And an ink bottle. That's what it was Madara."

He stepped back, distancing himself from her nonsense.

_A man?_

His existence was not  _because_  of one mortal man.  _No, impossible._ He was not made of ink, he was not made of paper. He was human, he had his father's blood coursing through his veins, he had a pumping heart, a brain, a pulse. He was  _not_  a figment of one man's mind. Even if he had one foot in his grave, he would not believe her. Even if he lost his eyes, he would still not believe her.

Her words, they were incomprehensible, abstruse to his own mind. That didn't hold her back.

"The destruction of Uzushio is no different. Believe me or not, but that clan is not going to have a happy ending." Mina affirmed.

"Why are you already assuming it is destroyed?" He asked. It wasn't far-fetched to think that Uzushio may no longer exist, especially after the recent problems they had been facing- according to Hashirama- and the increasing threat on their lands. It didn't help their situation that they were already secluded from the rest of the Countries, it would make getting help there that much difficult, almost as difficult as striking an attack.  _Still, if they had already immobilized..._

Destruction wasn't an over-exaggeration after all.

She shrugged and replied as calmly as she could.

"You're right, I could be wrong. Maybe it is nothing, but it's only a matter of time. Madara, you need to-"

"No. I don't." He rejected her suggestion before she could even utter another sound. He already knew what she was going to say, the way she was ready to pounce on him, ambushing him with proposals he would never agree to. Again, that didn't really stop her, did it?

"Go with Hashirama, you need to go. What if I'm right, and Uzushio is under attack, will you let your friend put his life on the line? You'll just let him...leave?" She made it sound like what he was doing was amoral, dirty or even treacherous.

"This is none of my business. And neither is it yours." He reminded her but she wouldn't take no for an answer. In a single stride, she caught up to him and took his hands in hers. Ignoring what he had just said, she looked him in the eyes with renewed vigor.

"Fine, forget him. Do it for me, then. Go with him, and if I'm right-" She paused, not daring to say the words again fearing that it would bring about the sheltered village's destruction, "If I'm right, Madara, you have no choice but to believe me. You will acknowledge the fact that I am right. About who I am and where I come from-"

"But if you're wrong?" He countered, challenging her. It was only fair, if there was the possibility that she was right, then there was the possibility that she was also wrong. He looked deep into her eyes, holding her stare as he waited for a reply. And a part of him already knew even before she muttered the words. That sad smile of hers, it returned, though much brighter now. The kind a loved one gives you before they leave and say they will come back, but they never do.  _Never_.

" _If_  I'm wrong, you will never have to deal with  _me_  or my drunken folly ever again." She clasped his rough hands. They were small and soft, grazing against his scarred ones, roughened by years upon years of fighting. Something about her words, her smile, they didn't make him feel right. It was unsettling and really...strange. As he thought it couldn't get worse, she whispered the very same words he was dreading to hear.

_"I promise."_

* * *

**_ Hashirama's POV _ **

There was a dozen of them.

Twelve shinobi, each of whom were skilled in areas any ordinary ninja would have lacked. Each armored to the core, weapons sheathed, anticipation dwelling within each of their spirits.

This was entirely short noticed, many were unprepared but Hashirama had given them enough to time to gather their tools, and themselves before they headed into unknown territory. He had used that time to inform Mito of the situation, he didn't hide anything but he by no means tried to alarm her further. Further stress wouldn't be good on her nor the child. Which, of course, didn't work. She read the letter over and over, her expression mirroring Hashirama's the first time his eyes laid on the scroll. She was concerned, naturally, as was he, but then she was confused, just like him. Not being able to make anything out of the missive, they had held hope that it was a false alarm. However, they knew better than to hold out hope when there was none required. Still, that did not make the whole message any less confusing.

Over the past weeks, he could tell things weren't getting any better, but he had no idea just how bad it was over there. That was the other thing that was completely troubling him, that squad that he had sent over to the Land of Whirlpools almost two months prior have gone silent. He hadn't heard a word from them for almost ten days now. The last he had heard of them, they were scouring the water surrounding Uzu no Kuni which was around eleven days ago, if his memory wasn't betraying him. He had thought that it was due to the weather, that perhaps there was a delay in the message. But when this missive came, supposedly yesterday by Tobirama's account- it had him second-guessing his initial thoughts. What if his own men haven't sent him anything for more than ten days? This scroll had been dated for fourteen days ago,- assuming something did indeed happen- then there was only one question that was stumping Hashirama; who the hell had sent him a letter eleven days since?

It was a thought he didn't want to ponder at the moment.

On the other side, Ashina had never explicitly mentioned that they were under attack, there were no incidents nor intrusions regarding the Uzumaki Clan's borders on the mainland. On the waters, however, was a different story. A story he was about to find out.

A dozen may have seemed like a few, considering the type of mission this was or might turn out to be.

It was a cold day, black clouds hovering above them, dark and ready to implode, not with rain but with ice. Yesterday's rainfall was now an unbroken sheet of dark glass, each of their footfalls breaking the frozen puddles. Flakes were already falling to the sodden ground, the snow melting the instant it touched the soaked soil. Chilled air forced its way into their lungs as each shinobi prepared to head out.

"Let me come along, brother." Tobirama implored, yet again. He had been hassling Hashirama non-stop since the moment he made it clear that he was leaving. As much as Tobirama's help would be appreciated, Hashirama couldn't let him join them, someone had to stay behind and look after this place, especially in a time like this. He told him over and over, but his younger brother was stubborn as an ox.

"I already told you, I need you to stay here and look after our home, and Mito." Hashirama said earnestly, all humor disappearing from his comportment. This was not the same man who was happily drinking away his sanity just yesterday night, though he was still left with a bitter memory of how it ended, and one killer headache. But that was the least of his worries right now.

"I heard you, but I would be more useful if you had me-"

"It's final, Tobirama." Hashirama cut him off, leaving no more chances for a rebuttal. "I know you want to help, but I think we'll be just fine." He added, taking a look at the group he had gathered. They stood by the gates, waiting further instructions. Some of whom were still tethering their armors, including the clan head himself. Securing the iron chest plates and his shoulder protections together, Hashirama's own red armor contrasted with the others' grey ones. Though, they all wore similar dark suits beneath them, Hashirama was the one who stood out prominently from between them. Even Tobirama, who also happened to be wearing his battle attire, gears and all. As if he had expected that his elder brother would suddenly change his mind in such a matter.

Wasn't he wrong?

Pretending to ignore Tobirama's obstinacy, he continued to sheath his wide-bladed sword.

"Have you figured out how we received that message?" Hashirama asked, hoping that there was at least some development in that area. He had tasked him with finding out who gave Touka that scroll the moment he realized he couldn't stay around a moment longer.

Sighing with dejection, the scowl on Tobirama's face told him more than he wanted to. The younger Senju crossed his arms, ready to pass on the little information he had managed to get.

"Unfortunately, no. Touka was on guard duty yesterday night, on our northern territories. It was given to her by one of the guards at the gates once she had returned, presumably after me."

Hashirama waited for him to go on, sensing there was still more to tell.

"It appears that it fell from the sky."

He quirked his eyebrows, not quite catching his brother's drift.

"One of those by-standing guards was doing a round in the words nearby when a scroll came falling from between the trees. He hadn't sensed nor seen anyone in the area, he assumed it must have been a messenger bird that got stuck or had left. When he recognized the crest on the scroll, he went straight to alert the others."

That seemed to be the end of it. It wasn't what Hashirama had wanted to hear, but that was it, he couldn't change it. They had no idea how that missive got here nor exactly what they were getting into. He wasn't fond of entering a battlefield blind, mindless of the situation unfolding there. It was unnerving, but Hashirama knew well enough to expect anything and everything at any time, and regrettably, this was one of those times.

"I see." He hummed, getting lost in his own thoughts.

He wasn't sure if he actually did. There was something missing, but he couldn't quite guess what it was. Even Tobirama couldn't piece it together.

_I should have been there._

He should have went himself when Mito first raised her concerns. That night, on the porch of their home, they sat there seemingly peaceful with the first snowfall of the season. All the while something horrible had been unraveling back at her home. She wanted to leave, to go back to her people but couldn't say it out loud. He knew what she wanted yet refused, albeit not vocally. Mito never mentioned it again in the days that passed. He had tried to appease her by sending his own ninjas in her stead, to gauge the situation there. When he could very well have went himself.

Now, now he regretted it. Very much so.

But one thing he did not regret was not letting her go all those weeks ago. He was glad that she had stayed, for her safety and the child's. Now that the events were unfolding, he couldn't have imagined what would have happened if his worst nightmare had come to life. If his suspicions were true- and an inkling hunch was telling him so- then if something had happened to her-

"Hashirama, you must let me come." Tobirama insisted. Rubbing his temples, Hashirama was thinking that he had  _just had_  this conversation.

_This again?_

_"Tobirama, we just went through this-"_

"And our guests?" He did raise a valid point, but-

_"What about us, Tobirama?"_

Both Senju brothers immediately turned their heads to that dark voice that had interrupted them. The owner of that voice...he stood there among his own, tall and daunting. Red armor and leather plates shielding his shoulders and chest, his back and lower body. His long black mane ruffled with the wind. Three other Uchiha stood behind him, swords sheathed and a very displeased look plastered across their faces. Then again, it could have just been the fact that they were the only Uchihas standing at the center of a cluster of Senjus.

"Madara.." Hashirama muttered, surprised that his friend had made an unexpected appearance. If he had been expecting an answer, he wasn't getting one. His Uchiha counterpart was busy staring daggers at another man present. Hashirama followed his glare that was directed at who else but Tobirama. Who just so happened to be returning his burning gaze, that same frown never leaving its place.

Hashirama was just glad he was staring daggers, not actually throwing them. Although, his brother wasn't making this any better. It was like there was something between the two.

 _What happened?_  He wondered.

 _"Aren't you going to invite us, Hashirama?"_ Madara finally spoke, belatedly.

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

_Well, this is certainly unexpected._

Unexpected as unexpected can be.

_I can't believe he just left, with Madara, no less._

Tobirama was still quite irritated with his brother for choosing to leave him behind, though he knew deep down that it was the most logical choice. There was no one to look after the compound if both brothers had gone out to Kami knows what had in store for them. Mito would certainly be fit for the job, but as far as he knew, she wasn't doing too well these days. And the recent news about her homeland was more than perturbing.

Still, to have taken the Uchiha with him. No, it didn't happen like that. They had actually invited themselves, more or less volunteered to lend a hand. As strange as it sounded, it was even stranger to have Madara Uchiha and his little underlings proactively try to help. It wasn't difficult to understand why Tobirama found that hard to swallow. People like them didn't just pop out of nowhere and offer their services, help or whatever they had that could be of use to them. The timing was too good to be true. Too straight on.

It usually came at a price.

His brother had never told him that he was joining them but judging from Hashirama's own astonished reaction at the Uchiha clan head's words, he had surmised that this was a completely last-minute decision on Madara's part.  _Now, what could have pushed him to do that?_

It didn't matter, they were gone by now. It had been two hours. Probably just reaching the borders of their territories, if they were even going at half the speed he was imagining. Considering the urgency of the situation, he doubted any of them would be taking this light and slack of by taking their sweet time in getting there. The moment they had left the gates, the clouds finally burst forth.

This storm had been brewing for some time now, and this was it, the moment it came apart and let it all out. The furore and the uproar it had been gathering in the past few days came erupting as jagged bolts of lightning splitting the grey sky in half, as claps of booming thunder rolled across the lands. Everyone had taken shelter shortly after, there was not a soul out there. If there was, they were walking the thread of life at their own risk.

He was standing behind a window, looking out over the world before him.

It wasn't a sight that made him comfortable, that dreary image, the bleakness of it all, it gave him an incredibly bad impression. This was worse than it looked and he couldn't help but feeling that things weren't about to get any better. For the first time in what must have been years at the least, he actually feared for his brother and it wasn't because of some Uchiha who was out to get him. This was surely the first time for everything.

Tobirama couldn't shake it off and what was worse was that he wasn't by his brother's side, as they have always been, through thick and thin ever since they were mere toddlers.

_Madara is as good as any, I guess._

If nothing else, the Uchiha leader was quite capable of accompanying Hashirama, more capable than anyone on that team. Even so, it still irked him.

_Pfft, Madara._

Embittered would be the most appropriate word to describe him at the moment. But he couldn't help it, he felt as though he was almost as sour as the weather. Which was anything but improving.

This storm was slowly turning into a swirling whirlwind of silver and white as snowflakes as large as pellets came hailing down. It was such a stark contrast to the gentle crystal-drops that blinded his morning. It was almost serene, but now...there was nothing serene about any of this. Nothing peaceful about the thickness in the air, the angry skies, the dying trees, the screeching winds; Tobirama stood closer to the window, his own rippling reflection staring back at him.

_I wonder-_

He heard a quiet cough from behind him and then a greeting.

"Hi."

_Hmm._

He turned sideways and saw her, who else but her.

But...but she was different. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see the finer details that he was sure to have missed yesterday. Asides from her not-so-subtle blush and the constant fidgeting, the movement of her pupils, she was clearly embarrassed. Although, that wasn't what he was looking at. She wasn't much different really, she looked almost the same.

Except for the hair.

Unable to handle his judging gaze a second longer, she decided to finally talk.

"About yesterday, I- I want to-" She stopped halfway, gulping. Realizing how pitiful she must have looked, she quit twiddling with her fingers and locked eye contact with him.

"There's nothing that could excuse my behavior, I want to apologize." She sounded much firmer, much more resolute in her speech. Tobirama didn't miss that slight almost indiscernible change. He didn't say anything, because he simply didn't know what to say. There were so many things, he needed time to prioritize them.

"You were right to do what you did. I was acting out of hand, and I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't tried to stop me. So, here." She raised her hand and opened her palm to reveal a small pouch and load of stringed cash. He raised his brows, curious.

_She wouldn't be, no-_

"I know your brother is gone, but here is his money. This..this.." She nudged him, pleading with him to take the money. "This isn't me. This isn't how I wanted to win. Please."

His gaze shifted to her hands then back to her, then to the money. He wasn't sure this was a good idea. When she saw that he was hesitating, she closed the distance and touched his arm, uncrossing them and placing her palm into his right one. Unclasping her grasp on the money, she let it fall into his hand, securing it within his reach and curled his fingers around it. Looking at him in his crimson eyes, she said,

"I'm going to make him pay for his debt, just not this way." She smiled, though it wasn't as reassuring as she thought it was. Stepping back, she seemed satisfied that she finally got that out of the way. But Tobirama had an entirely different thing on his mind.

"Your hair..." He pointed out the obvious. "You cut it."

So much for prioritizing his thoughts. However, he couldn't help but not notice. The surprising hip-length chocolate-tinted hair that cascaded down her back in smooth waves was now no longer than her head, barely passing the nape of her neck. Framing her pale face, its ends were ragged as if cut by something serrated or cut roughly with a kunai.

_All that hair...gone._

She gently touched it, smoothing it over. There was a faint smile on her lips, unlike the one before, it seemed to actually have...meaning.

"Oh yes I did." Mina professed, seemingly pleased with herself.

"It's horrible." He commented. His deep voice resonating across the hall, amplifying his words ten-folds. He saw her smile falter, her brows twitching as it finally sunk in. He hadn't meant it like that. It was just the split ends and layered strands that were out and about in every direction were driving him mad. Though, somewhere deep down, he was relieved. She finally looked like herself again. He hadn't recognized her when he first saw her after such a long time. Long enough for her to grow her hair to extreme lengths. It was horrifying.

"Yeah, well, it's not like I had scissors." She retorted, voice strained as she tried to keep a cool head on her shoulders.

"Huh." It made him wonder just what exactly had she used, and what had she done with the rest of her hair? He turned his head, trying to see it from another perspective, not only was her appearance a sudden change, but her erratic behavior was even more unpredictable. This was the second time he had seen her drunk, in his own home, too. She didn't look like the drunkard type, then again, they never did.

He would like to imagine yesterday hadn't happened at all, that it was simply a figment of his own overworked imagination, though he knew well enough than to convince himself of his own lies which was more than what he could say about her.

"So, uhm- what now?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How am I supposed to, you know, get back to the Uchiha compound?"

_Why would she want to go back?_

Madara had left her here, again. Not for the same reasons of course, whatever they were the first time around, he still did. Did that mean she was under his care as well? Was Tobirama supposed to look after her? Why was she even here?

_Goddammit, why does no one ever warn me about anything!?_

"How am I supposed to know?" He snapped, not quite irritated at her but at the whole situation.

"She's not going back, silly." Mito's voice could be heard from the end of the hall. it was oddly upbeat, almost cheerful. The Uzumaki stepped closer, joining in on their little catch-up. He knew it was all an act, despite the restrained smile, the false joviality, the cordial hand gestures; there was still that subdued stifle in every one of her movements. That was when he knew she was only playing along for their guest's sake, not wanting to make this any more uncomfortable than it already was.

Coming up behind Mina, she placed her hands on her shoulders and said,

"She's going to stay with us until Madara-sama returns, of course. Isn't that right, Mina-chan?" Mito cooed with delight, trying to appeal to Mina. Who was visibly beyond uncomfortable by the proximity of the other woman. Still, she smiled through it, or tried to at the very least before failing miserably. One thing he did notice was how she also tried to distance herself from the pregnant woman at all costs, as if avoiding her belly was her top priority. If Mito knew of her discomfort, she did a great job of ignoring it.

"Now, let's see what we could do about that hair of yours." Ruffling her brown hair, the red-head herself seemed unconcerned with her own. She began tugging at Mina's arm and slowly dragged her away.

"Behave yourself, Tobirama." He was warned. Did he listen? Absolutely not.

He watched as both women disappeared down the hall, with Mina occasionally looking back, a pained look on her face. Her silent plea, he could read it well. She didn't even need to say the words, "Help me" was written all over her lips.

He didn't feel like interrupting Mito today, he would rather let her do what she wanted. She wasn't his wife, what did he care? Besides, she had unknowingly done him a favor by taking another problem off his back. And giving it an appropriate hair-cut while she was at it. So, no. He wasn't about to help. He had other things to do. The white-haired Senju started walking down in the other direction. Tossing the pouch up in the air at each step he took, clinking of metal clashing against metal reverberated across the corridor as coins jingled. One had fallen to the floor, a golden one. Its glow and bright reflection caught his attention. He stopped walking and bent down to pick it up, its smooth texture grazing against the palm of his hand.

_I wonder if he's alright._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t forget to leave a comment! They mean a lot, thanks!


	50. Rise of The Whirling Tides

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> He, his, etc= White Zetsu (Underlined, Italic)
> 
> It, its= Black Zetsu

 

_**Black Zetsu's POV** _

It was watching from afar, deep into the woods.

It hid in the darkness as it always did, between the dead winter trees and the desolate forest. Watching, seeking, awaiting. It could see everything from where it stood, it could hear everything, every snowdrop, every rustle, every howl; it was one with the woods and the woods were one with it. Nothing escaped its notice, nor its reach, not even if they were miles away.

But she wasn't.

The view of the Senju household was well within its sight.

It stood tall- taller than most creatures, more appalling than most mortals- hunched like the deformity it was. Its talons cutting deep into the wood, scarring the old withered tree. The very ground it stood on scorched beneath its foothold, damaging the sodden soil until it became nothing more than charred surface, black just like its husk, its outer shell that simply reflected a mere shred of the true monster hidden inside.

It could see her from here.

She stood next to the young fearsome Senju, staring at the skies above, talking like there was but only them in this vapid world.

Winter trees shivered in the wind, quivering under the bitter frost of snowfall. Naked branches and iced boughs, gnarled twigs and twisted sprigs; the woods were truly a lonely place to be. Their glistening barks shone under the layers of snow, a deep brown contrasting with the white sheets of crystals sheathing raised ridges. Dark cracks laid in the hearts of the trunks, each woody crevice sheltering hundreds of different lifeforms, every single one hibernating for the wintry season, waiting patiently for the interminable nights to pass.

Unlike these small worthless insects, those equally- if not more- pathetic humans knew no boundaries.

It appeared that the weather didn't frighten them. They didn't lock themselves behind closed doors, like most of their people did. It was simply just them; her and him. Chattering on and on and on. Black Zetsu retreated, keeping itself out of sight. Who would want to look at its hideous mug anyway? It had seen even the lowest of animals turn a bind eye if they ever found themselves in its ugly presence. That thought brought it so much joy, so much repulsive pleasure. Almost to the point of that sensation of self-gratification.

Oh yes.

There was simply something mesmerizing about its ghastly appearance, something enticing about its deplorable existence that revolted so many yet so few. It was what it was, and within its abhorrent nature was something so disgustingly appealing, oh-so bewitching even most men couldn't tear their eyes off it, not even before they took their last breaths, screaming for their lives. It was the same thing every time, Zetsu grew tired of the same dramatic performances, there was nothing original about this species, not when they pleaded for mercy. It wasn't too fond of theatrics.

 _"What do you think they're talking about?"_  Its white other half cooed, emerging from the ground. Snow toppling his head, White Zetsu surfaced with a wide grin already in place, mop of green hair soaked in wet soil.

"How would I know? You're the one in her head." It pointed may have been standing far back, hidden behind aging oak trees, but they were far closer than most would know. In fact, they were much closer than even she knew.

"I find it quite astonishing that she still hasn't suspected you."

 _" I am simply another voice in her head, I suppose this is the normal for her."_ His higher-pitched voice differed from the other's ominous one. _" I am assuming she was already unhinged from the start, am I right?" _He teased, his playful demeanor taking a turn.

He wasn't wrong. Then again, the state of her psyche never really interested Black Zetsu. Ignoring the blabbering fool beside it, it continued to watch and watch and watch- until it took all that it needed. The heavy rainfall of the previous storm subsided, leaving in its place incessant draughts of snow. Each flake falling covered every naked surface in a dusty white carpet, one that extended from far behind him and for far more after them.

 _"If Madara could see them right now..."_  He giggled, that vile sound erupting from between his lips.

While that did incite some very intriguing thoughts, it wasn't one to contemplate on a possible series of outrageous events that most certainly did not include  _it_. Considering Uchiha Madara's anger and his slowly swelling jealousy, seeing his wife chattering away carelessly with his brother's attempted murderer would surely prick a sensitive nerve. Though, the Uchiha wasn't here at the moment, unfortunately.

 _" Speaking of which-"_White Zetsu turned the right side of his deformed face and flashed the same idiotic grin at his partner.  _" I don't suppose you have anything to do with the little fiasco going on that island?"_

_Ahh, the Uzumaki._

_Good riddance._

Black Zetsu's peculiar smile was yet to be rivaled. Grinning from nonexistent ear to nonexistent ear, it portrayed its full set of teeth, serrated like a saw, sharp like its claws, they were a set that could tear into stone, shredding it to pieces. Though, the disturbing reality laid not in its jaw but its eyes. Glimmering like the suns of the worlds, they shone brightly, its yellow orbs glowing like the one absent sun this sky lacked.

It was anything but the sun. It lacked the warmth, the light, the heat. In its stead were merely two orbs, gleaming with impiety, irreverence and a cold much bitter than the one that shrouded this world. Looking at the other part of its entity, it hissed,

"I don't."

For once, it was not responsible for one calamity that was sure to go down as one of the largest massacres of shinobi history. Well, not directly anyways. It had no hand in the current situation at the Land of Whirlpools. It really didn't. It was purely there before anything started.

 _"Is that so?"  _White Zetsu was finding that hard to believe, rightfully so.

"You seem to underestimate humanity's thirst for war." It added, returning its burning gaze back at the couple standing there on the porch.

If these humans craved their own blood, even joining forces just to simply wipe out one of their own, what was it to deprave them of their hunger? Their yearning? It didn't seem right, and it couldn't care less. They were always a funny bunch, it seemed that thousands of years hadn't taught them a thing. Millennium after millennium, it was always the same. There was never any originality, no ingenuity in their actions. It was becoming increasingly dull simply watching blood spill. There was no creativeness in their kills. That was when it came in, deciding to play god and manipulating these people's minds were one of its favorite pass-times.

But this time, this time...oh how it wished it was there when it had happened. There was something magical about the spilled blood of slaughtered Uzumaki, something quite sensational really.

_ "So, you had no hand in preventing that message from reaching its target? Interesting, because I do remember something getting its dirty claws on a scroll belonging to the Uzumaki." _

When push did come to shove, it may have ultimately played a hand in that inevitable disaster.

"Someone had to do it." It said, recalling that fateful day in which it intercepted that helpless little bird on its way to the Senju. Devouring that distasteful hawk, it had stolen the message it was meant to deliver. Black Zetsu had had no intentions of changing its contents, only safeguarding it just for a while longer.  _Wouldn't want it to fall into the wrong hands,_ it had said back then.

 _"You mean, you needed to make sure help wouldn't arrive in time, sneaky bastard."_  He chuckled. _" You think two weeks are enough? They are Uzumaki after all."_

"Two weeks are plenty."

Surely it couldn't have taken longer to bring down such a small village? Perhaps it had left the honors in the hands of inept shinobi, though they couldn't have possibly been  _that_  inept.

It had kept the scroll for fourteen days, only dropping the portentous message for help on the Senju's doorstep when time was up. Hiding in the darkness yet again, it disguised itself as it hovered over the clueless ninja beneath it. Letting it drop through the trees, it fell to his feet. As clueless as the man was, he didn't recognize its presence, not that he could anyways.

That had been yesterday night.

_Oh how things have progressed. So quickly, too._

Its plans were going along as planned. It only required patience, something it was willing to use for as long as it took. It could already see it happening, the fruition of its efforts. All of it. It would come to life, to bear its Fruit, to have  _him_  in the palms of his hideously disfigured hands. And it would use her to get it, to get everything. All it needed was the last stone, and Madara. It could safely say it was close to having one in its grasp. Almost. It was a matter of time.

 _"How much longer do we have to wait?"_  White Zetsu complained, whining like a petty child.  _" I'm sure the stone must be ready by now." _He shrugged, waving his one hand to the side. It turned to face him, bending its head forward as its hunchback curved into a sharp angle. The hump stretched to its neck, its arch crooked so, that it couldn't keep its head up.

"It is not ready."

It could feel it, the moonstone was far from reaching its final stage. Though, it could not be helped. The longer it waited to get it back into its clutch, the greater the possibility of facing unpredictable circumstances that could hinder its plans. While it had manipulation in its vast arsenal of many unconventional weapons, alas, predicting the future to a dot wasn't one of them. Not that it needed to, it fabricated its own future regardless of who or what came along.

However, this was one thing it could not gamble on and the longer that pendant stayed in her care, the less certainty there was regarding its return.

 _"Soon."_ It whispered, its raspy voice echoing across the hollow woods.

It will have it soon.

 _"Oh? How soon? Humph."_  His white counterpart questioned, but not bothering to wait for an answer, he had begun merging with the ground. Becoming one with it, slowly fusing with the muddy floor and the accumulating snow. That smirk never faltering, White Zetsu completely melded with the soil, his one yellow eye the last thing to be seen before he disappeared.

Black Zetsu returned his gaze back to them just as they were about to enter back in, leaving the storm behind them. And  _it_. It was surrounded by death, these woods were death. Where every animal, every insect, every flower came to die, leaving behind their old carcasses and their wrinkled petals. Their stench was irreplaceable, lingering on even unto spring when new flowers bloomed, when newborns took their first breath. But this wasn't spring, this was winter. This was death. This was  _It_.

Stepping over a skeletal head that once belonged to a young fawn, shattering it by the mere heaviness of its step, Kaguya's will trod forward into the open air. Exposed to a blind world.

_"Very soon."_

Never tearing its predatory gaze off the peaceful home before its eyes, it smiled.

Its eight-foot-two hunched figure dissipating with the drifts of snow and the howling winds until it was no more than a black puddle staining-  _ruining_ \- the beautiful white carpet. An evil taint among virtuous beauty. But like everything else, it disappeared with time. Time over and over, until not a part of it wasn't effaced.

As if it had never been there in the first place.

And the storm marched on to the beat of its own drum; intense, unforgiving, blinding, erasing the world into a sheet of absolute blankness.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

It was nightfall.

They've been on the move for hours. Hours running through never ending forests, through the heavy rain-turned-snow, through the abounding winds that nearly unbalanced their shinobi more than once. They leaped, branch to branch, bough to bough, never stopping, not even for a breath of a second and certainly not when they were drenched to the bones, clothes soaked and armors weighing them down.

That did not stop them.

Even their own shadows were encroached by the night. The stars, the moon, they were no where to be seen as the waterless ocean above swallowed them whole, one after the other, and so will they. That ocean of blackness that was the sky held nothing against them. The air was as heavy as thick clouds covered the empty empyrean. The only light that was guiding them through this oblivion was the paleness of the snow-covered ground. The white crystals shone brightly against the jet black skies, against the barren forests, against the desolation of night. They illuminated their path, guiding them by invisible threads. The snowfall had stopped, now replaced by the cool breezes of howling winds. There was no doubt, the soft white carpet they would step on would soon turn to ice.

They were now nearing the end of the borders of the Fire Country.

It took them nearly half a day to reach them, the very same borders Madara hadn't visited in almost twenty-four years. The last time he had been here was with his mother, though he doesn't recall why, he only remembered the frightening tides of the ocean.

"How long have you known about this?" Madara asked, increasing his pace to catch up with Hashirama's own quickening ones. He took another leap, almost breaking the branch he used as a stepping stone. His footsteps were hefty, the boughs crackling under the feel of his dense chakra, unconsciously channeling more of it to his feet than he needed to, in an effort to calm the growing agitation within him.

They took another leap, stepping on a lower branch before rushing to the next tree. One after the other, he unwittingly scorched his footprint into each of these trees. His other shinobi weren't too far behind as they caught up with their leaders. Some took the route on the ground, running alongside them, others swiveled around tree barks, jumping from one oak to another.

"Long enough." Hashirama answered.

 _Long enough to do something about it,_  was more like it. Madara knew how he wanted to end that phrase but decided against finishing it for him. He took a side-way glance at the other man and noticed that he had never seen Hashirama this tense, not since their confrontations on the battlefield. But this was different, he seemed like he was...regretful, almost as though he was condemning himself for letting this happen even if he had no part in it whatsoever.

"Is there anyone specific you had in mind that could have done this?" He chose his words carefully as he returned to looking out in front of him, sidestepping a broken twig before he fell through.  _Destruction_  and  _Uzushio_  were not to be mentioned in the same sentence in front of the Senju leader, not yet at least.

When it was apparent that his equal wasn't going to say anything, Madara remained silent, letting the calmness of the night take over instead.

He was set on finding the truth about this mess even if it meant he had to accompany Hashirama on his way there. Volunteer, lending a hand, helping out; they were all things that could describe exactly what he and the rest of the Uchiha had done, even if they wouldn't vocally admit it. Although, to Madara, this was more than that. He was out to prove her wrong. Prove that her words meant nothing, that her truths were nothing but lies.

The more he thought about it, a deeper, silent part of him was secretly hoping that she was right. Not because he believed her- no, that would be decided much later on- not because he trusted her implicitly, but because that same part of him was afraid to find out the alternative.

_"If I'm wrong, you will never have to deal with me or my drunken folly ever again. I promise you."_

The way she smiled and promised him, he knew she wasn't joking. He didn't exactly know how she would manage that, though he wasn't willing to find out. Nothing good ever came out of promises, whether they were kept or not. He should know, he was an expert at them.

"In the last year, the Uzumaki Clan have been losing more support from fellow allied clans." Hashirama finally began, never stopping for a split of a second. Madara went head-to-head with him, matching his pacing with his as both respective clan leaders scurried through the night.

"One by one, trade agreements were falling apart. There were multiple incidents regarding missing nins, accusations concerning harboring rogue shinobi from other clans, all of which targeted Uzushio and instigated by the other parties."

Madara was taking in all of this, slowly analyzing the information, already forming theories as bits by bits of details were revealed to him.

"Well, have they?" He barely had time to ask as they both went their separate ways, avoiding getting hit against the thick trunk of a pine tree. Hashirama jumped to the higher branch as Madara abruptly stepped down and spun over a lower hanging one. Once again leaping to the higher offshoot.

"Of course not." He defended them almost instantly, as they returned to advance side by side. Madara shook his head, getting rid of the pile of snow that fell on him as he made his way back up.

Harboring rogue ninjas from other clans was a terrible- and a fairly stupid- offense, and an accusation such as that was quite a serious one. Such shinobi were immediately put to death, no one wanted to take the responsibility for a rogue nin. Just because one decided to seek shelter from another clan, who was to say he wouldn't betray that one as well? There were simply too many risks in harboring a so-called fugitive, it was much easier to kill them off and send them back to their people, whoever they might be.

"It started with the Hōzuki mobilizing on their shores, though they never reached confrontation."

_Hōzuki?_

As far as his he recalled, they were a clan from the Water Country, just recently settled there after the last war. They were infamously known for the ability to turn their bodies to liquid, though Madara has yet to see that.

"The Yuki, the Yotsuki, and the Taketori followed suit." Hashirama concluded.

As he revealed the names of the clans that were likely suspect in his mind, Madara couldn't help but notice the subtlest of paradigms in his confession. They were all clans from different Countries that surrounded Uzushio in all directions; from north to east and the west. Both the Yuki and the Hōzuki hailing from the Land of Water, the Yotsuki from the Land of Lightning while the the Taketori the only one originating from the Fire Country. Truth be told, Madara did not know much about them other than they held close ties to the Hyuga, besides them of course. The Taketori were notoriously secretive, much like their Byakugan-wielding counterparts.

Now, what would they have to gain from entering into a feud with the Uzumaki?

It didn't make sense to Madara, even less so to Hashirama.

"Why didn't you tell me about any of this?" He asked, slightly perplexed.

He heard him scoff silently, a woeful smile plastered across his tanned face. Never facing Madara, he replied,

"How could I?" His brown hair fluttering with the wind, just as Madara took his next leap, unable to shake off the tone of his friend's voice. "Though, I've heard you've been having problems of your own." He added.

It took him a moment to realize what the other was talking about, then it came to him.

"Izuna.." He had pondered out loud unintentionally letting his name slip, but the other man had heard him. His empty laugh came as a surprise to the Uchiha leader, even at a time like this.

"Yes, your brother is an excellent inquirer, perhaps you could lend him to us sometimes." He jested. He had been referring about the Inuzuka incident, something Madara hadn't had time to think about recently. It only occurred to him that the only reason he knew about it was because of his brother, who went well out of his way to find out about the Inuzuka's attempt on her life, or the fact that they also seemed to have had their own shares of missing shinobi or..well- there was a lot he wouldn't have known had Izuna not gone through extreme lengths to get away from him right after the wedding.

And one of the places his younger sibling had sought shelter in was the settlement itself, so of course Hashirama would end up knowing, he did give him that information about the Inuzuka after all.

They approached a clearing, fast. Slowing down as they neared the end of the forest, they gestured for those following them to decelarate as they came to a halt. Jumping back down and landing swiftly on their feet, both leaders stepped out leaving the dark forest behind them.

Rocky shores greeted them, vast and destroyed lands surrounded them.

"The port is that way." One of the shinobi pointed eastwards where an entrance to a small clutter of houses remained open. It was about half a mile away, they would get to it in no time. However, Madara couldn't help but sense something was off about this long-standing port village, one of the three still holding sway after all these years. The others that surrounded the borders of the Land of Fire were destroyed through the countless wars of the recent years.

The one before them was barely holding itself together.

The dilapidated wooden gates looked like they were about to fall any moment, a mere push could tear it down had it been closed. They swung freely with the wind, hinges creaking as they slammed into the concrete walls. Walls that were half demolished, broken down into debris and rubble and scattered everywhere. The place didn't even have a proper perimeter.

What stood behind those walls were no better.

Madara could count a handful of houses as they passed by, most of them seemingly under construction. While some were no larger some some run-down shacks, others were almost as unstable as those gates, their wood blackened by what must have been a fire. Despite everything, they all seemed to share one thing in common, they were all dark, not a single lantern lit inside these ancient homes. Not a single sound either. They were shrouded in darkness, abandoned in the middle of nowhere like boats afloat on endless waves. In a sense, they were.

Speaking of which, they haven't seen a single boat in the area. Not until he noticed a strange figure standing on the dock.

"Hashirama-" He called out to him and nodded in the direction of the figure. The Senju leader turned his gaze and noticed a second figure standing near the waters, pulling something along the edges. He motioned for everyone to remain silent as they made their way over, masking their loud footsteps.

The closer they got, the more Madara saw of this port village. Which wasn't much, except for more randomly scattered homes, all carbon copies of each other. All but for one, that stood illuminated like an incandescent candle at the center of a dark room. It was a small, one-story building standing at the verge of the harbor. The lights inside were turned on, heat radiating from the small cottage.

Their presence were immediately detected as those figures finally turned around and met their late-night visitors. The old man, who stood on the floating dock, was the first to take them in. White brows raised in mild shock, his grip over his cane tightened as they approached him. The other one still had his back to them as he pulled the rocking boat, tying the rope around a pillar in a sailor's knot and struggling against the strong onshore winds.

While the younger man strained with anchoring the rundown drift boat in place, Madara's eyes quickly surveilled the place, instantly catching wind of others in the area. Narrowing his eyes, he caught movement from behind the curtains of the house, lingering pairs of eyes sneaking a peek every now and then only to end up shutting the drapes once more.

They weren't alone.

Hashirama stepped forward and extended a hand to the older gentleman.

"I am Senju Hashirama, leader of the Senju Clan-" He spoke, voice booming through the deafening winds. "We seek your help." He kept his hand outstretched, waiting for the other man to accept his greeting. But Madara knew better, these civilians were the last to come forward and help them. It was evident from the disdainful look in the man's graying eyes, from the scowl on his son's face when he finally turned around and faced his visitors.

Other boats rocked up and down, side to side, colliding into each other as the waves continued to slam against them and the dock. They were old, ragged and used. Barely strung together by mere ropes, they were unstable and were likely to be swept back into the sea if those relentless waves didn't calm. Though, one thing was for certain, there was not a ship in sight.

_This isn't good._

Their shinobi stood behind them, with Hashirama taking the lead while Madara was busy with scrutinizing every inch of this location.

"Please-" The Senju head pleaded, ready to offer them whatever they desired.

"We can't help you. You should leave." The man interrupted him, politely. His white mane dancing with the wind as he hunched over his wooden cane. Clothes tattered and ragged, his lanky and emaciated figure stood like a thin sheet of paper, ready to be carried away swiftly by the currents of air.

"We don't want you here." His son echoed his ill feelings, although he didn't bother hiding his contempt for them. He picked up his fishing net, ignoring their presence as if they would simply disappear with his unwelcoming. None of them understood these people's unbidden reactions to them though each had their fair share of unpleasant encounters, no one said anything as a result.

Madara already knew where this was going.

"Hashirama, it's no use." He tried to warn him, to not pursue this anymore unless he wanted to aggravate these people further. But he didn't listen to him.

"Sir, we only ask that you lend us your-" He began.

 _"Get out."_ It wasn't the father this time, but the son who interjected, angrily and impatient. He glared at them and if looks could kill, they would have all been dead, their corpses thrown in the water and devoured by the sea. Thankfully, they didn't. The dock beneath them shook with the onslaught of angry waves, one after another, the waters began rising and nearly tipping them over. They knew they couldn't stand here any longer. He looked back at the sad excuses of houses that flecked that marshlands of this region.

They were simply nothing more than glorified sheds used as bare shelters against nature's outbursts. They were unstable shelters, even their roofs barely held on, a rush of wind could topple them over as the houses sunk inwards, suffocating their inhabitants. Broken glasses were used as windows, wooden planks as doors. Those were the good ones, the others were over-sized graves in the making.

The land they stood upon was barren, bleak and empty patches of hardened soil covered the area as snow coated them all under a thick blanket.

Madara didn't recall ever fighting near a port, never using one of these villages as a battlefield. Then again, having been in countless battles, going days without taking a breath, never really minding the areas in which they destroyed every inch they stepped upon; eventually they all end up looking the same, sounding the same, being the same.

"You shinobi are the scums of the earth! You destroy our lands yet you dare to come back here and have the galls to ask for our help?!" The young fisherman shouted, unable to contain his rage a moment longer. It was a storm of its own, his face became rigid, jaws clasped tight and teeth grinding. His brown eyes glared at them accusingly as if they were personally responsible for the downfall of his own village. And maybe they were, but this wasn't what they were here for, they had not come to apologize.

_"Watch it pal."_

"Hikaku!" Madara snapped at him. "Get away from him. Now." The Uchiha in question retreated, sheathing the sword that was flung to the man's neck, ready to slit his throat if Hikaku had went that far. But he didn't. Madara wasn't here to pick fights with grieving civilians. It was sad what had happened to them, but so what? They weren't the first village to crumble to the ground, and they weren't go to be the last by the looks of it. Though, Madara failed to see, that through his reasoning, he was inherently blind to the cause of all of this; them. Shinobi. Ninja. They were all one and the same, on one side while the civilians, on the other. That was the world as it was; divided.

Unhappily, Hikaku stepped back behind his leader, following his order.

"Why didn't you just kill me?!" He spat back, continuing to goad them, taunt them, as if he  _wanted_  to get killed. "Isn't that what you selfish people do? Use us to get what you want.  _Leave us alone."_

"Enough, son." His father finally interfered, blocking his path with his cane.

 _"Tou-san?"_ A soft squeaky sound came erupting from between the madness. Every pair of eyes standing in the dark immediately focused on the small child peering behind a creaking door. Typical to the man, the kid had tousled brown hair and was doe-eyed with fair skin. Dressed in the same rags as his progenitors, he stepped forward, barefoot, onto the cold snow. He couldn't have been more than three or four years old.

"Get back in, boy!" His seething father howled, afraid for his child. At that same moment, the door shot open and a young woman, looking well above her years, jumped out and ran towards the boy, grabbing him in her arms and picking him up. She shushed him and ran back to the house almost as abruptly as she had appeared, slamming the door behind her. Madara heard the locks jam shut, thrice.

"This is enough, Hashirama, we don't need them." He tried getting through to his friend but he was being completely ignored.

"We implore you, would you listen-" He continued.

"No, we won't. What are you people? Crazy? There's absolutely no way one could navigate through that storm. Not even if we wanted to help  _you_."

"Apologies." The old man said, far from apologetic, yet clarifying his son's words. "Even if we did want to help, as you can see, we do not have what you require. If that's all-" He began walking away, gesturing for his son to follow.

_What the hell was wrong with these people?_

Was what any shinobi would say.

But Madara wasn't any shinobi, and right now, he wasn't a patient man either. Watching as both fishermen left, nets carried over their backs, Madara couldn't help but think if the real problem was truly with them.

"What now?" One of the other ninjas asked.

It was pretty clear to Madara what they needed to do. They didn't possess a wood style user for nothing. He stepped forward, walking up to Hashirama's sides. The man wasn't in his usual mood. He looked over at the sight in front of them with a somber expression.

"You think it's about time?" He urged, sternly. Madara's own expression soon mirrored the Senju's grim one.

Waves came rolling in, crashing into the pebbles and the wooden posts beneath them, submerging the boats as their foam left sparkling in the darkness. Although, it wasn't the ones near that left both of them wondering if they would come back alive on the other side.

It was the fifty-foot tidal waves in the background, ripping through the black sea. Violent in ways only a storm could be, devouring anything in its path as their roars echoed across the lands. The winds lashed out in their own fury, determined to strike fear into the hearts of those invincible land-dwellers that call themselves ninjas. The loud creaking of the skeletal trees only upstaged the screaming gales, unable to resist the hollering winds.

It was then that he knew; knew that a raging tempest awaited them.

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

"You now what's odd?" Mina asked offhandedly, completely entranced by the swirling shades of white and silver before her.

"What?" He stood next to her, almost as enthralled by the sight had it not been for the cold itself. He looked down at her as she stared at the white sky. Her hair was much...calmer now. There wasn't a strand out of place, split ends were no longer split as her wavy locks brushed her shoulders. Bangs swept to the side, their chocolate-brown tint melted well with her creamy skin, framing her flushed cheeks.

She looked more composed than she was hours ago, it seemed like Mito had done an excellent job in cleaning her image. She looked befitting of a clan matriarch. Well, almost. Okay, she didn't. Mina simply looked normal. Which was an outrageously misleading assumption anyone could make. She was the opposite of normal. Tobirama had learned that long ago.

She finally returned his gaze, brows arched with suspicion.

"You're not wearing your happuri. Also, I've told you your brother owes me a debt on several occasions, and somehow, you never asked me what it was. Why?"

It was inevitable. She was bound to find out anyway. And here he was, on the receiving end of a very unpredictable outburst. He had tried his best to skid the subject as best as he could by completely avoiding it, which couldn't have been more obvious. As for his happuri, he had no need for it now that he knew he wasn't going out to join his brother and his companions.

"Do you know what he-"

"I know about the bet." He confessed halfheartedly, his bluntness eliciting an inaudible gasp from her. There was no point in hiding it anymore. Unable to look her in the eyes, he tore his own crimson ones away, preferring not to see the disappointment and shock in them. If he didn't see them, they didn't exist. Simple. It really wasn't, because even he, Senju Tobirama, wasn't spared the condemnation nor tirade of accusations his brother fully deserved. Although, he was grateful he wasn't getting knocked out with sake bottles, so he had that to be thankful for.

_"How could you do that, Tobirama?"_

"I never participated in that wager.  _Never_." He was quick to defend himself, snapping his head to look back at her. She didn't say anything, only looked him, through him, trying to catch onto anything that would make her believe him. She tried, he could see that, but he wasn't giving her enough to mull over and he most certainly wasn't giving himself enough credibility.

He sighed, crossing his arms over his blue armor as he looked over the white landscape before him. He remembered the days in which their gardens bloomed with flowers, where there was grass instead of snow, trees instead of dead skeletons, sun instead of... _blankness_. As he tried to adjust his vision, he thought he had seen a figure shifting in the woods. It was so faint, but he could see it. Or thought that he did. It was black shifting against darkness, he must have been imagining it.

 _Forget it, it's probably nothing._  He tried to soothe himself despite his senses telling him otherwise. While he would have loved to go and personally check it out, another matter, much more important, kept his attention.

"I only knew of it when your brother-in-law came to collect  _the debt_ right when he escaped after the weddingA debt Hashirama shouldn't have had in the first place." He grumbled, not exactly sure why he had said that. He almost regretted it the moment the words came out of his mouth. She, on the other hand, didn't seem to catch the subtlety in his tone.

"For a second there I thought you were actually stupid enough to go along with it. I don't know what I would have done if you did." She admitted casually rubbing her arms trying to warm herself.

"I shall count myself lucky then." He murmured. "I'm not my brother." Kami forbid, he wasn't that stupid.

"Of course not, you would never let me get you drunk and steal your money." She jested, half-smiling. Freezing fog wrapped around them like a blanket, partially obscuring their vision as a haze hung heavily over them. Once again, he saw a dark smudge, a cross-shaped stain, upon the shifting purity of the mist and the snow. It moved. He squinted, trying to see through the blur. He could have sworn that he just saw it move.  _Did she not see it, too? What is this?_ He couldn't make it out, if it was even there at all. It irked him, deciding that he was better off checking it out now rather than later, she stopped him yet again.

"Why didn't you tell me about it?" She seemed sincere, though he didn't know exactly what she wanted to know.

"How would I? You live  _there_."  _At the Uchihas_. Tobirama wasn't about to walk up to their doorstep and knock on their door confessing his brother's misdeeds. He took another step down, but before he could even touch the ground, she said,

"How about the Inuzuka? Why didn't you tell me it was them who attacked us?"

_Guess she was bound to find out about that, too, huh._

"There was no need to back then."

But now, now how did she know about it? The most obvious answer would be Izuna- who might just as well have told Madara- although she seemed quite concerned about it like she knew something he didn't.

"If we're going to be asking each other who didn't say what, then I believe you still owe me an explanation." He replied. Confident that she couldn't hide it from him any longer. He was being truthful, the least he deserved was the same mutual respect.

"About?" She still didn't get it. Towering over her, he found it a tad hard to believe that she was still acting dumb. Either that or she had one extraordinarily bad memory, which was likely not the case since she clearly remembered their little confrontation in the forest back when he was escorting her to the settlement. He tilted his head, trying to guess what must be going on in that pretty mind of hers. He gave up long ago on trying to figure out what the source of her powers were- seeing that chakra was clearly not one of them-, there was simply no explanation that he could think of.

"Your abilities, how could you do such things without chakra?" He reminded her, his tone a bit accusatory than he had liked. Still, this was a long time coming and he just about had enough of waiting around, racking his brain for something he knew he was never going to get an answer to if he didn't have anything else to go on. While he did like the occasional brain-twister, one he could untangle given enough time, he just couldn't wait around for this one to come undone by itself.

"I-"

"Don't know?" He completed that trademark phrase of hers. He was tired of hearing that, that 'don't know' was the most ignorant response one could give. If one did not know, the least they could do was try and find out, to inform themselves, to avoid remaining ignorant.

"I think you do know."  _But don't want to say_. He could tell from the way she was avoid looking at him, rather preferring the snow covered ground than his own face. Didn't she once say he had one hell of a jaw? One would think you'd look at something you like rather than something you don't.

"I...I think it was the pendant."

_The pendant?_

The one she claimed to have lost? Setting that aside, how was it even possible?

"How?" He asked, knowing full well the next answer was a genuine 'I don't know'. Instead, he decided to go into another direction. "But you said you didn't have it back then." He pointed out.

"I didn't." She reaffirmed, finally looking back at him. "The Inuzuka did."

She could read the confusion in his eyes, the skepticism in his features. His mind was a surging perplexity, growing the ever more cynical. He couldn't tell if the Inuzuka had her necklace, or if it was another one entirely. If that was the case, just how many pendants were there? Which one was hers?

"Wait, what?" He paused, attempting to connect unrelated dots that were on whole different plane levels, with no common ground between them.

"Izuna, when he had come to you, he wasn't alone, was he? Remember?"

Oh yes, he did distinctly recall a slightly older gentleman with a beard. A quiet one, was he? In fact, he remembered thinking he was much older than Madara himself, with the graying hair pulled back in a loose plait. He gave off quite the unsettling vibes, but Tobirama didn't have a problem with him as much as the other loud-mouthed, self-absorbed Uchiha- who was also known as their second-in-command.

"What about him?"

"I don't know how Tobirama but he managed to get his hands on one like mine. Maybe he had run into them, I don't know and it's killing me." She seemed frustrated by her own lack of knowledge almost as he was. Though, what she said did fit with what he had heard of. If both that man and Izuna had a run in with the Inuzuka, it must have been on the outskirts of the settlement like they said. Thus, prompting them to even visit him and his brother in the first place, and how they ended up knowing about the attack in the woods. And so on so forth, until that information was passed on to her and Madara. That would explain how she ended up knowing about the Inuzuka, but Tobirama still had many questions left to be answered.

"Can I see it?" He stretched his hands and opened his pale palms, immediately expecting to see the pendant handed to him. She looked at him and then at his hands, a muddled expression on her face.

Snow coated her brown lashes, their crystal flakes glimmering as she batted them. He could feel his own hair soaked under the fall of snow, though it hardly mattered, it didn't show. His hair, his skin, he was just as white as the snow. Even as it fell on his locks, on the bridge of his nose, on his fur collar, he didn't look like he was being drowned in the softness of it.

"I don't have it, it's with Eiji." She said.

 _Eiji_. That was his name.

"I meant yours, your own pendant." He clarified.

That was when he knew something was wrong. Her expression turned from perplexed to a pained one, sour and distressed. He wondered if he had said something wrong, but he found nothing offensive about his words. She rubbed her arms and held herself tighter as her jaws began to shiver, though he knew it was not just the cold sending a chill up her spine.

"I don't have it either." She whispered.

He dropped his hand. What a coincidence, she didn't have any of those so-called necklaces. It was getting harder to believe her, but he was sure there was still more that she wasn't telling him.

"Where is it then? You still haven't found it?"

It was a stretch, to have went this long without finding her locket yet somehow figuring her abilities were somewhat connected to the pendant...it couldn't be.

"No, I did. It's just...just-" A cold look overshadowed her usual cheerful gaze. "It was stolen from me."

_Stolen?_

He scowled, unable to catch a break at every crossroad he faced. There was an endless count of them, and hers were no better. They seemed to be turning him to loops, circling around the same point over and over, never really reaching anywhere.

"Tobirama?"

"What?"

"Can we go in now? I don't feel well...like..." She trailed off.

He didn't either, although he suspected it was for entirely different reasons. He looked back in front of him, his vision now completely obscured by heavy snowfall, turning the world he knew into a winter wonderland; white as a sheet.

_"It's like we're being watched."_

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

It was midday now- though it looked much like late evening- and they had miraculously survived yesterday night's storm.

How? Madara didn't know. He also didn't care, as long as they made it off this damn boat in one piece. Two would be fine as well.

The sun would have made an appearance by now but those dense clouds took over the skies, smothering the only chance at daylight as they colored the magnificent canvas a dirty shade of gray that would have turned anyone's stomach upside down if it weren't already for the rocking ship. It was a gloomy day. Like any other, he would have liked to say, but it wasn't.

They struggled to keep the sails at bay, but they managed so far. They were close, and most of these men didn't feel like giving up just yet, not after enduring yesterday's nightmare.

Hashirama sat at the edge of the deck, absorbed in his own thoughts.

Madara never took his eyes off him, not for a second.

This wooden ship of his own creation accommodated just about a dozen shinobi. It wasn't too large otherwise they wouldn't have been able to navigate it, not without a guide or a captain. They weren't sailors, they were ninjas. They could walk on water, yet they couldn't steer a goddamn boat through a sea. The irony of their situation did not escape Madara's astute perception.

_They were right._

Those civilians, they had every sense not to go out to sea at this time of year.

They should have probably listened to them too, but things were dire. And they needed to reach Uzushio urgently.

Hashirama continued to carve into the floor of the ship with his katana, seemingly in a daze. He could only wonder what must be going on in that man's mind.

He didn't have to wonder for much longer.

"Did we do that to them?" He questioned, though Madara didn't know if it was directed at him or not. He sat on the other ledge, facing his long-time rival. Even if it wasn't meant for him, he knew exactly what Hashirama was thinking.

"No." He answered curtly. They didn't destroy those people's homes, they never fought on port regions. He was sure of it now. Port villages were often subject of violent clashes between different Countries, not inland clans. It would have made no sense for the Uchiha and Senju to fight over there unless they had planned on raiding oncoming ships of their goods, whether for personal gain or to spite the other clan. In all his years of fighting, Madara never recalled such a battle.

"Their reality is quite different from ours." He noted, half-dazed.

"Of course it is, they're civilians." The Uchiha leader answered rather impatient and weary of his friend's contemplation. He was trying to get at something, that much he knew.

"That's just it, Madara-" Before Hashirama could retort, a Senju shinobi announced;

_"We're nearing Uzushio's port!"_

He couldn't believe his ears. Standing up, Madara struggled to see through the briny mist, though he did manage to get a glimpse of a dark shadow in the background. Tall, black and hazy; stood a mountain, its peak touching the heavens. The ship rocked back and forth, rising up five feet before slinking back in.

Hashirama made his way to the forepeak of the ship, stretching out to see the blurred port. Madara was not far behind but he could begin to see the faint outlines of large ships and a dock, a few boats swaying on the surface. They weren't clear, still it was enough to know. What he didn't like was the dark clouds hovering over the island, like a foreboding menace. It was already a bad sign.

Sheathing both their swords, each leader instructed their men to take to the sails as the ship creaked dangerously so, while the waves thrust them forward, edging them closer to their destination, allowing them smaller glimpses of the jagged cliffs ahead. The closer they got, the further the waves sent them back, rocking them violently. Water began submerging their ship from both sides. Each shinobi held on tightly to a pillar, waiting for the waves to pass. They weren't.

"Pull the damn sails!" One of them shouted, barely heard over the booming crashing of waters. Another one was helplessly trying to untie the loops around the mast but was failing pathetically.

The wind made a mockery of them as the saltiness of the sea burned their lungs, throwing them from side to side like a child's toy.

_Fuck._

He knew the seas were bad in winter, but he had never expected this.

Rain came hammering down, drenching all of them. Madara tried to catch onto one of the masts but the wind snatched one of his grasps and he lost his footing, sliding back down and carrying him towards the ship's quarterdeck that pitched and weaved. When his back came into contact with the metal hinges of the doors, he cursed under his breath and tried his best to go against the gales, against the friction, the resistance...He saw from a glance that Hashirama wasn't having a much better time as the Senju leader barely hung on by lunging a dagger into the flooring of the ship, clutching onto it before the winds carried him away to the sea. His armor was slowly untethering until it was practically flying with the wind.

Lifting his head up, Madara saw that darkness had prevailed, the caliginous sky no longer gray. His eyes widened as his worst nightmare was coming to life.

Before he even had a second thought, the ship was suddenly jolted to the side, almost over its tipping point, rattling his bones and tearing down the main mast. A disaster was less than a few seconds away as the large wooden post came tumbling down. Madara narrowly missed the oncoming flagpole, albeit the same couldn't be said for another unfortunate soul as the over-sized spar ended up piercing one of the slender shinobi, crushing his body as his innards started making their way out onto the ship's deck.

Everyone, including Madara, moved as best as they could away from the impaled man and the bloody floor.

 _"There's a fucking maelstrom!"_  One of them warned, pointing to the growing vortex in front of them.

 _"It's not called the Land of the Whirlpools for nothing, you fool!"_  Another retorted. Senju or not, this was completely ridiculous.

 _"YOU TWO IDIOTS, STOP BICKERING!"_  Madara barked, voice just barely above the howling winds. The Uchiha leader got rid of the rest of his armor as it weighed him down and moved unsteadily towards the second foremast, ready to pull the sails down and tie them when he realized there was none. The once dove white drapes were ripped, shredded to pieces by the sharp blows of air, whatever remained of them drifted with the wind.

_Crap._

The waves became angrier, more violent, more turbulent as it rocked them to the side, driving them off the path of the whirlpool. Everyone on the boat was thrown to the right as the ship lost its balance over the mountainous waves. No one cared at this point, when the gales slammed the rain into their faces like small stones, when their bones jarred with pain, they tried to hold onto anything; the mast, the ropes, the planks, the chains. It was useless. Each of them slipped on the rain soaked deck until one by one they started to fall off the hull, disappearing into the black waters.

Madara took out his kama and stabbed it into the floor, deep and rough, he held onto his sickle chains as tightly as he could but his gloved hands were gradually slipping along with the boat.

There was no longer a horizon, a sky, a world. Everything was washing away with the unforgiving waters as they bobbed them up into the air before smashing them down, getting rid of a few more men. Madara looked to the sides, his hair plastered to his face, and saw through the cataclysm that there was no one but him. He watched with his eyes as the only other man, that had dared to stand up to him in all his life, unclasped his hands involuntarily, forced as a rush of air pushed him off and dragged him into the depths of the deep sea, crashing though the wooden rails.

 _"Hashirama!"_ He called out to him but the man was already gone, engulfed by undulating oblivion.

"Uchiha-sama!" Hikaku's voice rang in Madara's ears. That was when he had seen it. The monstrosity of them all.

Mother Nature's retribution.

The roaring and the pounding obliterated everything in existence. His mind was awash with exhilaration and fear. Nothing existed, not even a drowning Hikaku, forever lost to the sea's harshness and the whirling tides.

His eyes could only take in the hundred foot wave, growing and growing and growing, gaining all the more momentum as it took over the world, consuming everything in its path. And soon, Madara would be part of that.

That moment, it would always be that moment.

When the ship collapsed on itself.

When it was torn to shreds, wooden pieces flung into the air.

When a plank pierced his inner thigh, crushing his bones and drawing blood.

When he couldn't hang on any longer and found himself swirling into the abyss of despair, the sea, the ocean; everything.

When nothing but blue surrounded him, blinding his vision, his gunbai and kama floating away. When he couldn’t breathe anymore.

When he thought of  _her_ and _only her._


	51. Scarlet River

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dedicated to my dear Pioggianotturna (AO3), whose constant support through the last chapters have been my personal bedrock, my cornerstone. Without her/him, this chapter wouldn't have existed, a chapter I have been struggling with for the last couple of days and your words have given me the encouragement that I needed to write it. I couldn't have asked for a better supporter. So, thank you, thank you, thank you so very much! x3
> 
> A big shout out to you too, TheDarkSide(AO3), you may be new on board, but you came at the right time, just when I thought this boat was about to sink!  
> ...  
> I was super down during this chapter, but I feel better now. I just wanted to say, I would like you guys to hear these lullabies when reading this chapter. "Futari No Kimochi" and "Mune Ni Himeta Omoi" they are actually Inuyasha OSTs, which are amazing but incredibly sad. I just want you guys to feel sad with me, lmao. Anyways, if you have time, please do check them out.
> 
> Again, a big thanks to Pioggianotturna and TheDarkSide!

****

_**Hashirama's POV** _

He emerged, gasping for air while his body floated on the ever-rolling water, waves lurching him back and forth.

A sudden tide buried him back under the dark indigo waters, his head bobbed beneath the waves but he wasn't about to let it get him down. He had been through these waters before- albeit, not like this-, he knew them by heart. With all his strength, he broke the surface once again, gulping the saltiness of the sea breezes and the bitter coldness of the winter air. Only to be dragged back down under the overwhelming waves. This time, he sunk faster and the extra weight of the armor he carried wasn't helping. His head was pounding as he kept fighting against the pressure, the resistance all the while trying to detach himself from the iron shield plates.

He thrashed around until he finally got a hold on the hilt of his tantō. Gripping it with all his might, he shifted against the currents and slit the leathers threads attaching his red armor together. In a split of a second, they were off of him and rapidly sinking deeper into the darkness, pulled down to the bottom of the sea. A string of bubbles escaped his lips as he propelled himself upwards, feeling as though he lost a hundred pounds.

Freezing cold water seeped into his skin, thrust up his nostrils and blocked any air from making its way through. A stream cascaded down the back of his nose and down his throat, sending freezing shivers up his body. However, that still didn't stop him from reaching the surface.

And when he did, well- it was nothing short of a surprise that he had even made it this far. Up ahead, he could see Uzushio's port and the docks, the boats and the ships, all lined one after the other wallowing over the waters. All of which were abandoned, there was not a person in sight, not that he could sense. Or had the time to, as the next massive wave approached at a speed that would have sent him flying back to where he came from had he not delved back into the water. Even as he did so, the force of the impact sent him plunging back a few feet, inundating his lungs with briny liquid.

_Better a few feet than a few hundred._

Surfacing back up, Hashirama mustered up all the physical strength his body boasted and swam forward. Four hundred, four hundred and fifty yards was all it took to reach the first boat, that was dangerously close to capsizing over the rocking waves. Mito wasn't joking when she said the waters around Uzushio at this time of the year were monstrous. He never understood the extent of the cruelty behind the meaning of those words until this very moment. They were ruthless, they way the waves crashed, always sending him back every time he managed to crawl forward. They were grisly, inescapable, they were what they were and he couldn't change that.

Fighting through them one wave at a time, Hashirama's sanity was on the brink of snapping. Like white horses, those waves never wavered, rearing up before ploughing onto the beach, the cliffs, eroding every rocky layer as much as it was doing to his mind. But he knew better, he couldn't give up, not when everyone was out there still struggling for their breaths. In all this turbulent, ever-turning commotion that was the sea, he could sense almost everyone. Their chakras flared uncontrollably, their anger riled up- he could sense it, feel it well despite the storm's relentless ire, their shinobi's own raged eclipsed it- as they fought their way out of this vortex. Hashirama knew it, even if he couldn't see them. He knew they wouldn't give up, how could he?

He grunted, his deep voice resonating even deeper through the water. Pushing himself up as he rode the five foot wave, Hashirama took advantage of his new found height for the instance that he had it and glanced at the view in front of him, of the island that was the heart and the core of his wife's upbringing.

It was desolate and dark. He could see nothing beyond the harbor and the jagged cliffs. Everything else was shrouded in mist and soon to be night. The ships were identical to the one he managed to bring into being, except they were much larger and much sturdier as they had already crushed the smaller boats beneath. He made out parts of a few hulls, wooden planks and rudders floating out of the dock area. Either they had been manually destroyed or were the result of the storm's doing. Whichever it was, he had no more time to ponder that as the wave died down, rolling him back into the furious blue waters.

Shades of that color blinded him, from the dark indigos of its depth, to the translucent baby blue of its surface that reflected the silver sky, just like a mirror. His dark brown hair floating across this wet canvas as he steadied himself, trying to gain his balance after the passing of yet another wave. He was getting there, slowly yet surely. Only two hundred yards left.

He could do it. Of course he could. He had went through much worse as a child, what was a storm going to do to stop him?

Nothing. The answer was nothing.

He didn't care if the rain came down crashing upon his head like shards off glass, tearing into his skin. Because that was what they were at that moment, slowly turning to sharp crystals. It didn't bother him, not as much as the feeling of being stranded, in foreign territory with nothing but his clothes as shields, his dagger as his weapon.

Still, to be so close yet to feel so far; it was the worst.

The dock, it was just at his reach, at an arm's length compared to what he had just traveled.

These damn waves were his only obstacles, and to him, it was perhaps the most challenging ones he had faced. As Hashirama Senju, he had had his fair share of troublesome battles. Though, none came close to this, they all paled in comparison. Even Madara, his long-time rival, the same man who had shown him what it really meant to be an obstacle, a worthy one at that.

Perhaps, it was his knowledge that he knew he could never win against mother nature or maybe it was just him losing hope, but what he did know was that his best chance at getting out of this was if he caught hold of that pillar that supported the outer dock. It was the closest in terms of distance. Similar to the one back at the port village, this one was just bigger to accommodate the larger ships that came in. And as such, their substructure were wide enough to support the harbor itself. All he needed to do was get to it.

There was no way he could walk through it. The water was unpredictable and precarious, he couldn't possibly outmatch the waves without having to lose a limb, or worse, to have to be set back when he was nearly there. Taking in the deepest breaths he could, Hashirama dived back into the water.

Swimming beneath the surface, he managed to avoid most of the swirling tides above only to find himself pitched backwards by the ones underneath, then forwards and back again. They hit him at all sides but he persisted, forcing his way through as fast as he could, with the limited amount of air left for him to breathe. If he couldn't walk on water, then he would just have to find something else to walk on. When he was merely a hundred yards away, he began performing the hand-seals. Figuring it was close enough, he stretched his right hand as a wooden beam emerged from the center of his palms, stretching, elongating as it expanded through the water, heading straight for the thick stanchion.

Wooden pillars began materializing intermittently from the leading post, heading deep down to the sea bed as it formed its own support structure. Whatever that would attach him to the dock's underwater foundations, he would use it. Unable to hold his breath a second longer, he retracted his hands as his narrow bridge- or rather stepping stones made of wood- connected with the foundations and pushed himself up, gasping for air only to be faced with another oncoming wave. One that sent him back down, though fortunately, he held onto the post in front of him as the force of the impact subsided.

He rose once more, breathing in as much air as he could and lifted himself onto the rectangular wooden log. He heaved and panted, expelling all the water from his lungs. The waves closer to the shores were understandably much calmer compared to the ones back at sea, though he still wouldn't have been able to cross those one hundred yards on the water itself. Hashirama took his first step and the structure underneath him began to tremble.

_Crap._

He knew it wasn't stable, but it was the only passage that he could construct that could get him there. He needed to hurry before the waves started to drag it back down. Channeling chakra through his legs and to the soles of his feet, he started running.

He couldn't have guessed how deep the waters here went, but one thing he was sure of was that these were not the shallowest ones out there. He couldn't tell if his pillars had even managed to pierce the sea's bottom, which would explain why this gangway was rickety. However, it gave him all the more reason to hurry up, to run faster, and run he did. With the surge of adrenaline through his veins as his sole driving force, he pushed forward. Fear was truly a powerful motivator.

_Fifty yards._

The nearer he got, the clearer the dock became and it was then that he had realized; it was  _very_  much larger. Its edge stood at his height, over six feet above the water. Rain started pouring down, submerging the platform he ran upon under the surface, covering every inch of it as it began to sink.

_Thirty yards. Come on._

The faster he ran, the less stable it became.

_Nineteen yards._

He could already see a wave forming in his peripheral vision, ready to knock him down. It took everything in him not to slip over and fall back into the water while attempting to block the roaring monster behind him. The storm was far from done and the sea was its abiding companion, merciless to those who dared tread its waters. The sounds of waves crashing, of thunderclaps, of angered bellows; they were sending him running the other way, towards the forlorn island he once called a second home.

_Seven yards._

He counted down, eyes never leaving the approaching wave. It was inching closer to toppling the whole platform.

_Three yards._

He had to go for it, he had no choice. Directing more chakra to his feet, he used all his strength and leaped forward, tantō in hand as he stretched to latch onto the ledge. He lanced the gilded dagger into the dock's thick marge and tightened his grip on its hilt as he stood dangling from the edge like a desperate man trying to escape his fate while the tide finally took over, crashing into the pillars and destroying the path he had forged himself.

He didn't look back, he wouldn't. He didn't want to see the severed boards, the cracked wood, all disappearing as they were washed away back to the heart of the sea, knowing fully well he could have been one of those inanimate blocks.

But he wasn't. He was alive and that much he was grateful for.

His feet barely brushing the surface of the water, Hashirama attempted to lift his body up using his other arm to propel himself. However, he would end up nearly slipping back. His fingers could barely hold his grasp on the rain-soaked dock- his knuckles white, and soon enough he had found himself slowly losing his clutch.

 _Dammit_.

Before he could even think about withdrawing the dagger and using it as a prop, an unexpected hand appeared.

"Hashirama-sama." One of the Uchiha shinobi knelt on the edge of the pier, stretching out his palm for the Senju leader. Truth be told, there was a moment of hesitation on Hashirama's part, it was almost imperceptible. A split of a second sort of delay that any normal person would have thought nothing of had they even noticed. But this was an Uchiha, of course he would notice. It wasn't due to Hashirama's lack of trust of the man- though, he must admit to not knowing him- but rather his sudden thrust into reality once more. That he was finally out of the water brought him a kind of relief was a complete understatement. If one could even call it relief, then it was the only sort reminiscent of one that he could have only felt after a long day at battle coming to an end. Something he hadn't felt in a really long time.

The Uchiha ninja pulled as Hashirama set his hesitation aside and clasped the other man's hands, using his own arm to haul himself up.

He grunted at the feel of the coarse wood scraping against his body until he found himself meeting the deck head on, face-first.

He laid there, numb and dazed. A moment had passed, then another. It was a while before he got to his feet, catching his breath as the onslaught of rain continued, drenching him and the other shinobi.

"Did you see anyone else?" He asked, voice hoarse as water still flooded his lungs. The Uchiha nodded.

"Yes, a group of us are back there." He gestured to an area of dense of forest, right behind the shore. A faint look and Hashirama could make out the outlines of a couple of figures, some of who were hunched, others laid on the ground. He could only hope that they were alive, but above all, he had hoped to see Madara. His hopes were immediately shut down once he realized he couldn't sense his chakra amid those that were already there.

They started walking forward, feet doused as they made their way off the hithe and onto mainland. Leaving the water sloshing over the surface of the blackened wood. Even after they stood on solid ground, the sea they left behind persisted on ravaging the wharves, tearing them apart piece by piece just like the drift boats.

He should have expected this. He should have, but still, as harsh and brutal as it was; better him than Mito. It only reaffirmed his decision, that he had made the right call when he hadn't let her come here.

Hashirama did his best to ignore the storm behind them and tried to focus on the group in front of him. Inching closer and trying to find a shelter under a canopy, he could see now that they weren't dead though some were already injured. He would have went and healed them himself, though thankfully, he had the right mind to bring along a few medics. Out of the dozen of his own shinobi, three of them were trained medics, taught under his own hands.

"Is everyone alright?" He questioned, and those who weren't trying to vomit their stomachs out had nodded in agreement. Hashirama leaned against a thick tree bark, sliding down ever-so-slowly- as his body began to give out. He still felt as though he was drowning, the salty water pricking at his lungs, taking place of what should have been air. He bent down and coughed forcefully, trying to get rid of any water still clogging his chest. Mimicking his other ninjas, he arched forward and vomited, transparent liquid escaping his lips.

Coughing a few more times, he had managed to chuck out the worst of it, leaving the insides of his mouth dry and with a salty taste. He flopped to he ground, sitting on one of the tree's stout roots.

He looked out in front of him and his mind slowly wandered off. The view before him...it was surreal. A pitch-perfect image of a morose painting whose reality was much more desperate than a forlorn hope. Every one of those waves- as tall as fifty feet, as short as five- that he had pathetically escaped, rose and crashed, swirled and rolled, into each other, into the docks and boats, onto the shore. Everywhere. He couldn't tell where the grey seas ended and where the grey skies began, the notion of a horizon- that one simple line at the center where both the earth's surface met the heavenly skies- seemed to have dissipated among the dark clouds, hidden behind thick wisps of air.

Nightfall was nearing.

His breath came out in thin strands of smoke, fog rising into the air as he surveilled the land.

Out of the twelve Senju, five were present. He counted each and single one of them. And out of the Uchiha, there was only-

_Two._

He recognized them almost instantly. Meaning Madara and that man, Hikaku, were still out there. Somewhere.

He couldn't deny it, Hashirama didn't feel well about any of this. Something was unsettling him, how Madara hadn't made it out by now. It was distressing him, he couldn't tear his eyes away while he constantly scanned the near shores for any sign of the Uchiha clan head. He didn't know what he was looking for, perhaps a mop of black hair, or the clan's peculiar insignia; waiting for the red crescent of the fan to glimmer from the dark waters, the black tomoe of his gunbai, anything really.

He was silently praying that Madara would suddenly emerge, as every second passed, he knew the odds would dwindle but his hope did not. In fact, that hope only grew stronger, its fire burning the ever more brighter. He refused to give up. Not even as the grey canvas darkened bit by bit until night had befallen them. The pale moonlight his only source of light in his futile attempt at searching. Everyone may have calmed down by now, but the agonizing possibility that they may never see anyone else out of that water was never far from their thoughts. There wasn't a single ninja that was not standing on pins and needles, even the wounded were agitated; their injuries long healed.

Some were standing on boulders, others on trees, each of them painstakingly scanning the waters for anything, any sign of life.

"Hashirama-sama." One of them called out, and for a moment, he had thought that they found something. He stood up and turned his head eagerly to the shinobi who called to him. He was a young one, no more than twenty- maybe nineteen- leaning against the tree and holding his left thigh in pain.

"What is it?" He replied curtly realizing that it was probably something he was not expecting to hear, not wanting to either.

"Do you not think we should move inwards? We could be exposing ourselves to unknown assailants coming from the seas."

It was a risk, standing here when their defenses were at an all time low, when few of them were ready to jump into action if a situation called for it. Not only were they not ready, they simply did not have the capacity to fight at this moment. It would make sense for them to back away from the shore, to hide behind the trees on the verge of the island's quay. Deep down he knew it wasn't the wisest of decisions.

"It would not be the safest of routes. We have no way of knowing what could be waiting for us on the other side of the forest." And judging from how things were going, Hashirama had no doubt that it wasn't going to be a good surprise.

"We are just likely to get attacked if we retreat too far back." He added. At this point, he feared what could have been waiting for them on Uzushio's side rather than some random pirate ship sailing alone in these waters, not that he would expect anyone stupid enough to attempt what they had just done by crossing the sea in the middle of a storm. So, no. To Hashirama, the likeliness of getting attacked from sea point was the least dangerous of both risks, one that he willing to face rather than going straight to what he had come here to do. Not without Madara, he wouldn't. One would argue that his decision as clan head was heavily influenced by his fierce desire to stay put, to wait for his friend to show up, to not lose the men he had long promised a peace where no one had to lose their lives, even them.

He was finding it harder to keep it together as he saw the shinobi before him, and the others, struggle to fight against the night chills. The temperature had dropped several degrees since they first stepped foot onto Uzushio's shore.

Hashirama felt a familiar tightening in his chest, he thought he would never have to feel it once again, he thought that those days were behind him, that he wouldn't have to lose anyone anymore. He thought wrong. But this was it, he did not come here to lose anyone. He  _would not_  lose anyone.

"Holding our grounds here would bring the least risk for the moment." He tried to reassure his shinobi, but more so, himself. That's how they all started, with thoughts accelerating inside his head as endless possibilities unfolded in his mind, images more harrowing than he would have liked to imagine. Then the hammering of his heart, the pounding against his chest. Until he came back full circle, feeling that adrenaline flooding his systems again, but for entirely different reasons this time.

"Hashirama-sama! To your left, north-west! Look!" A shinobi shouted back down from his post, high-up on a tree. The urgency in his voice caught the tall man by surprise. He turned his head into the direction the shinobi signaled just in time to watch a seven foot wave hit the shore, its splashes tearing through the sand while drops of it barely reached their feet. As impressive as it was, it was not what had caught his attention. Hashirama's eyes widened as he made out a dark figure washing up the coast. Without a second thought, he leaped forward and ran towards the listless body. Others followed in his footsteps.

He could sense the chakra, it was faint but it was there, he was one of his own. The armor, the swords, the insignia...it was one of his shinobi.

He laid there, shifting slowly as the tides ebbed, leaving him covered in sparkling white froth.

Hashirama knelt down and immediately placed his fingers atop his carotid artery, on his neck. He waited and waited for a pulse, praying desperately that this man was not gone. A second passed, then two, four, eight...

_There!_

He nearly exploded when he had felt it, it was weak but that didn't matter. His heart was still beating.

"Get him to the medics!" He ordered them and started dragging him out. That Uchiha who had helped him out of the water came to his aid once again and lent a helping hand. Hashirama snaked his hands underneath the man's arm while his Uchiha counterpart took hold of his legs, together they had been able to lift him and move him back onto the mainland. They had only managed to go a couple of feet before someone else yelled;

"There's more!"

Hashirama's head instantly swerved back at the direction of the water and saw two other figures floating on the surface, approaching. It was only then did he realize it. It was spitting them out, one by one, unwanting of them a moment longer, eager to throw them out of her pure waters where they had served no purpose to her; the sea.

"You two, take him!" He commanded the pair standing behind him. Handing the motionless man over into their grasp carefully, both he and the Uchiha sprang forward and rushed into the cold water. He could barely see but he was sure to have seen a dark blue aura emanating from one of the figures. It burned brightly against the wretched darkness, giving light to this desolate place. It took the shape of a crippling skeleton that was quickly disintegrating, fading into oblivion as Hashirama finally understood what it was that had caught his attention.

As if reading his mind, the other ninja split ways and headed for the second body while he hurried to grab onto the one before him.

_Madara._

Stretching his arms, he grabbed hold of the man's shoulders and tugged him back, dragging him out of the water alongside him. Step by step, they moved against the tides, fighting against the friction, the freezing winds.

He grunted, the heavy weight beginning to overwhelm him.

_Come on._

The figure beneath him began to twitch, movements becoming more erratic as they made their way up the shore. Hashirama was pushed back as Madara tried to get a grip on himself. Hands fisting the sand, the Uchiha leader squirmed and twisted, pulling himself up the rough slope before finally giving up and landing on his back. He heaved and gasped heavily for air, gurgling as water started trickling from the corners of his mouth. Hashirama inched close while making sure the other man was out of the water, relieved when he found him already taken to the other medical nin.

It was Hikaku, or so he believed. From the chakra alone, he knew it couldn't have possibly been one of his own. Once he was left in good hands, the shinobi that had helped him with carrying the first man came back running.

"Madara-sama!" He shouted. At his name, Hashirama's brown eyes came back to the man laying before him, sprawled against the golden sand. Water still seeped out of his mouth, but that wasn't what disturbed him. It was his eyes. Wide open and staring aimlessly well above, the glowing red orbs were void of benignity, of ardor. They were as good as hollow. The swirling unique pattern of those black tomoes, proof of the suffering and the pain every Uchiha went through to unlock them. Madara's Mangekyou's were something he was familiar with, especially on the battlefield.

Though he had never seen them like this, empty and blank, utterly lifeless as they glazed the sky. The moon, the big white orb that ruled his nights, shone down upon them. He couldn't help but look up himself, wondering what exactly had they done to deserve this. Like a white-grey disc hovering aimlessly above a Black Sea, its soft and ivory light glimmered across the dark waters as it emanated a divine aura only a heavenly orb like it would. Craters scattered over its surface, though it didn't take away an ounce of its beauty.

He hadn't seen it at first, it was too thin. Although the more he looked at it, the darker it became, the more visible it appeared. That fine- almost threadlike- red line, curving along the crescent of the moon was gradually eating away at the cosmic rock, devouring it as though it bled steadily like a mortal.

Much like that spatter of blood that colored the sand, forming a trail streaming down the water quickly washing away. His eyes followed it upwards until he found the source of the bleeding.

"Are you alright?" He asked Madara, concerned about that huge lump on his upper thighs. It looked swollen as it protruded beneath his pant leg. Madara didn't respond, only continued to stare at the sky. His breathing had calmed yet remained shallow and uneven. When he knew he wasn't about to get a response out of him, Hashirama crouched down beside him, near his left leg. The white jagged end of a bone pierced through his skin and jutted out. It was completely crushed, something heavy had torn through his muscles and ground his thighbone, his femur was fractured right at the center. There was no more skin, but rather raw flesh as blood vessels were slit allowing blood to flow freely down his leg, and onto the sand.

Of course he wasn't alright.

_This doesn't look good._

He had seen far worse but this was a complete mess, he had to wonder if even knew of this, or felt the pain that must have been coursing through his body. One look at the laying Uchiha and Hashirama began to doubt that he was even aware of anything. He needed to do this quick.

"This might hurt a bit." He tried to warn him, right before he pressed his palm on the wounded area, exerting as much pressure as he could to push the broken bone back into its place. It wasn't exactly a painless experience as it elicited a sharp growl from the poor man. A large rock was flung his way but Hashirama had caught it in time.

 _"What do you think you're doing?! Goddamit!"_  Madara snarled, fully conscious now. And angry, oh-so very angry. Though, the Senju leader suspected it was the pain acting as his disguise, not quite his rage.

"I'm trying to help you, that's what." He patronized him. His sharingans never deactivating, Madara glared at his friend but said nothing in return as Hashirama began channeling his chakra into the wound. A light purple- fading on blue- aura emitting from his hands while he leaned it over the open injury. His kekkei genkai was not the only ability that made him peculiar, his unique chakra had always set him apart from from the rest and that could be seen solely from the color of it.

This wasn't how it should have been but what choice did he have? This wasn't just an everyday dislocated joint injury he could simply pop into place, it was a deep wound. The femur wasn't a simple bone after all. Still, he had to try. Channeling more chakra into the deep laceration, he felt the bone starting to slowly move back into place, both fractured ends began to coalesce as the white hardened material merged, with every vascular tissue fusing and attaching both ends together. The torn capillaries and blood vessels came next as they amalgamated, cutting off further blood loss. The raw pink muscles started to weld, closing in on the mess beneath it. New skin taking place of the old tattered one, until the only thing left were blotched spots of red where the wound had once been, blood already drying on the surface.

"You should not exert yourself just yet." He advised Madara. Even if he had healed him to the dot, as good as new, his bones needed time to heal properly so they could return to normal as they were before, and to do that he would have to rest in order to make sure the fractured ends did not separate once more. Only then could he permanently damage it and his thighbones may never heal properly ever again. Which was something Hashirama wanted to avoid at all costs.

Of course, he would be expecting too much of Madara.

"Did you hear me?" He repeated, trying to make sure his words got through to him. The Uchiha leader didn't listen and attempted to sit up only to be pushed back down, not by his personal medic but by the pain soaring up his body. Just because he had healed him did not mean he could take the pain away. Besides, pain was a blessing after all. Without it, there would be no suffering, no knowledge, no learning from the mistakes. Our well being would be a truly fickle thing. It was a sign that they were still alive, although barely.

He laid back down, drenching his long black mane into the sand.

"I heard you." He mumbled, his eyes returning to normal.

"Hashirama-sama, should we not be retreating now?" A shinobi had asked. The Senju leader replied with renewed hope.

"No, we must wait for the others." A strange eerie silence had washed over them. There wasn't a doubt in anyone's mind that the rest of them were still out there. It was just a question on whether they would survive this night in the waters. Surely, if Madara and the others were able to come back at this time, the rest would too? Right? He wasn't so sure. And neither were they. Except for one.

_"There are no others."_

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

They began moving at dawn.

To say that he was in pain would have not only been a major understatement, but also utterly misleading. He was exhausted, mentally drained and quite ready to give up, honestly. His body ached and no matter how much he moved his limbs, they were just as numb as his left leg. He felt as though he was carrying dead weight, hindering both his speed and stamina. He hadn't slept either, the mere thought of it eluded his mind all throughout the night and well into the early hours of the morning. It had been two days. No sleep. No food. No water. On second thought, he-  _they_ \- had plenty of water. More than enough to last them a lifetime.

The headache that was developing into one hell of a migraine was the least of his problems, though it certainly was an irritant.

He gripped his left thigh tightly. It may have stopped bleeding but the pain was still there causing him to lag behind. As he leaped forward on another tree branch, his left leg was always less than a second late. It was driving him mad but he knew he couldn't do anything about it other than to push on, to continue and not to look back.

His right arm used the tree barks as support every time he jumped from one to another, trying to keep pace with Hashirama and the others. Who were moving suspiciously slow as if to allow him to catch up, though it wasn't only him who struggled with gathering himself, there were others who had been injured as well.

_At least they weren't dead._

Out of the twelve Senju shinobi that had accompanied Hashirama, seven had made it out of the waters. One had never even made it off the ship as a mast pinned him to the boat, disemboweling him. The other four were still out there somewhere, their bodies floating lifelessly, perishing as the waves carried them on and on and on.

"I told you not to exert yourself." Hashirama's voice snapped him out of his daze. The last he recalled, the Senju airhead was outpacing him a couple of feet in front, now he stuck to his side trying to pin his weight on himself.

"Leave me alone, Hashirama." He groaned. Madara didn't even have it in him to shout at the annoying idiot.

"You don't understand, you can't force yourself while your leg is still trying to heal." He replied, exasperated with Madara's stubbornness.

"We can't afford to keep on taking rests, we'll never reach there on time." Madara countered.

They were heading northern, towards the heart of the island where Uzushio was located. It wasn't a particularly hard route as all they had to do was follow their guide; the river. Originating from the other sides of the coasts, it dug its way through the thick forests of the island. After many years of erosion caused to the soil, water had finally seeped in from the sea and begun snaking its way, which so happened to also pass through the center of Uzushio's settlement. Nature seemed to work in mysterious ways, having this country isolated in the middle of devastating whirlpools was both a blessing and a curse. Though, to Madara, it was hell.

If their calculations were correct- and they were most likely not- then they should arrive there by noon. If they were not met by other so-called incidents, or worse, if they slowed down.

Madara's insides were in a chaos. Face ashen and pale, it was nothing compared to the havoc rampaging through his mind. It was then that he knew nothing could get to him, not even Hashirama's voice nor Hikaku's as they called out to him, he only kept on leaping forward like some automated machine, never stopping and never will as long as his feet kept him standing on this earth.

Though, the further he moved forward, the harder he felt himself being pulled back. Back to the sea, into the water, under the sinking ship. Memories of yesterday's events ransacked his mind, never giving him a break to breathe. Tormented with what he could have done and what he  _should_  have done, with what had happened and what could have happened, he felt as though he was being drowned not in the water, but in his own thoughts. Words, regrets, actions, all of his own; they taunted him as he struggled to swim through the ever-swirling waters. They were savage, brutal as they tossed him around like a punching bag. It was overwhelming in every way, so much so that he had no idea how his lungs were drowning first before he was, his breaths being stolen from him.

Images of her were so acute, so crystal-clear, so  _real._ Seeing her there in the water, next to him, her reflection forever glistering. She was real, real as his hallucinations got, it was like he was drowning with her ghost. Something in that moment, something he had no idea how to label, panicked him. He started moving restlessly as he forced his way through the harsh waves. He had done anything, and everything in his power to get to the surface, to get away from her phantom but she wouldn't leave him alone. For every stroke he made, she followed him. One after another until he couldn't take it anymore. His sharingans activated.

The closer he got to the surface, eager for newfound air, the further she seemed to get from him, pulling back and putting distance between them. Deeper and deeper she went, until she was slowly engulfed by the darkness. He had to remind himself that she was but an illusion, a figment of his imagination, that she was not here with him not even as she smiled at him before being completely erased, like she was never there.

_She wasn't._

He repeated to himself over and over, convincing himself of every possibility. Anger had bubbled through him like the air bubbles erupting from his lips. His Mangekyou activating long before he knew. What had happened thereafter was a complete blur and a part of him was thankful for that. He couldn't help but wonder, it was as if she-  _no, her ghost_ \- knew, knew that he would try to get away and break free the closer she got. It was like she pushed him, forced him to unshackle himself from the constraints of his own mind.

Being pulled back into the moment, he found himself leaping from tree to tree, branch to branch until there was none to jump to. They came to a clearing. Everyone sprung down, everyone but him.

They looked up at him, waiting him to join them but Madara was focused on another thing entirely.

"Is he going to come down or what?" One of the Senju shinobi whispered.

"Let him be." Another replied. "What are we to do now, Hashirama-sama?"

"We  _rest_. You all need it." Hashirama emphasized loudly enough so that his words could be heard by the obstinate man up in the trees. While everyone welcomed such an opportunity, he couldn't do so, not while his eyes tried to make out that red vile snake spiraling around the trees, curving every hundred yards or so. It was big and wide, enough to gorge all of them. Though, something was off about it, it was immobile as if it was etched into the ground. From the height in which he stood, he could see it was stretching well over a couple of miles, just beyond the horizon.

It may have been dawn, but daylight was not about to make an appearance. The world was still shrouded in an ever-enduring overcast, silvery mist encompassing them. Against the backdrop of evergreen trees, silhouettes danced in the dark, playing tricks on his eyes but Madara refused to be led anywhere else.

"Hashirama." He whispered.

"Huh?" The man in question looked up, expecting him to continue his phrase. However, he didn't and instead made a leap to the left, changing directions in order to walk straight parallel to the river flow.

_This wasn't a snake._

A snake could never have spanned the length of the whole island, not even a summon would be that long. His eyes went instantly to the stream that was now situated right on his left. He heard footsteps echoing behind him, twigs were broken, branches were creaking although he didn't pay attention to any of that.

"What is it Madara?" It was Hashirama.

The Uchiha Head watched as the dull color of the river water gradually changed from blue to livid, shade by shade even the grayness began to disappear and morphed into a murky brown color. Yard after yard, the colors darkened, becoming more bold. Hashirama was beginning to see it too, so were the rest of the ninjas that were catching up.

Subtle thoughts were forming in his mind, especially one theory he still couldn't prove as of yet. The more they progressed, the faster they ran and the redder the water became. It was a deep merlot hue before transforming into a garnet tint. It was becoming evidently clear that the murkiness of the water was distinctly not the result of dead vegetation or decomposing remains, at the very least, not plant remains.

Madara felt Hashirama's chakra rile frantically, gaining momentum as it grew out of control. He blew past him and rushed faster than any of them could do to match. He sighed, his theory was far from being hypothetical at this point. It was just as real as the blood that stained this river.

He motioned everyone behind him to hurry up. And to prepare themselves, though that went without saying. Many of them were already mimicking their leaders' frustrations as the scale of the dire situation finally dawned on them.

They picked up pace, their speed surging as they made their way to Uzushio's gates. Never swaying from their course, they let the scarlet river guide them in their stead.

* * *

He could tell.

A mile away and he could tell.

The stench, the broken path, the charred woods.

Everything was destroyed. Madara's mind had already grasped that concept long ago, even before they left. However, he couldn't have said the same about Hashirama. They both knew it was always a possibility, but from the looks of it, only one of them was prepared for that outcome; it was not the Senju leader.

They walked up to the gates. Or what  _was_  once the gates that opened onto the Whirlpool village of Uzushio, home to the Uzumaki Clan.

The granite pillars collapsed, broken into large fawn boulders surrounded in a sea of its own debris. The wooden parts were no longer existent as wood but as charcoal, smearing its porous black matter over every surface. What he gathered must have once been the Uzumaki Clan insignia was now a remnant of its past, the sign of the whirlpool cracked into two as it laid beneath his feet.

All of them, including Madara, stood behind Hshirama, none of them willing to say anything that wasn't already sensed. The air was heavy around them, tense and full of nothing but sorrow and disbelief. Shock had frozen some of these ninjas, while rage seeped into others. But to Madara, he was none. He was in his own world, his own little coop as he thought how his clan was lucky to not have ended up like this. Grateful that he didn't have to come to a home that was no longer but rubble, burned to the ground.

A part of him couldn't help but feel for Hashirama. A man who once stood atop the world, hailed as the greatest ninja alive, couldn't even protect his own clan, or an extension thereof. Madara knew the man well enough, he knew how he treated those close to him, blood related or not, he considered them family. And the Uzumaki were both, they were so incidentally the biological family of his wife as well.

It was as much of an eye-opener to Hashirama as it was for Madara.

He was the first of the group to step forward, standing side by side, he did what he thought was suitable for this situation. He wasn't particularly good at it- he never even tried it-, consolation wasn't part of Madara's vocabulary.

"Are you alright?" He returned his words, trying to soften his voice but it only came out that much harsher. He didn't mean it, but that was how he sounded, dark and impassive, he couldn't change it. He knew what his answer was, and he felt stupid for even asking the question. Unlike Madara, this was one wound that cut deep, an injury even the greatest healer of their time couldn't heal.

"We were too late, huh?" Hashirama may not have heard it, but his long time rival had. That crack in his voice, so subtle it was almost unnoticeable. There was a riot of emotions behind his words, so much that Madara couldn't even begin to name each one. A plethora of which he had never heard the man speak with. He laid his hand gently on his shoulder in an act of comfort more than anything else.

Madara's eyes returned to what laid perishing before him. Beyond the crushed gates were something much more odious, more tragic than what greeted them.

A thin mist hovered over the broken village, blurring the rest of the world and huddling them like a cocoon, swathing them protectively from the harshness of the outer world until it was ready to open, let fly a beautiful butterfly. But this was no such case, this was one cocoon that will never let emerge its people, forever trapped in their own sleepless eternity.

It was so strangely calm here.

That was one thing that had Madara crawling out of his skin. The eeriness of the silence, the quiet, the motionless was beyond abnormal. To him, the gentleness of the breeze, the rustling of the leaves, they were far more sinister than the one-hundred foot waves or the gales he was faced with. The scene before him was nearly spectral in its wake, unearthly in its design.

The soft winds were almost pleasant as the blew past, carrying with them the scent of the sea, not the hundred of dead bodies that laid within. It brushed past the still-viridescent leaves, rippling them as they swayed against the currents. It created an almost beautiful lullaby, a harmony to the disaster it masked. It was inaudible to most, but the more Madara's senses amplified, the louder he heard it until it consumed every ounce of his attention. It was a quiet, gentle song in the making, crooning like a mother does to her child, singing the dead to sleep, weeping for their deaths.

It was soothing, oddly comforting in a way. This feeling inside of him feared that he might lose himself to it. Abruptly shutting his ears- though it was no use as it reverberated inside the corners of his mind, haunting him for the days to come- he called to Hashirama.

"We cannot stay here all day." He urged, gentler than before.

As much as he shuddered at entering a foot inside, he knew it had to be done. They couldn't just stay standing here in front of the gates, hoping that it was nothing but an illusion, an elaborate genjutsu even the Uchiha did not know about, that all of this would swipe clean once the mist cleared.

This wasn't a genjustsu. This was reality.

* * *

The rummaged through the rubble. The streets that were once invigorated with life now stood empty, on the verge of collapsing like the rest of its village, vanishing like the rest of its people. Gone were the smooth sand-stones that formed the walls of this settlement, gone were its vendors and merchants, gone were its lively houses. Everything was in ruins.

Every inch of it.

They sifted through the countless decomposing bodies, the decapitated heads, the dead mothers, the slayed elders.

The children.

Even they were not spared. Their tiny bodies drained of life, scattered everywhere. Their little heads, their flaming red-hairs that were their pride and joy, their pale hands outstretched waiting for someone to come and save them, knowing that that help will never come to them now. And then-

Gone were the children of Uzushio.

For every step he took, there wasn't a single child missing from his sight. For every step he took, he felt his wrath overtaking him, his mind slipping into an abyss of its own. For every step he took- he couldn't contain himself, he  _wouldn't_.

For what he had already seen was nothing compared to the sight of slaughtered children.

They had removed impaled men off their stakes, pulled out the floating bodies of shinobi left to drown in their own life-force, staining the once crystal blue river with their own blood. The red stream ran through the entirety of the village, separating it into half, adjoining both sides by small bridges. Collecting the bodies one by one as it flowed downstream, its color darkening with each glide. They took each one out until they were soaked to their hunches with Uzumaki blood. It disgusted him. It disgusted the others. It antagonized Hashirama. No one was capable of bearing to look at the other, much less look at themselves.

They tried to remove as many of the cadavers as they could, to prepare for a mass burial. Their already decaying corpses could no longer stand being left out in the open air, to the cold winter as life went on and theirs came to an abrupt.

Madara found himself walking down a street that would have led him nowhere.

The sun seemed to have finally made an appearance as it left its eternal slumber, even if it was for a brief moment. He stopped in his tracks and looked up, right between the valley of the mountains, it shone like a coward. Spitting its yellow venom at them in daunt, showering everything in its daylight as if to mock them, deride them, blame them for letting these people meet their ends too quickly, too soon.

If it wasn't for it, he might have never noticed a young looking boy. Laying a few feet away under a heavy boulder, he didn't move nor flinch. There was no sign of life radiating from him. Madara gathered that he was already dead. Changing his directions, he walked over to him instead. Moving the boulder away with a swift push, he leaned down and took him in his arms, carrying him back up as he snaked his left arm underneath his bony legs and curled his right underneath the boy's broken neck.

Madara took a good look at him under the glimmering sun. His shoulder length bright red hair reflected even brighter as it covered his eyes, hiding the crystal-blue orbs he was gifted with. His bloated face took on a greenish hue, his clothes were ragged, his figure; lanky almost emaciated. His hands were beginning to detach from decay though Madara tucked them in before they completely disjointed.

_What the hell was wrong with this world?_

Madara cursed under his breath, damned whoever was responsible for this. What had they been trying to do if it wasn't to prevent things like this from happening? To end the constant bloodshed so kids wouldn't have to go through what they did as children? What purpose did building a village and uniting everyone under it if it couldn't even protect those who were too weak to do so themselves?

_Why were children still dying?_

There were so many questions, yet he couldn't find one reasonable answer to quench his anger.

That fire within him was kindling, simmering and waiting for the right opportunity to erupt and engulf anyone who dared come near it in its flames. A fire that was growing out of control, no longer able to suppress it, unquenchable. As for now, he had to stop. There was a tree up ahead, one that still held on to its foliage pendulously, casting shade onto the sodden ground. The dimming light barely filtered through, projecting flickering golden dots over the soil. He neared, walking up slowly to the willow tree and laid the boy gently under it, placing his fragile head onto the soft ground.

His scrawny little body was long past the stiffening stage of decomposition, rigor mortis no longer in effect. Leaving what was left of his gaunt figure to slowly rot away. Madara remained crouched beside the boy, unable to get up and walk away, to leave him here. For some reason, his feet wouldn't let him. He stretched his hand and shut the boy's grim eyes, while his own were slowly recording everything, every building, every body, every detail. His sharingans unwittingly activated once more. The light flickered over his face, over the once soft features that graced it, burying him in a soft glow as the shadows of the leaves rustled.

He wanted to give this boy a proper burial, one that he deserved just like his younger brothers all those years ago.

"Madara-sama! Hashirama-sama!" A loud voice boomed from somewhere afar, calling out to their leaders urgently. Madara's head snapped back as he stood up, eager to know what all the upheaval was about.

"They're alive!"

"There are survivors!" Another shinobi echoed. It was then that Madara had heard loud footsteps shuffling towards the pair that discovered them. He didn't wait either and had started moving into their direction. Silently praying for the Uzumaki boy as he bid him farewell, it was something he hadn't done in a very long while. As he hammered his way through the rubble, he thought he had caught a shadow in the corners of his eyes.

He turned and took a quick look around, nothing seemed off. When he started walking again, he felt it. It wasn't the fidgeting or the sound of a rebounding rock, no- it was chakra. Faint traces of it. His hands went to the hilt of his word almost instantly as he stopped dead in his tracks. Eyes glowing a murderous red, he changed route and started walking towards the shambled house. Its roof caved in, blocking the entryway in, the walls were just as bad, but underneath it all, there was a gaping hole, wide enough to fit a person.

The closer he got, the more nervous they became. Chakra surged- though, lightly- as whoever it was under the wood heard his heavy footsteps. He gripped his katana tightly, slowly unsheathing it until he came to a halt before it. Bending down slightly, he tossed the rake aside, lifting the gable that supported the roof and peeked inside.

There, leaning against the dark wreckage, sat a young woman cradling a weak infant, whimpering. She tried to retreat but was cornered. Fear emanated from her eyes as he leaned closer. Madara sheathed his sword into the scabbard and hunched down. He was about to remove the gable but stopped before it was too late. Had he done it, the entire house was at risk of collapsing over their heads. They weren't exactly in the safest positions. Deciding against lifting anything else in order to avoid a disaster he did not want to see happen, he crouched down and stretched his hand out to them.

It was then that he realized she wasn't alone. Behind her, hid two children, no older than five years of age. They trembled with terror the closer he got and began sobbing at the sight of him. His stone-cold expression, his black and spiky hair, his sharp features. His eyes. He stopped moving the moment he understood what they feared.

" _U-Uch-Uchiha_." One of them mumbled, voice cracking as the tears burst forth uncontrollably. The mother nestled them closer, protecting her children from him. Her eyes widened in horror as she stared into his bloody ones.

They feared  _him_.

It took a moment to let that sink in. A moment in which it finally made sense to him; what he needed to do, what he was here for.

* * *

**_Mina's POV_ **

It had been four days since Madara had left.

A part of me was growing anxious as the days passed.

_What have I done?_

I shouldn't have told him to go, what was I thinking? What if something happened?

_Oh God._

I couldn't sleep. Insomnia had soon become my personal companion, one that wouldn't quit, never leaving me alone since he left. It haunted me just as fatigue overwhelmed me. Trying to stay lucid during the day was becoming too much of a hassle, especially when my brain begged mercilessly for sleep, for unconsciousness. For anything. But come night and the voices were no longer there, disappearing into absolute oblivion and leaving me to deal with the aftermath of my broken mind as I tried to pick up the pieces once more.

On the rare occasions that I did find myself dozing off, the voices returned. Worries, wild thoughts, regrets recur. Time after time, they repeat non-stop, driving me up the wall. My head was not like what it used to be, I felt myself slipping way, merging with the darkness in the room. Like a curtain being drawn over my eyes, hiding me from the rest of the world.

I jerked and turned, tossing the covers to the floor. It was already suffocating enough being alone in this room, being swathed in sheets weren't helping that. Seconds turn to minutes to hours to- time had no boundaries, it stretched and stretched until there was nothing but it. If I wasn't counting down the seconds until dawn arrived, I was racking my brain trying to reassure myself.

What if Madara was hurt? I was the one who begged him to go, I would be responsible.

_Oh God, I hope he's not-_

That storm. The one that ravaged through the lands of the Fire Country. I hoped that they had managed to escape it before it caught up to them. Then again, I wasn't exactly sure that sailing the Seas of Whirlpools was any better. Did they even find a ship? Who would be crazy enough to lend them one in this weather? If they did succeed to get their hands on one, was it still okay? Did it sink? Was Madara alright? Was he hurt?

_Shut up already. I'm sure he's fine._

_Get out._

_Fine._

I went back to ignoring that voice in my head, I would much rather keep on speculating on the different horrible possibilities that could have arisen than deal with it.

Speaking of which, what if the problem wasn't on their path to Uzushiogakure?

I rolled on my back, staring pointlessly at the ceiling as I twiddled with my fingers.

What if something happened to them when they reached there? Could it have been an ambush? Or an orchestrated attack like the Kaguya's on the Uchiha base? What the hell was happening?

I was dying to know, to know if they were doing okay, that they were not dead somewhere out there, that Madara was just fine. But most importantly, what was wrong with me? I couldn't get it, why I was so worried and anxious about something that I already was going to happen. Sweat trickled down my forehead, brushing against my cheeks as beads fell to the bed, dampening the pillow I rested my head on.

I could hardly sleep anymore when he wasn't around. This wasn't the first time and I had chalked it up to me just being paranoid. Yet, I felt something was missing laying here alone, the other half of the bed empty. I felt...exposed, without a shield or a safeguard. The void that he left, the usual hollow dip of the mattress he indented every time he sunk in it, the view of the ripples in his back muscles; I strangely missed that. It had been so long since I had slept alone.

I grabbed the other pillow next to me and curled up against it, trying to think of anything that didn't always end up with me on the verge of panicking.

Ten o'clock merged to eleven, then to twelve, then one, two- and I was still awake, fidgeting and shifting positions incessantly. Until I had had enough and sat upright on the bed. I sighed wearily while my eyes scanned the corners of the room. Yuuki rested on a recliner, sitting at the left corner seemingly asleep. Madara had apparently ordered her not to leave me out of sight. I couldn't blame him, I would have probably done the same.

Wiping the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand, I sighed again unable to handle sitting here a second longer. The nights were usually quiet, save for the last few days when the rain never stopped, when the skies never stopped shedding its tears. The sound of pitter-patter against the window panes were unsettling, always reminding me of someone outside gently knocking on the glass panels. This was no different. I dragged myself off the bed and walked towards the curtains. Pushing the heavy drapes to the side, I peeked out. Large drops of water trickled down the mullioned window, blurring everything outside, even the moon. Though, despite the never-ending rain, I could see the moonlight shining through just as fine. I couldn't tear my eyes away.

_I hope you're alright, Madara._

* * *

**_Tobirama's POV_ **

They were going onto the fifth day now. Any later than tonight and Tobirama might leave to join them. It was the decision he had finally come to, there was no turning back.

If they were going nearly as fast as he imagined them going, then it would have taken two days going, two days coming. Meaning they should have arrived yesterday or even today. Any more and he was beginning to fear something may have happened to them. Something bad. Then again, nothing seemed right from the start. Nothing good was going to come out of this, he was sure of that. Which was why he had volunteered to tag along, that he may face whatever fate had in store for his brother the same way he was driven to.

He had just finished training. Again, for the tenth time since they left. It was the only way he could vent his frustrations without causing any permanent damage to himself, to the people surrounding him or to his home. It was obvious he wouldn't be able to to take his anger outside, not when the weather was this bipolar. It constantly shifted from snow, to rain to snow again. And on rare occasions did the sun finally come up for a mere moment before it vanished once more, unknowing of when it will rise anew.

_If it ever does._

The way things were going, he felt as though they will forever be trapped in an endless cycle of precipitation- whether it was snow, rain or- his personal favorite- hail. It was just about time for pellets of frozen rain to pour down upon them.

They exchanged bows, he and the shinobi who acted as his opponent.

The dōjō was unusually empty nowadays, he decided to put it to good use. They had been sparring since early morning, engaged in a heated confrontation. Multiple ones. They fought over and over, not with chakra, nor ninjutsu, not even taijutsu but with their swords, or an emulation of such a sort. With their respective  _shinais_ , they had settled for an old round of  _kendo_. He was in long need in refining his swordsmanship, what better way to do so than challenging the best one on his squad? He had much more to work on than he had anticipated. He had won two out of the four matches, it still wasn't good enough for Tobirama.

They had only halted the training as they had gone through most of the  _bokutō_  available, cracking each with the harsh blows they dealt each other. It was nearing mid-day and it wasn't as if they opposed a break. They began untying their body armor and removing their head pieces. Putting everything back in its place, they tidied the place, going through the cleaning ritual step by step as they memorized it like the back of their hands. It was a custom, one they did every time after they stepped in and every time before they stepped out.

And wasn't he eager to step out? All he wanted was a cold shower, and the truth. Especially the latter, Tobirama wanted that one the most.

...

He knocked gently before sliding the door open.

She sat there, cross-legged and looking out the half opened fusuma doors. A cup of steaming tea in her palms, she seemed to be in a dazed state. She had not even realized his presence until he presented himself. But before that, he too, was entranced by the view outside. Howling winds blew, swaying the trees and swirling the broken twigs up into the air. The heavy snow that had befallen them was slowly melting, particularly after yesterday night's light showers- forming a glistening sleet over every surface. The land itself was bleak, dull and colorless yet it held its own charm.

He coughed, raising his voice so she could finally turn around and face him.

"Hello." He greeted her.

"Hi." She replied. Her hair was loosely tied back in a short plait, but that wasn't what scared him. And he thought the land was bleak and dull, one look at her and he was instantly depressed.

"I gather you didn't get much sleep." He commented, subtly hinting at those hefty eye-bags of hers. The dark circles grew everyday, but today was particularly bad. She chuckled halfheartedly.

"Is it that obvious?" She took a sip of her cup as he neared, taking a seat beside her.

"Yes." Though he knew her question was rhetoric, he couldn't help but answer, to try and lessen the tension between them. She grabbed the handle of the teapot and poured him a cup of green tea. He thanked her quietly as she handed it to him. He didn't like sugar in his tea, it ruined the bitter taste of it, something he quite enjoyed actually.

He mimicked her pose, holding the cup in both hands as he looked out onto the garden. It was mid-afternoon or something of the sort, he couldn't tell as long as the sun remained hidden. He felt oddly at peace in spite of the mayhem surrounding everything, it was simply that moment. When he didn't have to wear his battle gears, his armor, his swords; he was in a simple yukata sitting in his own home, drinking tea. A great part of him did feel guilty for having such a luxury while others were out in that weather.

He took a side-glance at her and saw the crease in her eye-brows, how they furrowed and how the slightest of pouts made her lips seem that much fuller.

"You're worried, aren't you?" Tobirama wasn't always great with detecting emotions but he was almost certain he got this one right. The ghost of a smile on her lips, she answered;

"I am." She didn't even try to hide it. How could she? It was just as obvious in her demeanor as much as those dark circles were on her features.

"They'll be fine." He didn't sound convincing enough, but to hell with that. He meant every word of it. They weren't called the Gods of Shinobi for nothing. Both Hashirama and Madara were more than qualified in taking care of themselves, of others, of their respective clans. How she was so worried about the fate of the two strongest shinobi in the world baffled him.

Unless it was more than just worry. There was something in her voice, her attitude; there was a hidden sincerity, a fondness that was clearly not reserved for his brother, the Senju clan head that bet on her wedding night.

"You  _care_ , don't you?"

It was a sudden realization that just then dawned on him. It left a sour taste in his mouth as it made sense to him,- barely.  _Care_  was a vague word, but summarized everything he wanted to say quite well.

"What? No." She quirked her brows, denying him.

"Yes, you do." He pushed, remaining adamant in his assessment of her relationship with Madara.

"No, I don't." She pushed back, looking at him bizarrely.

"Yes."

"No."

"So, you do not care for your husband?" He rephrased his words, though keeping the meaning intact. It seemed to puzzle her even further.

"What? Of course I do, wait.  _What_?" Mina blabbered. He thought he was as clear-cut as he could be, but apparently not. It didn't matter, he had already gotten the answer he wanted.

"Of course I care. You make it sound like I'm heartless. Humph." She sulked and turned her flushed face away from his gaze, hiding her embarrassment or was at least trying to. He could see her ears light up as the her neck turned a pretty shade of pink. He almost felt smug. He knew she wasn't truly sulking, though it still didn't take away from the humor of it.

As he was about to lay that subject to rest and delve into the one he really came for, the doors slid open and that Uchiha woman that was responsible in guarding Mina came in, catching both their attentions.

"Apologies." She bowed, her voice solemn. "Uchiha-sama and Hashirama-sama have returned-"

She couldn't have finished that sentence even if she wanted to. They were both taken by surprise, but more so, her.

"What? Are you sure?" Mina did not even give her shinobi a chance to answer before she jumped up, tossing the cup to the side and inadvertently elbowing him in the jaws. He barely had time to process the sharp pain in his mandible before she stepped over his groin as she made her way  _over_  him to the the other side. She nearly tripped while successfully shoving him out of the way.

 _"Oh God, I'm so sorry, Tobirama!"_  She squalled, she was as collected as one could be during a nervous breakdown, which wasn't very much. He let the cup tumble to the ground, its liquid contents falling all over the mats as he grabbed his groin in pain. Screw his jaw, the real problem was much southern. As he turned to glare at her, she had already left, her rushed steps echoing down the hall. Her friend, guard, maid, whoever the hell she was stood in the doorway, watching as her clan matriarch ran away. He attempted to stand up, wobbling on his feet a couple of times before he found his balance, hand still clutching his  _oh-so_  sensitive area.

The tall woman returned her gaze back to him, a wicked smile spread across her smug face. That smirk, the crossing of the arms, that stance...now where had he seen that? He stood hunched, hands still cupping his crotch area while he delivered one of his harshest, most insensitive and utterly despicable glares that he could come up with, the one he reserved specifically for Uchiha.

 _"Can I help you?"_ He hissed, reeling in his anger. He knew it wasn't true anger, but pain disguised  _as_  anger. She didn't respond but huffed and began walking into the direction Mina ran, leaving him alone in the room, trying to salvage anything left of his dignity.

* * *

"Where's my brother?" He asked a hurried maid. In fact, they were all in a rush. The whole place was booming, servants moving, running, displacing things. Everything was out of order, everything was chaos. Clamouring down to the core.

_A ruckus, that's what it is._

"I don't know, Tobirama-sama. If you please." She pleaded, clearly distressed, though not by him but by the situation unfolding in the Senju household. He let go of her arms but made sure that she wouldn't leave just yet, even if she was pressed for time.

"What is going on?" He questioned harshly, this time trying a more serious approach as his old stern self returned.

"A group of badly injured Uzumaki citizens have arrived with Hashirama-sama." That was all that she had said before running off to join her other housemaids, preparing for the upcoming havoc.

_What the hell was going on?_

He didn't bother with stopping another servant. In less than a second, he had pinpointed Hashirama's location. In even lesser time, he had already found himself walking down the hall to his brother's bedchambers. With each step he took, he felt the ground beneath him shake with fright. He looked down and saw cracks beginning to unravel in the wood. His eye instantly darted to the large doors at the end of the hall where insane amounts of chakra were released, radiating in abundance. Sudden thumping and loud bangs caught him off guard. Pounding, thrashing, hammering. He stopped moving and kept his distance away from that door.

The chakra itself was heavy, massive and dense, suffocating the air as if it was nothing. Tobirama could feel his brother trying to remain civil, keeping his chakra under a tight leash. As for her...

_Mito._

* * *

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you might be wondering, for guys like Hashirama and Madara always deemed as Gods of shinobi- you know, being so OP and all-, how could they have such difficulty with a few waves, etc? Why was I downplaying them?
> 
> Well, I wouldn't call it much of a 'downplay'. I wanted to give them a human approach, a human element that portrays them not only as stealthy ninjas, but as humans too, meaning they could be just as vulnerable as us sometimes, just as hurt or just as happy, you know? Not exactly sure if that made sense, but that's what I wanted to write here.
> 
> Okay, what a chapter!
> 
> So much angst, and as I promised, there will be smut next chapter, so count on that.


	52. Midnight Orchestra

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: LEMON AHEAD. Not exactly 'light-ish'.
> 
> Don't like? Don't read. For the sake of avoiding confusion and random flaming, the start of the smut scene will be denoted by: -XXX-. Because I seriously don't need people PMing me about why I wrote such graphic, explicit 'filth' (this is why there are warnings ;) ). Speaking of which, if this does get reported on fanfiction.net, you guys could find me on AO3 under the name ManicSkies. Wait, this is Ao3 :) Same old, same old. Just wanna put it out there.
> 
> If it's not your cup of tea, then just avoid the ending of this chapter. 
> 
> Other than that, enjoy!

 

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

_Well, that was...unexpected._

Then again, I should have expected that. Always expect the unexpected, was that not what people said?

In my haste, I had neglected Tobirama and quite frankly, hurt him in more ways than I could have imagined or had intended. I really did not mean to hurt him, it wasn't like I had maimed him, though? Had I?

_Oh God, what if I permanently damaged his groin?_

I shook my head, and with it the worried thoughts that I had about him. He was going to be fine, he was Senju Tobirama.

And who was I? That was up for debate at this point. Where was I? Well, that was another thing that I would have liked to answer. Being stuck in this labyrinth of a house was exhausting. There wasn't one ostentatious hall that was not the copy of its adjacent one. Soon enough, I found myself walking in circles, always ending up where I started. Or at least I thought so, it was very much confusing and my mind couldn't keep up with it. But above all, it couldn't comprehend the basis of my hasty reaction, neither could I.

 _What if he was hurt?_  My thoughts returned back to Madara, repeating the same question that had been plaguing my mind for the past few nights.

_Or worse, what if he was-?_

_Of course not, how could I be so stupid?!_

Yuuki just said that they arrived, she didn't particularly specify if that included body bags, but still- of course he would be alive, there was no reason for him not to be.

_Where the hell am I, argh!?_

I stopped when I came to an intersection, and spun around, unable to choose which hall to follow. There was one in all directions, goddammit. To the left, to the right, in front- they were endless and it only added to my frustration. Without forethought, I impulsively chose the right and began to jog along the walls, following them as I had no clue as to where it would lead me.

_Dammit._

With each step I took, my exasperation grew but it was nothing compared to that- that one emotion. Whatever it was, it was louder, heavier, stifling. I didn't know what to call it, but I knew it well enough. It and I had become new friends as of late. It was that feeling that made you want to clutch your heart, make it stop fluttering. To hold your breath, hoping that when you let go, you would be able to finally breathe, to not feel like-

_Like you're drowning._

Anything to stop the nausea from swirling uncontrollably in my empty stomach. Those half-formed regrets swarmed my head once again, feeding into my paranoia. I felt as though my blood had turned to thick tar, struggling to flow through my veins, grating my nerves just as my nails scraped against the walls.

_Come on, where are you?_

I was so immersed in my thoughts that as I turned to my next right, I absentmindedly walked into someone- or rather  _something_. Hard. Cold. Red.

_Oh God, not this again._

The pain of coming into contact with an armor pulled me back to the first day when I had bumped into another red armor, yet again. That wasn't right, because it was the same armor after all. I managed to ignore the seething pain and stepped back, just enough to be able to pat my poor nose. It felt damp..and sticky.

 _Huh_?

Something wasn't right. When I looked at my hands, I saw blood. Lots of it. Before I even had the chance to panic, I realized that it wasn't mine. That was not my blood, and that certainly wasn't an armor. It was him, more like his chest. I looked up and saw him. He looked dead, absolutely lifeless, though thankfully, he was physically not. In that brief moment, I was finally able to breathe, despite the copious amount of blood blocking my nostrils. But not for long. I took it all in; his ruffled hair, the lack of weapons and armor, the dull almost catatonic gaze, the stern features, his empty eyes, but perhaps the most obvious, the blood soaked clothes. From the soles of his feet up till his drenched elbows, almost all of which had been dried.

 _"Madara.."_  I breathed.

True panic hit me when the possibility of it being his blood but then logic took over almost instantly, no way could he be standing there alive had it been his. Then whose was it? What happened?

Madara said nothing as I continued to scrutinize inch of him, while he did the same, or at least I had thought so. He made no motion or gesture or anything that would have made him seem uncomfortable by my visual probe and Madara wasn't particularly the type to shy away if something was bothering him. However, this was different. He didn't exactly look like he was mad, or angry, or even happy, though I struggled to see the reason why he would be content. Maybe he was mad that I was right regarding the whole debacle with Uzushio, I mean, he wasn't particularly fond of being proven wrong, was he?

_No, that wasn't it._

He was out of it, in a complete daze and I had no idea what was wrong with him nor what I was supposed to say. I really hadn't prepared for this moment, which made me wonder of how much a written statement would have been really helpful right now. I wasn't great with improvising on the spot. Then again, just what was it that I  _wanted_  to say? All this worrying during the past few days and I still couldn't come up with shit.

"Ma- Madara, a-are you okay? Are you hurt?" It was perhaps the most generic assertion out there, but it did the job just fine. It got my message across. I had expected a generic response in return, even if the situation did not call for it. I guess I had been served one, well- as generic as one could get with Uchiha Madara. And as such, that had not entailed an actual reply, instead, he had said nothing and continued on with his walk.

Sidestepping me, he completely ignored what I said. I didn't know if whether I should have pushed him for an answer- which I already knew- or not, I ended up settling for the latter. He wasn't alright, he looked exhausted, debilitated even. To what extent? I did not know though I would find out soon enough.

As I watched him walk away, I couldn't help but notice that almost faint limp. His left leg, it was as if it weighed him down. I wouldn't have noticed it if I weren't trying to memorize each inch of him, his body, desperately trying to find a source of that blood but couldn't. Not until he had completely disappeared from my view.

* * *

I felt as though we've already gone through this. This path, this walk, this silence.

Except this time, we were on our way back.

Madara had decided there was nothing for them- us- to do there any longer, prompting us to leave almost as soon as they had arrived. Though, that wasn't the only reason. With them, they had brought chaos to the household, havoc, uproar, frenzy. And over a dozen of mortally wounded Uzumaki. That was what I had heard from some of the frantic maids, scurrying towards the main gate. Medics rushed with their supplies, shinobi gathered, elders and other people came out to watch the spectacle. It was as if the world had been turned upside down. Hashirama and Mito were nowhere to be seen, for good reason. I couldn't find Tobirama either. I wanted to apologize to him, and wave him goodbye before I left, but he, too, was absent.

It wasn't hard to guess why.

I couldn't fully grasp what had happened with the only thought in my mind was; they were too late. Uzushio was destroyed and a part of me still couldn't fathom out how, or even why. It was too soon, too soon for those to have lost their lives. But I couldn't shake off the feeling that something else had happened, that much I was sure of. Something that must have taken its toll on Madara.

I didn't know what it was, even as I walked behind him having to look at nothing but his back. I knew I wasn't imagining it, everyone else who had accompanied him had the same expression mirrored. That pained, fatigued expression that seemed to grow the ever more wearier, the more sterner. I knew better to hold my tongue than to demand an explanation. It wasn't the right time, as everyone could barely stand each other. And I was simply just...there, in the background feeling completely out of sort with what was happening and what was about to.

Then again, who was I to complain?

We marched on, the sodden path we once took on our way here was now covered in snow. The trees as well. Few variegated leaves poked out from under the thick white carpet, speckling it with blotches of murky colors. It wasn't snowing as it had been a few days ago, although gusts of snow flurried past us every now and then. With only a fur cloak as our cover, we managed to walk through the forests that spanned the entirety of the area that connected both the Uchiha and the Senju compounds. It had been hours since we left, I assumed that we were getting closer to the Uchihas.

In this forest, the sky is hardly seen as the trees grew so tall, soaring to the sky as they raced for their share of sunlight. The air was damp, scents of afternoon showers lingered in the atmosphere. The more we walked, the lesser there were of undergrowths. The uneven trail became narrow as pine trees trespassed onto the path that twisted and snaked around these aging trees. Their thick roots protruded from the soil beneath only to gnarl and warp, forming humped knots.

It was picturesque at first, then it became nauseating as the same scene repeated over and over and over. It became almost indistinguishable.

"We stop here." Madara announced, voice lacking any sort of emotion.

At long last, the trees gave way to a clearing. It was a bit confined, but it was better than nothing. If my memory served me correctly, this was the same place in which he had stopped on our way to the Senju and if I was accurate, then the grand lake should have been to our right. In any case, my feet were about to give out, I would happily sit on a mud-covered insect-infested ground if it meant I could regain the use of my legs. And so I did, as I headed for a spot near the base of a tree, someone grabbed my arms. Yuuki then directed me towards a boulder and gestured for me to sit. It was quite awkward but I couldn't hold my gratitude to myself.

"Thank you." I thanked her silently and she retreated. Everyone began to scatter, each in a different direction. Except for two, who weren't that far out of ear-shot. As they made their way into the woods, I heard them say;

"Never thought I'd feel sympathy for an Uzumaki." One of them said, sighing.

"Indeed." Hikaku proclaimed, or so I thought. It did sound like him. They started to venture off and that was when I had lost them.  _Just what happened?_

It was a question that I wanted to ask him so bad, but knew better than to strike another nerve with him. It wasn't like we had parted on good terms and it was largely due to my stupidity. It was my fault and I knew that, but I just wished..that..that he would just tell me. Up until now, I never thought I was much of a difficult person to talk to though this situation was silently proving me otherwise.

I saw him rummage through his pouch in search for something. I sat eagerly, waiting for him to find whatever it was he was looking forward. And he did.

_Oh. It's just water._

He gulped down from the waterskin before locking eye contact with me. He suddenly stopped and refixed the lid back into place, and then went on to fling it at me. I bent over to catch it before it fell to the ground and stumbled.

"Here." He offered. A bit too late, though I wasn't even thirsty. I looked at the receptacle in my hand and found it quite odd. Waterskins were quite an invention. As someone who had grown in a world that was based in plastic and synthetic materialization, to see- much less use- something like this, made of- most likely- cow or sheep bladder as the Assyrians and Romans did in the old days, it was a treat. Though, this one was surely made of leather. I could feel it with the tips of my fingers.

"No..No thank you. I'm not thirsty." I told him. He only looked at me quizzically before that dull look returned. It was then that I realized that I was still holding onto the bota bag. I was tempted to throw it back at him but I figured this was not the time or place to act as silly as that. I sucked up my embarrassment- of not only being caught ogling him but for my behavior- and started crossing the clearing. When I came up to him, I handed it over with full intention to apologize and ask him what I had wanted now that we were alone- and I would have for it had not been for a monkey in the distance.

_I must be wrong._

I saw a tail, an ear and that was just about it. I wasn't sure except that the mere sight of it was so out of place, it immediately caught my attention. Or rather stealing, as I shifted my gaze away from Madara and the bottle to the hazy figure lurching behind the tree. Soon enough, it was not only my gaze that had shifted, but my feet too. I started moving into the other direction, entering the woods as I did so.

Now that I was close enough, I could tell it was actually much farther than it had looked. Which had me wonder; just how tall was that monkey statue? It had to a statue or a sculpture or something. It couldn't be a real monkey, not out in this weather. Even if they were; the fact that its tail and hand remained immobile was a big giveaway. And as I neared, it became even more obvious that it was made out of metal of some sort as the light reflected off its ragged surface.

I had to carefully watch my steps in order to avoid tripping over these monstrous roots or worse; a random crooked branch. Step by step, I got closer to the monkey only to realize, it was not only one but three.

_No, four._

I came to a halt once I stepped out into a clearing much smaller than the one we took as a resting place.

"What the-?" My voice was barely above a whisper yet I felt as though I had shouted at the top of my lungs. At first glance, the area looked like a burial site. But when I looked again, I couldn't help but sense the uncanniness radiating in waves off the damn place. For it did not actually look like a grave site, but a simple statue. Although, the random placement of it couldn't have been more serendipitous, it certainly gave off the wrong vibes, it was utterly bizarre.

The four monkeys- or macaques in this case, just from the looks of it- stood side by side. Each of them crouching over an ancient stone bench. It was tall and jagged, though it showed many cracks, a testament to how unforgiving time was, not just to humans but to the most inanimate objects as well. It was covered in a thin layer of snow. But the real showpiece were them, the rusty old teal-colored forms stood strong against the adversity of time, though it did not leave them untouched. Tails were gone, muzzles were split, limbs were partly discarded- even the heads were missing parts of their skulls, or what should have been their skulls.

The sight was utterly fascinating, I couldn't stop myself from inching closer, leaving footsteps ingrained in the snow beneath. Swiping a thumb over the surface, small particles of dust and pebbles came off along with the sheet of snow. The bench stood tall reaching my sternum while the rest of the sculpture stood at nine feet, or perhaps higher. I had to tilt my head at a sharp angle just to come face to face with the macaques. My thumbs brushed the base of the first monkey, feeling nothing but hollowness on the other side, I had decided to give it a slight knock with my knuckles. The inside was completely void as the typical ringing of a metal echoed in response. Once I retreated my hand, I found green residue speckled all across my knuckles.

_Copper casting._

_No wonder._

All of them, without an exception, were nearly coated in teal-like rust, the greenish- almost turquoise- color shone brightly. Oxidized copper did that.

_So chemistry wasn't a fail after all, huh._

There were scarce parts that retained the original color and lustre that copper had.

 _Amazing_.

To melt and cast a metal in such a mould, and in such intricate design no less- what kind of era did they live in?

They weren't just monkeys, they were apparently wise as well.

The first one had both his crippled hands covering his eyes, while its rusted belly protruded portly and half of its wagging tail already lost. I moved on to the next.

The second one had one of his hands covering his left ear as the other one was wholly missing, but so was the right side of his head along with its ear and a part of his jaw. I was greeted with the same protruding belly, except this one had a slash right above the navel.

The third one had both his hands covering his mouth, while the top of his head was scraped off, as if it had been scalped clean, leaving behind hollow eyes. Its toes curled over the stone pedestal.

Now, the fourth. He was perhaps the most intriguing. He-

"It is said that this is the supposed burial grounds housing one of the feudal lords from the Land of Ancestors."

Madara's voice came like a thunderclap, immediately drawing my attention back to him. He stood there, where I had once been, and watched me carefully as I made my way from one monkey to the next. And for the first time since he arrived- and well before he left- he did not look half as frustrated. Or mad. Or even dull. He simply looked normal, as far as he was concerned. His eyes- though imperceptible- had softened, even if less than a notch.

_Wait- Land of Ancestors? Isn't that-_

He must have surely seen the puzzling expression on my face but decided not to continue this little story of his. Not unless I asked. So, let it begin.

"How old is this?" I asked, glimpsing at the four- most infamously three- wise monkeys. One by one, they were the physical embodiment of the pictorial maxim we all knew, the proverb everyone denoted to those who lacked the moral responsibility of refusing to acknowledge impropriety as they turned a blind eye, those who feigned ignorance and withheld the truth.  _Or something along those lines._

"Hmm, a millennium. Maybe more." He answered.

"They're beautiful. Truly. Who are they?" It wasn't particularly an insightful question but it was my thought. My breaths came out in small puffs of fog, blurring my vision for a brief moment. I retraced the trail my fingers left behind as I continued to brush against the cold metal. Maybe even standing upon a dead man's tomb.  _Supposedly_.

"They are often labeled as the attendants for Sarutahiko Ōkami, the god of the roads and the divinity of travelers and guidance." He answered.

"That one is Mizaru." Madara said. I looked back and saw that he was approaching, his fingers pointing to the first monkey, almost unnoticeable. His hands hid beneath his cloak as his ridiculously- albeit, a bit tantalizing at this point- black mane spread over his cloak, with those equally ridiculously- again, tantalizing- bangs of his framing his face. A face that had grown so familiar on me that the sight of him standing there was almost too good to be true. Light snowflakes topped his head, smearing him in a shade of white I never thought I'd see on him. His shoulders, too. His brows, his lashes, his lips...I was so occupied with ogling every inch of him that was painted white that I had completely blocked his words out, in fact, I had even blocked out that it had started to snow.

Speaking of which...

It had actually started to snow.

Once I pulled myself out of my own gaze, I noticed that his subtly hidden fingers were not-so-subtly hidden anymore as his wide eyes stared at me with..with- I couldn't name that expression of his because I had never seen it on him before. And that alone made me nervous, jittery even. I immediately darted my gaze away to Mizaru, the first of the three proverbial monkeys.

"He signifies the principal of look naught what is contrary to propriety." Madara's voice echoed behind me, carrying in it a warmth only I could hallucinate into being. The problem really was with me. I tried to shake it off and concentrate on his words instead. In doing so, I had seen parallels to my own world. What they deemed to be contrary to propriety, we deemed evil. Subjectivity at its finest.

I stepped down from the large stone rocks that lead to the giant sculpture. I walked backwards, inch by inch, until the full artistic piece was on display, each one of them crouching in the same position. They were breathtaking. Their stature was nothing short of magnificent. Towering over all the rest as guardians of the woods, offering an ominous warning to those who dared to trespass well over their limit.

I felt a small pat on my left shoulder while another hand brushed past my head and pointed towards the second monkey. It wasn't enough that I was sufficiently red from the cold, to have Madara stand behind me- so close, too- and feel his warmth radiate off his body, well- I was one shade shy of turning into a tomato. I didn't know why, and I didn't care. I just...I just...

"That is Kikazaru." He whispered, his warm breath tickling the back of my ears. "He who signifies the philosophy of listen naught to what is contrary to propriety."

The second of the four monkeys stood tall, with one of his ears gone with the winds of time, the only one left was his only remnant of his own solemn warning. That lopsided smile it displayed was one they all shared; right from their conception and long throughout time.

He stepped back, leaving me to take a breath anew.

"Iwazaru." He gestured to the third monkey, the one who personified the 'speak no evil' proverbial. His gnarly fingers clasped his furry muzzle, cupping his mouth. It was clear that, after all this time, he was still able to incorporate the dictum no matter what life's elements had for him, even if he was missing his scalp. One could not see his smile, though one could certainly imagine it beneath his fingers.

"He who-"

 _"He who speaks naught of what is contrary to propriety."_ I finished the phrase for him. Though, not out of condescension or for simply interrupting him, it was just that the words had slipped out of my mouth long before I had the chance to hold them back.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. The ultimate apophthegm.

"Hm. You seem to catch on quick." I heard him hold back a chuckle as he distanced himself from me. When I turned around, he was already walking back to the rest of his shinobi.

"Wait! How about the fourth?" I frantically gestured to the last of the axiomatic monkeys. The one who still had a head on its shoulders, a tail held to its back, has both his arms still attached to his metallic body. In spite of the green rust, of the shallow dents, of the cracked fissures; he looked the most pristine out of them all. But unlike the others, his hands did not cover one of the five basic senses, but rather his genitals. They were rested upon his lap, covering every inch of his nether regions.

I walked up to it once more, and took in every detail possible that I could. This one was the least famous of them all, but its presence was never far away.

"Shizaru." Madara revealed, naming the fourth and final monkey. "He who acts naught of what is contrary to propriety."

_So..._

"Do no evil?" I posed, turning to face him.

"I suppose so. It's open for interpretation." He said offhandedly. He didn't seem bothered by my constant interruptions, but I couldn't help it. What he was saying was some of the most interesting things that I have ever heard come out of his mouth, and I wanted to know more.

"What's your interpretation?" I asked, curiosity claiming a better part of me.

"What makes you think my interpretation is any different?" I heard him answer in return with his own question. I stepped to the side going back to the first monkey, memorizing anything that my eyes couldn't have caught the first time. I turned my head and saw him smirking.

"Because everything about you is different." I replied, not even thinking twice about my answer, not needing to either.

 _"Oh, is that so?"_  He quirked a brow. "Well then, what do  _you_  think my interpretation is?" He teased.

I felt the heat rising to my cheeks, feeling entrapped by my own words. I couldn't think of a way to get out of this even if I tried. He turned to face me, looking up as I stood on the base of the stone pedestal.

"I..I think.." I stammered, but I knew I shouldn't hold myself back. He wanted to know what I thought, the least I could do was tell him, right? He wanted honesty, here it was.

Turning my burning face away from his puckish gaze, I rather focused on Mizaru. The way he covered his eyes, like he was sheltering himself from the world. That was the thing about these monkeys, they were much like a double edged sword, having completely different meanings depending on whose interpretation it truly was. And Madara's...

"Well, 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil', don't really apply to this world, do they?" I began, not exactly sure where was going with this. The more I looked at them, the deeper I felt myself go.

"I think they're merely a reflection of what people do." I went on, talking to myself rather than anyone else.

"No one looks for the truth. If they did, then they would find out their reality is just as dead as their existence, a lie. Their heaven and hell would disappear, too, until they've become nothing but one with their infinite dream, another lie."

My hands were already reaching out to Kikazaru long before my feet did.

"No one listens to the truth either. If they did, it would disrupt the consoling lies they tell themselves every night before they go to sleep."

Iwazaru wasn't far behind. I traced the outline of the sitting monkey, the coldness of the copper figure sent shivers up my spine.

"No one speaks the truth, as a result. Or else they might just as well be condemned and castigated by those who never wanted to hear it."

I had no idea how low my voice had become, I could barely hear my own words yet they seemed so loud, so clear, so lucid in my mind. Though, he seemed to hear it just fine.

"How about the fourth?" I heard him ask skeptically. I took another look at Madara before I shifted my gaze to Shizaru, the one who makes no movement contrary to propriety, the one who does no evil. He stood there, staring endlessly into the wild, forever and ever and ever. There was something about him, something I just couldn't figure out. Did it matter though? No one ever heeded their pithy advice, they had become so overused that the proverb itself had become a platitude. Well, in my world at least. Willful ignorance and plausible deniability had become an all too real issue back there.

 _"I- I don't know._ " I admitted. I really didn't know. No matter how hard I tried to look at it- both literally and metaphorically.  _Do no evil_  was a vague command.

I did not need to see him to know that his smirk had morphed into a slight grin.

"Quite a cynical perspective, don't you think?" He teased yet again.

"And you are quite the cynical man." I replied. "Sometimes."

That did not come out the way I had intended it to.  _Great_. It wasn't much of his perspective as much as it was mine, but in all honesty, I couldn't see him as a devout believer of such a dogma. I mean with all that he had seen and experienced growing up, I just...

Though I was surprised to see that he hadn't flinched, with the same grin never wavering. He raised his hand just slightly enough for me to see and enough for him to signal me over.

"Come here." He said.

"Why?"

He didn't answer and waited for me to obey his command. As clueless as I was, I didn't understand that he wanted me to get off the pedestal so we could get going until it was too late.

"Fine." He dropped his grin and began walking into the other direction, back into the woods. "Suite yourself. I'm leaving."

"What? No! Wait for me!"

_He can't leave me here._

I rushed off the stonework and nearly slipped to the ground, flailing my arms and shrieking. I stumbled forward a few steps before I found my balance. Not waiting a moment longer, I caught up to him and soon, my small footsteps were following his own large ones, imprinting in the snow like tiny lizards against a white landscape. His broad hands lingered back and grasped mine, first my wrist then slowly creeping down to my palms, he caught hold of my hand and pulled me along without ever making eye contact. Until I was walking side by side with him, even then he had not let go. Not that I minded. His were big and warm, encompassing my frigid fingers in his heat.

But I couldn't help it. I couldn't help myself from always taking a look back at the three mystic apes- well actually, four mystic apes. The more we walked, the further they became, the more distance was put between us. The blurrier they became, their greenish tint becoming one with their surroundings, melting with the snow. The tails were the first to go, then their hands, their feet, until they were nothing but green blotches against a canvas. A canvas growing the ever more white as snow continued to fall, erasing them as much as it was doing to us, to Madara.

* * *

**_Izuna's POV_ **

Something was up.

And it was not something good.

They've been here a week and things were not the same. Which, of course, meant something was not right. They were acting way too lovey-dovey, they even greeted each other once when they met one another in the hall. How crazy was that? Perhaps he was exaggerating just a tad bit, because despite all the cordial greetings or the presence of civility between them, there was still that undeniable tension. Something which Izuna could not make sense of.

It followed them everywhere they went. Whether they were alone or not, whether they were in the same room or not...whether they were  _eating_  supper in the  _same_  dining room  _sitting_  next to each other, occasionally saying a couple of words as to kill the silence between them. A dining room he was currently barred from ever entering in their presence- per  _both_  their orders- though that did not stop him from listening in on from the other side. In fact, he'd been spying on them ever since they arrived. It wasn't exactly as bad as it sounded, not from his point of view, anyways.

That was the thing. That even if he was shadowing them, in the most discreet way possible, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Not in Mina's nor Madara's behavior. Which meant the opposite. It meant something was very much up and about and in shambles. It was all too staged, too perfect, not a single fight or argument or quarrel since they returned from the Senju. He had to wonder if Hashirama had worked his charm on them, the man always preached about peace and unity, and love wasn't that far off. It made Izuna shudder just at the thought of him interfering with his brother's relationship with his dear wife.

A wife he has told on multiple occasions to leave him alone as he made his way to his study. And as the perfect little obedient wife that she was, she didn't. Oh no, she would in fact ignore Madara even as he entered and shut the door in her face, she would just make herself comfortable in front of his door and sat down for the rest of the day, waiting for Madara to come out, unbeknownst to her that he would actually sneak out from the windows inside from time to time and go do whatever Kami knew he was doing. Izuna was too fascinated with her behavior to actually care about what his brother was secretly doing or hiding.

Sulking, training, surely something of the sort.

One day, she had gotten quite bored and brought Kagami along with her. One could only imagine how Madara would react to that. She alone was a force to be reckoned with in regards to her mind-numbing annoyance, but adding an eight year old to the mix- well, his elder brother didn't take that as lightly as they thought he would. Izuna didn't even have to hide to watch these events unfold, every single damn day.

Another red flag.

Mina was acting odd even if she seemed normal, which was naturally nothing out of the ordinary. But this, the fact that she acted as though he didn't exist- it was alarming, and quite insulting. Actually, it pretty much offended Izuna. However, he had learned to take this little situation as a blessing in disguise. For one, he knew she wasn't ignoring him. He had seen her ignoring him before, and this was  _not_  it. No. It was as if he didn't even cross her mind, the agreement they both had didn't even cross her mind- something much more worthy must have been occupying it as she had not sought him out and made him pay for his debt. Not once after they came. He would even go as far as to say that she didn't even see him, her eyes may have taken notice of him once or twice as he moved around the house, but her head was in a land far away. A land that probably concerned Madara, but that was another issue for another day.

What got to him, was how sufficiently unimportant he was all of a sudden. He couldn't lie, his ego did suffer a minor blow but then again, he had his logic to thank. He couldn't get near her without her having another breakdown, or worse, remember the little 'freak-show' she made him promise to deliver. Because he was not ready for that. He had not come up with an adequate retribution to have the elders suffer. He still needed time, and as long as she 'forgot', he could only use it to his advantage.

He sighed.

 _Another day_. The seventh in a row now. He could see her from the other side of the snow-white garden now. Over the porch, she sat cross-legged and held a book in her hands, waiting for Madara to come out. Knowing his brother, he would have probably just slept inside his study to avoid her. But he didn't, late at night, he would make his way back to his room as if the events of the day hadn't happened.

Speaking of the devil, Madara never spoke to him about what happened at Uzushio. Something did happen- destruction. The Uzumaki's destruction per his shinobi's words. But he didn't believe it, Izuna wanted to hear the words out of his clan leader's mouth. He wanted to know exactly what he did to get to Uzushio at this time of year? And why? How did he even hear about it? What was he even doing there in the first? The only reason Izuna knew about his little spontaneous trip was because of Madara's letter sent right before he left with Hashirama. He had written a missive saying that he may not be coming back within the days they had planned because he was- start quote-  _'going to Uzushio with Hashirama'_ \- end quote. As simple as that.

_Whatever that had meant._

That was all Izuna got from him, leaving him to spend the rest of the days until they arrived, wondering just what exactly was happening.

And now here they were, things not going as he thought they would be. He knew better than to push for something that may end up backfiring at him. He decided to leave, walking back into the household.

 _The time will come._ He tried to reassure himself. Because time always came for everyone and Madara would have to face him. Eventually.

He opened the door to one of their countless meeting rooms and found three elders sitting inside. All of whom were kneeling around the center table.

_Right._

He had called them over. It was about time they knew about their little bet being exposed.

"Well, Izuna-sama? You called us?" The one in the middle spoke. He was no more than sixty years of age. Graying hair pulled back into a tail while his cane settled beside him.

The other two were just slightly younger, ranging from fifty to fifty-five. It was a wonder they all lived this long, honestly, Izuna needed to know their secrets. Two of the three of them were already going blind, which was quite understandable. But considering the circumstances, this was an achievement in their day and age.

 _At least they still had their eyes._ Faint memories of Takayama returned to him and it only made him appreciate the eye-sight, that they were all gifted with, just a little bit more.

"I did." He stepped in, and slid the doors closed, not wanting whatever was going to be said here, out  _there._

 _"I believe you all recall the little wager we had."_  He began, not wasting a moment longer. The sooner they got this done, the better it would end for everyone. Relatively.

 _"And we believe we paid you."_ Gyōza - the one who had greeted him- muttered through clenched teeth. They were all staring daggers at him, their glares actually meant nothing to the Uchiha's second-in-command. He wasn't here to collect more money. Before he could even refute their accusation, the one sitting sitting on the left interjected.

"And you know what's amusing? How we still haven't heard any news regarding an  _heir_." He, too, seemed pissed. Dressed in black, not out of the clan's traditions, but for his recently departed wife, Tokugawa responded with much disdain. Known for his often ruthless behavior and pitiless comments, he was not one to shy away from pointing out facts amidst flaws. His wrinkles were over-shadowed by the white blotches to his skin. He was a naturally pale man, but his skin had begun to decolonize and large patches were found across his knuckles and arms, particularly his neck and face among other parts of his body. His short cropped hair was rifted to the left side.

Izuna was growing just as pissy as they were. The third man in the room looked as though he was about to say something, but instead, erupted in a fit of coughs. He looked rather sickly than the rest, but his disdain was just as clear. Once he had regained his wits, Izuna moved closer to the table, facing such gentlemen head on.

 _"Let me clear things up for you, because I believe we have a little misunderstanding here."_  He started, voice as harp as a knife. His mischievous smirk had returned, though it was filled with anything but mischief. His eyes lit up with viciousness, almost as toxic as the venom oozing from his voice.

" _You see_ , I never guaranteed you an  _heir_. I believe I was clear about that." He stated. Though he was far from done. "I also don't make a habit of watching my brother and his wife shag, but you seem to think otherwise."

Their eyes widened, pretending that they were horrified with his coarse language.  _Hypocrites._  As though they had never spoken worse.

"I am  _not_  responsible for her being, nor her ability to fall pregnant or not." This wasn't one conversation he was eager to have, it was disturbing, and quite honestly, disgusting. But he needed to make sure they got this through their heads, so they cannot come back to hold him accountable for something that was  _way_  above his control.

"Though, if you do desire to pursue the matter, I suggest you take it to her."

A sword came crashing down onto the wood, right at the heart of the table. His hand still gripping its hilt, Izuna narrowed his eyes at them.

"While you're at it, you might also want to explain to her why you joined in on the wager. Oh yes,  _she knows._ " He gave them the coldest smile he could muster.

The tension in the room barely had time to develop right before it exploded in the form of Gyōza. The old geezer stood abruptly, hands smacking against the table.

 _"WHAT?! You told her?!"_ He bellowed, face turning red faster than a tomato can ripe. Tokugawa was having a similar problem although he remained seated, his hands gripping the edge of the table, crippling it in the process. And the third elder, well- he would have certainly joined in on the fiasco if he wasn't trying to catch his breath. In another fit of grating coughs, he clutched the left side of his chest. His pale appearance wasn't reassuring either. Izuna began to wonder if there was something wrong with him.

"I did." He confessed unabashedly, gaze returning to the other two men.

"How could yo-" Tokugawa began but was immediately interrupted.

"Doesn't matter. I'd suggest you apologize. Though, I'm afraid that is long overdue. I'm beginning to think even your blood won't be able to appease her." He flaunted smugly.

"Why you little fuck-" Gyōza was about to start one of his long mundane rants. But the third party in the room was having none of it. He began to wheeze, his heaving becoming all too loud to ignore any more. All three men turned to face the struggling elder. His face was ashen almost ghostly as the life drained away with every breath he tried to take in. His hand was no longer clutching his heart, but his left arm. Tightly, one could see his nails tear through his clothes.

"Hey, are you-" Izuna had no chance to continue his sentence as the old man's eyes began rolling to the back of his head, his graying pupils barely visible against his white sclera. He fell face-first, against the wooden table. The sound of flesh crashing against the wood reverberated across the deadly silent room. He had stopped moving. In fact, he had stopped breathing.

"We need a medic!" Tokugawa shouted, hoping someone outside could hear his pleas. They both rushed to carry the motionless body.

_Crap. This is bad._

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

It was midnight.

She walked out of the bathroom, engulfed in steam. The thick, warm mist dissipated, yet left the room in a soft, balmy atmosphere, the smell of lavender wafting through the air. The heat radiating from the bathroom filled the room with her own scent as well. He had pretended not to notice, sneaking a side-glance every now and then. He also pretended not to notice how short her robe was, barely covering her thighs. How a thin sheen of water still coated her pale skin. Or how she seemed to have lost weight, he could see it in her flattening stomach. He could have sworn that she had a tummy, that was seemingly disappearing. Her arms too. It seemed that she wasn't eating too well recently, or maybe it was because he hadn't quite seen her like this in a while.

However, the real change wasn't what she had dressed or she looked in said dress, but the unruly mop of hair that she had butchered.

Butchered to the core.

He had tried his best to ignore it, he really did, but he couldn't for the love of Kami figure out what had possessed her to go ahead and cut it all off. She wasn't bald per se, but she might as well have been in his eyes.

_What had she done with it anyway?_

That was a lot of hair that she had gotten rid of.  _A lot_  was still an understatement. It used to flow seamlessly down her back until the chocolate brown strands reached her hips, now they were but small waves running down her nape, barely touching her shoulders. It reminded him of the first time he had met her. For the first days they had known each other.

He didn't like it.

"Let me guess, you think it's horrible, huh?" She asked, referring to her hair as she finished combing it. He had no idea he had been glaring- or frowning for that matter- until he had met her eyes, looking back from the mirror. His lack of response was the affirmative she needed, a silent 'yes'.

As she placed the comb down, she turned to look at him, tucking her bobbed tresses behind her ear.

"It seems that everyone has something to say about my hair nowadays." She gave a small smile while she walked over. He shifted to sleep on his back, freeing room for her to get under the covers. She reached out and turned the lamp off, leaving but the moonlight shining through the windows. The whole world outside was showered in white light, covered in even paler snow. The fields, the window sills, the tree branches- they were a sea of white contrasting against a black night.

"I'm assuming you like longer hair, am I right?" Mina sounded, fully conscious without a hint of sleepiness in her voice. She propped an arm under head and used it as a second pillow while she stared aimlessly at the ceiling. He was trying all his might to avoid getting near her, or smelling her either. Which was almost impossible as she was sleeping less than ten inches away from him.

"Was it that obvious?" He replied. It wasn't meant rhetorically, but it seemed that she had taken it so.

"Oh yes." She chuckled. "Why though?"

"Grow it back and you'll find out." He dared. He had this not-too-subtle hunch that she had a preference for shorter hair. What a pity, he didn't. He heard her laugh muffled by her palm as she mumbled a 'maybe' though he knew better than to expect her to do something like that.

Her laugh quietened down until silence took over, leaving both of them laying in their bed yet not actually sleeping. Madara's mind began to wander off. Slowly yet surely, he found his thoughts revolving to another direction, gradually leaving this waking reality to one of the past's. He couldn't make much sense of what had happened in the last week, or the one before. Devastating events one after the other, it was hard to keep up. Even as the pile grew, he had found himself running away from a question he had been avoiding long before going to Uzushio.

"What's your world like?"

_Surely, it had to be much better._

He wasn't sure if he was truly coming to terms with it, because deep down, he knew a part of him was still unwilling to accept such a possibility. Though, it didn't matter now, because that same part wasn't as unwilling as it seemed when it came to listening to her. It appeared that his question took her by surprise as much as it did to him. She turned her head to his side and gazed at him, pink lips parted just slightly. When he finally gathered the nerve, he returned her stare and found a nostalgic smile splayed across her face, the melancholia reflecting from her eyes.

She turned back and stared at the ceiling, removing her hand and placing it under the sheets. Her smile never fading.

" _My world_ , hmm." She paused, trying to gather her thoughts only for her smile to widen. "It's a sad one. It's broken but it's a really big one too, with some happy days." She spoke of her world as if it were a person, a physical entity that one could see, hear, feel, touch, smell; and wasn't it? Wasn't it just like his? Just sad and broken, merely like his was.  _Maybe it really was bigger._

 _"_ It could be dull and cold sometimes, but it has its good days, too. Even if they're few. Makes one appreciate it all the more." She started, her voice suddenly dropping but took on a softened tone he had never heard her speak with. The look on her face told him more than he had wanted to know. How she was so immersed in her own world, as if she was transported back to the place that she had come from. How she yearned for it, to go back to it, how she missed it. That alone had a darker undertone than any of her words carried.

"Its people though," She broke out in a fit of laughter. He didn't quite understand what was funny about it, but he said nothing, waiting for her to continue.

"We're a ridiculous bunch, but we could be just as horrible." Her smile was completely gone now. "The few good people that do exist are just like bothersome weeds, no one really cares for them. So what do you do when something is bothering you? You remove it."

 _Huh_.

He never thought of it that way, how easy would it be just to remove people he found bothersome. Though, he doubted that was the point she was trying to get across.

"It's kinda funny though." She whispered. "We have people that are too ambitious, too greedy, too blind and then we have those with too much money, too much free time and too many brainless followers. There really isn't a, a...balance. And then you have little people, like us, just a backdrop to everything else."

_A balance?_

"Oh and don't think war is simply limited to your world. They really should come up with a word greater than a pandemic, hmm." She started humming, completely engrossed in another world he was coming to know rather personally, the one in her mind. From her words, he had gathered that her world wasn't lucky enough to not have seen war.  _I wonder if she-_

"Though, I was fortunate enough not to have seen it growing up. You know something? I'm beginning to think that no matter the era, no matter the people, even worlds, it will not make a difference." She was talking more freely, her voice gaining momentum as if an energy within her was ready to explode. He remained silent, not knowing what to say, eager to hear more of this faintly familiar world of hers. He laid under the covers shirtless, his hair landing in a messy pool on the bed. He tilted his head so he could see her more clearly.

She was already facing him having turned on her sides.

"And you know what's worse?" She began again, though she didn't leave him time to answer. Not that he would even if he could.

"It's that... _that_  we were smart enough to build buildings that reach the sky, phones that connect you no matter where you are in the world, old stingy cars, traffic lights that flicker bright. Red, yellow, green. Boom. Even as the rain hails down, as the drops trail down the windows, even through the fogs and the dreariness...it-it's like the landscape comes to life, while those who walk the streets are just...just as lifeless as those buried six feet under. Dead. You-"

She stopped herself short, a sudden realization dawning on her.

"Oh God, I'm blabbering, aren't I?"

_Yes, but keep going._

A deep shade of red began claiming her, starting from her neck and then onto her cheeks until her whole face lit up with an unnatural redness.

"No." He lied.

"You're a  _terrible_  liar."

"No worse than you."

This was the most that he had heard out of her that did not include her shouting, weeping, having a break-down, and so on. It was refreshing. Her smile returned, realizing that he had won this round this time. They were both liars, though one of them was clearly the worst at it; and it wasn't him. Silence once again reigned over them. And for the worst of it, he had thought she was drifting off as minutes upon minutes passed.

_"Maybe I could take you there. One day."_

"Yes maybe we could take an airplane there, as well." He retorted, scoffing at the mere idea of ever actually going to her own world, yet not quite sure of his own words. On one of her drunken stupors- the first one, at Hashirama's wedding- he remembered clearly what happened that night, how she talked on and on about some exotic food and 'airplanes'. 'Air' was enough of a clue, so he figured it must have been some sort of communication method or transportation or something.

She laughed. No, cackled. Her body shook with laughter as tears rimmed her eyes.

"What the-? I can't believe you still remember that! Too bad it's a one way ticket, ha."

He turned his head the other way and gave her his typical 'humph'. It was embarrassing. Was he wrong about his assumption? He couldn't tell. She was still reeling from her fit before she said, "you know, your humor isn't as dry as everyone thinks it is."

As he was about to turn and confront her about what the hell that meant and who had the balls to tell her such a thing- and demand her for the name of the unlucky individual while he was at it-, he realized that she shifted much closer to him. Like, really. Too close for his own comfort, or his trouser's. Mostly his trouser's. He knew something was already brewing down there, or more precisely, twitching. She was staring intently at his lips. One second, then two, three, five, seven, thirteen- he was losing count as her face was getting nearer, inch by inch until she caught hold of him. Almost violently, her lips crashed into his without warning.

_**-XXX-** _

They were soft. And delicious, tasted just like lavender but sweeter. So much sweeter. And oh were they plump. Pinkish too. The way he liked it.

The spontaneity of it was what had swept him off his feet, metaphorically that is. But just as quick as he was taken by surprise, he was eager to repay her back. He parted his lips slightly, just enough to let her slip her tongue in, delving deep into his mouth. He cupped her face, thumbs caressing her cheeks as she continued to play with his tongue, hovering over him. Their noses colliding, their foreheads touching, the warmth of their increasingly shallow breaths heating the little to no space that separated them. His grip on her tightened as his tongue played rougher and rougher, quelling hers while tasting every inch inside, muffling her inaudible moans.

He let her pull back when she couldn't breathe anymore, breaking the kiss.

It was different this time. It wasn't like the ones she had given him when she was drunk, or when she was crying, she wasn't trying to tease him, nor trying to seek comfort. It was just...different.

_It was better._

When she had slammed her perfectly full lips to his, he felt as though the wind had been knocked out of his lungs, as their billowing breaths intermingled, as the tingle sensation he felt when she pushed her hot tongue against his.

She leaned back onto the bed. Red all over.

"I..I'm..s-sorry about that. I don't know what got into me." She stammered, her breaths were uneven. She tried to hide under the covers, but Madara wasn't going to let a chance like that slip him by. Not a moment later, he uncovered the sheets, throwing them to the side and pulled her closer. Closer. Closer until their mouths found each other again, though more gentler this time. He hovered over her this time instead, his long hair falling over them, hiding them behind a curtain of black strands. Unable to resist any longer, she melted between his arms, in his lips, in his chest; her eyes fluttered closed as her mouth opened wider, mimicking his very own gesture.

Her hands worked their way over his hardened body, over every muscle, every ripple, every crevasse, every delicious inch of him, leaving behind a trail of burning flames. They settled on his back, stroking along his hair while he made himself comfortable, poised over her.

He never stopped kissing her and the world fell away, fading into the back of their minds. It was slow and soft at first then it was rough, demanding,  _yearning_. His hands rested on the pillow beside her ears, her hands ran down his spin, pulling him nearer until there was anything but a single air particle that separated them. Until she could feel the beating of his heart against her chest, until he could hear hers against his broad one.

They were loud, erratic, beating mercilessly as his mouth began deviating from hers. His hands, too. They ventured all over her body, exploring every curve, every nub, over her sheer nightgown all the way down to her hips. He caught hold of her and pushed against his midriff, the friction of their clothing making it all the more unbearable.

Just as unbearable as the way his warm lips brushed past her ear-lobe, teasing and tantalizing, marking and claiming it as his own yet simultaneously working his way down to her vanilla skin. He couldn't endure it and bit softly into the sensitive skin, eliciting a whimper from her followed by a barely withheld groan. Following the tapered ends of her jaw and down to her neck, he sucked on a spot, grazing his teeth against it until he let it go with a pop. Her breathing was just as frantic as her heartbeats when he continued to leave red trails down her beautiful neck.

One kiss. One kiss was all it took.

The possibilities.

They were endless.

The lavender was intoxicating. He couldn't help but smell her neck, her hair, her everything as his nose was slowly becoming one with her. His face buried in the crook of her neck, she tried to return the favor but found the position too difficult to keep. She cursed under her breath and tried to rub herself harder against him, grinding against every hard inch of him in that constricting trouser, trying to feel it. He wanted to feel it too. He wanted to feel, to taste, to see every part of her that he hasn't been able to. He wanted to run his tongue over every bare patch of skin until there wasn't a spot of her that wasn't covered in his saliva. He could feel himself hardening by the second, by the mere thoughts of the many things he wanted to do to her.

Thoughts he had managed to keep under bay for the past few months up until a few moments ago. They kindled, ignited uncontrollably and he had nothing to put them out, not that he wanted to. He moved his mouth down the seams of her collar bones, untying the obi that barely kept her gown on. Tossing the sash to the side, the gown came undone, revealing her ample bosom as they bounced off their constraints. It had been long since he had felt or seen something just as luscious, and luscious they were. He didn't wait as he began etching kisses down the bridge between Mina's breasts.

The smoothness of her skin was already starting to drive him crazy. He had never felt something so soft, smooth as velvet. Madara ran his hands back up her body, settling them near as he took a mound in his mouth. He heard her pant as the warmth of his mouth met the hard, cold nipple in need of attention. Her back arched forward as she tried to have him take more of her. His firm hand quickly made its way to the other one, cupping it as his tongue circled her watermelon-tinted areola before taking her swollen nipple.

She squirmed and purred beneath him, using her other hand and laid it over his own, squeezing her breast tighter. He sneaked a glance and saw her head tilted to the side, biting her lips and trying to hold back her moans.

He sunk his teeth delicately into the galore of flesh at his mercy, causing her to gasp, letting out a strangled moan. He softened his touch as he nibbled at the side of her breast, sucking ever so gently before returning to her teat, rolling the pink bud in between his lips and tongue. Her body jerked forward almost instinctively as she guided his right hand south and south until he found it, the little teaser she'd been hiding away. He couldn't help but smirk.

She was already wet and it wasn't from the shower.

He let go of her nipple and began dragging his mouth down the rest of her body, his left hand drawing circles over her skin as he made his way down. Her chest heaved, up and down, as his mouth left tingling sensations everywhere it wandered. Never leaving an inch of her untouched, he followed the trail of brown beauty spots that littered her abdomen just as bright stars scattered across a dark sky. From the unshapely one underneath her left breast, down the random twirls across her stomach, then to her midriff and navel. They were everywhere; small or big, unshaped or round, faint or dark, everywhere they went, so did his mouth.

His firm hands held her hips firmly as his tongue started probing uncharted territory. He felt her shudder under his wet tongue lightly traveling over that one pockmarked scar running along the sides of her hip and down to her-

 _"No, wait."_  He heard her breathe, her hands pulling his face up to meet her eyes and stopping the Uchiha brute before he wedged himself between her thighs any further. His dark orbs peered into hers, and he saw how she had been sweating, her body burning with her warmth, her eyes dazed, as if she had just been woken up from a deep slumber and not from a state of some self-gratification .

Madara waited for her to continue. He was so close, he could feel her heat pulsating right beneath his chin, he could smell her peculiar scent wafting through the air around him. He wrapped his muscled arms around her thighs, spreading them apart and placing them on his shoulders as he lowered himself to the ground.

 _"You..you do-don't have to do this."_ She whispered, her voice as soft as a feather. He looked up at her but her eyes were constantly shifting, looking at anything but him. The shade of red painted across her cheeks deepened as she supported herself by propping her elbows over the pillows. Her short hair plastered against her face with sweat, hiding her innocent expression from view. She was embarrassed, and he figured that this must have been her first time. He tossed her silky nightgown to the side and let his face drop down to her entrance.

"But I want to." He teased right before his lips came into contact with her folds, burying his face in between her thighs yet never breaking eye-contact. The mere brush of his lips against her nether ones had her thighs clutching around his neck, trapping him. She fell back to the bed, avoiding his gaze and loosened here grip slowly, allowing him to take in air once again.

He kissed her.

It always started with a kiss.

Her fleshy lips were pale, revealing a darker shade of pink underneath. Up and down, he moved his mouth against her pussy. He unwrapped one of his arm sand brought his fingers to her core. Letting one of her legs dangle to the side, spreading her wider and allowing him better access. His tongue traced along her entrance before finding her clit. He began lapping at that small swollen bud hidden behind her reddening fold as his fingers rubbed her gently. She rocked her hips, meeting his curious tongue with her own fervor.

Her scent was overwhelming. It wasn't lavender, it wasn't vanilla. It was  _her_ and it was pushing him over the edge, pulling him in as he thrust a finger inside. Her tight walls clenched around his intruding finger, engulfing him in her heat, in her wetness as he stretched her muscles. She was just as taut as the first time and thought of having his cock swallowed by her tight hole was sending shivers up his spine. It made him quiver, his cock throbbing against the restraints of his trousers.

_Not yet._

He couldn't hide his groan as he ate away at her core, teeth grazing over her vulva while thrusting a second finger in. He felt her tremble, shake as his fingers pumped in and out of her, slow at first and then harder, faster, rougher as she glazed his digits with her juices.

 _"A-ah, fuck."_ She moaned.

She leaned forward, propping herself once more as she bucked her hips forward, finding the rhythm of his thrusting fingers. She splayed her legs, both feet spread across the edge of the bed as she watched him pull his fingers in and out, as his mouth enveloped her. His eyes never left hers, and for the first time, he had seen them glistening with lust, dripping with passion as much as her clean-shaven pussy was dripping with slickness.

It turned him on.

With one last push, he removed his sleek fingers, leaving her empty and hungry for more. Using both his arms, he pulled her thighs up, supporting them as his wriggling tongue found its way down to her entrance. Teasing her, rolling it over and over, driving her crazy...oh was he enjoying it. He squeezed her thighs and gave them a rough smack right before delving in, tongue first. His fingers clasped tight against her, leaving red marks as he furiously entered her, tasting, devouring every inch he could, as far as his tongue could take him. It didn't matter, Madara had something else that could take him much farther and much deeper.

One of his fingers and thumb found its way back down, flicking her clit between them.

Trapped between his penetrating tongue and his fingers, Mina gripped his hair and thrust her throbbing pussy forward, rubbing it over him, inundating him as he burrowed deeper and deeper. He moaned, his sound muffled by her own growing ones. He could hear her trying to censor herself, but ended up cursing profanities as her voice cracked. Her brows furrowed and her jaws dropped open slightly as she guided him in and out of her, pulling at his hair.

She collapsed to the bed as Madara continued his onslaught. He seldomly did this. But that was about to change. Though, he'd like to think the few times that he tried on the occasional woman were a success. But judging from the way she squirmed and twisted, the way she moaned his name under her breath hoping that he wouldn't hear it, or perhaps it was the way her body was covered in a sheen of sweat mixed in with the wetness of his tongue; he couldn't help but feel as though he was on the right track.

Her body shook as his tongue finally found that one spot and repeatedly hit it. One after the other, he wouldn't stop, he couldn't stop. Her body began to convulse and Madara took notice. That was when he got rough, his animal instincts taking the better part of him as he let out a growl. He pulled his tongue out and took her whole. Again, and again and again, until her legs quivered and she stopped bucking her hips.

_"Urgh, dammit!"_

She leaned her head backward as her body arched forward in an almost disturbingly broken angle, one of her hands fisting the bed as the other one tried to pull on his hair. Her body hit the creaking bed more than once, her breasts bouncing wildly as her ribs protruded outwards. He heard her scream as the orgasm rippled through her body, tearing her to shreds but he never let her go, Madara wasn't finished with her. Growling between her legs sent vibrations through her, adding to her release.

_"Fuck."_

She gave up on trying to get him away and straddled him, the heels of her feet digging into his back as her hips kept on fucking his face. Her cum trickling down the curves of her ass, into the crevasse between her buttocks before dripping to the mattress. He was struggling to keep himself under control. He continued to lap at the thick liquid dribbling down, creaming her core as she came down from the highs of her orgasm. Her body became limp, her hands stopped tapping onto the mattress as her blush colored the better part of her chest, glowing red as she tried to catch her breath.

He moved up her inner thighs, still flung like poles as his arms were their only support. Leaving behind remnants of his kisses as his mouth moved to the nook of her knees.

This was the most patience he has ever had. With anyone. She made him question his self-restraint constantly at every turn, but this was perhaps the ultimate test and he was quite shocked with himself. Standing up, he untied his trousers as he looked down at her laying figure. Sweaty, brown hair spread around her as her legs trembled slightly.

He sunk into the bed, drifting over her body. He was far from done,  _they_  were far from done. So, was the night.

He removed whatever was rest of the crumbled nightgown and threw it to the floor this time, along with his pants, revealing his bandaged left thigh. It didn't hurt as much anymore, not since Hashirama had healed it. There wasn't even a scar. She tore his thoughts away from the lingering pain in his leg by snaking her arms around his thick neck, taking his lips back into hers, back to where they belonged.

Madara relished the taste of her climax lingering on his tongue, in the way some of it still slavered down his chin, but she didn't seem to mind as she deepened the kiss, pulling his body closer to hers. Her hands began wandering down his rippled muscles until they found his hips. The way she moved her palms, her fingers, her everything over his damaged body was unlike him. Every touch of hers was unlike his, they were soft, careful, attentive but they were just as kind and tender. Not rough around the edge, not rushed, not the way his hands always worked. But then again, she was never like him.

She was always the one to break it. Leaning her head back, she seemed so much more conscious now as he looked into her eyes- fully alert, awake. It looked like she wanted to say something but was tongue-tied, speechless and couldn't come up with the right words. She didn't need to say it, he could read the humiliation off her face even if he was half-blind, it was that obvious.

"It's fine." He spoke, answering her untold question. "I liked it." He grinned, nuzzling her neck. She shrieked as the tickling sensation of his mouth left her wanting more. She gave out a chuckle as she pushed him back onto the bed slowly, guiding herself upwards until she found herself sitting on top of him.

He was about to ask her what she was doing but he didn't even need an answer as she began to rub wetness over his hard shaft. Her hands brushed over the bandages lightly, stroking it as though to relieve the pain. In a sense, it was. But that didn't matter either. Because there was a bigger one growing between his legs, it wasn't just hard and painful, it was throbbing and palpitating, ready to dive into places his tongue could have never reached.

He grunted, his deep and guttural voice oozing with thirst and desire, longing and impatience. The mere feel of her pussy dragging against his groin, oiling him with her juices. He had exceeded the limit of his patience and gripped her hips with both his sturdy hands, ready to thrust it in had she not squatted over and grabbed him in her palms. Uchiha Madara struggled with keeping himself still, holding himself back from taking her with one push. Instead, he had let her take it herself, pushing herself down on his rod, starting from his head, stretching her entrance wider than his fingers combined. His breath must have gotten lost somewhere as he suddenly found it difficult to breathe, he watched her take him inch by inch, saw himself disappearing inside her. Something deep in his mind clicked right then.

He wasn't the only one struggling. She stopped mid-way and shut her eyes tightly, biting her lips.

"Are you-"

 _"I'm fine, Madara."_  She strained. He wasn't sure if she was, as she tried to take in both his girth and length at the same time. She grappled as she tried to balance herself over him, the weight of her body sinking faster than she could hold herself, faster than her walls can stretch to accommodate him. And sunk she did, taking his cock deep within her. The feel of her having her around him felt unfamiliar to him at first, it was suffocating, stifling, nearly making him implode. It took her a moment to adjust and when she couldn't keep her stance anymore, she knelt forward, hands placed on his chest for support and stood a few inches before falling back down. Then again and again, until she was bouncing over him, devouring his stiff cock hungrily as she squelched around him, the strangely erotic sound echoing across the room.

 _"Umpf-fu-c"_ Madara's thoughts came to a halt from the first bounce. There was nothing coherent about him anymore, nor her. Each was slowly losing themselves in their own euphoria. This was his euphoria. Her. The way her perfectly round breasts bobbed up and down hypnotically, the way her lips were tugged to the side and her eyes glazed over with her own arousal, the way her thighs jiggled as she moved, the way her weight felt as she crushed him over and over- waves of pleasure flooded him as she rolled her hips, changing her tempo.

He was holding back his release. It was growing harder and harder not to as she fucked him faster and faster. His groans nearly eclipsed her own soft moans, moans that were quietening as she tired herself out, sweat dripping from every edge of her body. In a flash, she came slamming against his abdomen, her pace slowing yet her hips kept rocking seamlessly.

 _"Ah, your turn."_ Mina cooed between broken breaths, leaning her head on his chest, listening to his beats of his heart as she bit her forefinger. He didn't quite comprehend what she had said, he only knew one thing; that her wish was his command. And so he did. He started hammering his cock up into her, pounding every inch there was inside of her until he could move easily within her walls.

A smile appeared on her lips every time he thrust deep inside, pushing her body forward while he kept her hips steady.

His large hands gripped them with all his might, hand-prints were already forming on her thighs. What was a few more on her ass going to do? He moved them right down to her bum, clutching the pair of deliciously round buttocks that he would pound in a heartbeat. Though, he doubted he would be able to go for another round tonight.

He pulled back before ramming himself back in, hitting the hilt before pulling back again. His nails dug and spanked her voluptuous rump, jiggling the mouth-watering pulpy flesh in his hands as he spread her cheeks with every dominant thrust.

 _"Again."_ She said, barely coherent.

So he did.

Until he felt he was nearing his edge.

He turned her over, hitting her back against the bed as his body cornered hers. In a swift movement, they had changed positions. He laid on top of her, and her beneath, legs spread wide allowing him to wedge himself better. Still interlocking intimately in ways they hadn't been before, he never pulled out but continued thrusting, pummeling, plunging,

Discipline and control were at the heart of a shinobi's conduct, his father had instilled those among others virtues in him, in every aspect of his life. Except for this one, Madara let all that self-discipline and restraint go to hell when it came to her.

Her back arched, writhed in anticipation as he stole a kiss. And another one, until their lips couldn't be separated just as the ones down there couldn't be pulled apart. He used his the strength of his arms and hitched her legs up, pinning them on either sides of her head. He had forgotten just how flexible she was. And obscene, the lewd way in which her body contorted for him only added to its perversity and Madara couldn't think of any other way in which he would rather have her.

Under the moonlight, they caressed each other's skin, none of them daring to stop for a second, not to breathe, not to talk, not to do anything other than lose themselves.

He bucked his hip, each time reaching a place he hadn't reached before. He knew he couldn't last much longer. His thrusts became shallow, and fast. Oh so quick that they became a blur, his  _vision_  became a blur. He could feel the sweat trickling down his body and onto hers each time his balls slapped against her ass.

_Fuck._

That word had lost its meaning to him right now.

His breaths hitched, his mind blank and the knot in his stomach was ready to unfurl. The bed couldn't hold him for every time he drove his cock into her, they sunk deeper into the damp mattress. He used the headboard as a support, clutching it with the same force he was using in shoving himself into her walls, while his other hand laid beside her leg. The wood began to crack.

She held herself tough, moaning as her arms wrapped around the crook of her knees, taking every meaty inch of him, one thrust after the other.

The wooden headboard snapped, unable to handle the strain of his strength causing his hands to fall as his body nearly crushed hers.

_"Pull out."_

He could hear her faintly above the sounds of his own heartbeats. Faintly. Just as the world began to drown, melting into the background.

_"Mada-urgh- pull out."_

The light tapping on his chest barely got through to him. Madara could already feel himself right about to leak.

" _Now_."

As if that word held magic in them- and he supposed it did- he was brought back to reality, her figure became all too real, her  _face_  all too real. He could see her eyes glistening with temptation and urgency. It was as though her words had guided him because only Kami knew, he had lost control of his body, he could barely control his breaths, much less his thoughts.

The moment he pulled out, everything spilled forth.

The first spurt was always anticlimactic, with a burning sensation searing through his body, igniting every nerve on its way to his brain. That first spurt of semen, those white sluggish dollops oozed from his tip, covering the head of his tortured cock. Though like the start of anything, it was a test. For the rest splurted out in thick ropes, coating her pussy as the pent-up pressure and pleasure drained his muscles of every ounce of their stamina.

 _"Urgh."_ He groaned as he felt his sore testicles pulled tight against his body as he unconsciously emptied the rest of his load over her.

It was like he could breathe gain and the feeling of fresh air flooding his lungs was staggeringly pleasant.

Madara couldn't keep himself upright anymore, he had no energy to do anything other than let his hefty body fall listlessly to the bed, next to her. His shaft still throbbed although less violently now. He couldn't care, or think or do anything really. He remained still as a mouse, laying on his side and stared at her, but not quite seeing Mina. It wasn't that his long spiky hair managed to cover most of his face, it was simply the white spots that blurred his vision. They were slowly disappearing, the view of the world clearing before him. Her, too.

She struggled to catch her breath just as he was, her breasts heaving up and down, trying to take in as much air. There wasn't a speck of it in here that didn't hold his manly musk, or the sweet scent of her, or the smell of what they had just done; of their sweaty bodies, of their fluids, of their clothes, of the sheets and mattress.

It was oddly arousing.

Mina's hands laid on either sides of her head, where her curled toes had once been. He legs laid limp on the mattress, twitching slightly while her back arched upwards.

His fingers brushed hers, sending electric pulses back through their bodies.

She gulped.

He watched.

It was all they did before she finally spoke her first words;

_"That was-"_

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ta-da! Here's the smut I promised. Hope I didn't disappoint.
> 
> Honestly, I feel like its kinda long and sorta ruined the tone of this chapter, I don't know. I feel like it lacks something, or maybe it's too rushed or maybe it's too long. Meh _-_  
> Okay, not going to lie, I feel like this chapter is all over the place.
> 
> What do you guys think? If you were satisfied with it, I could write more later on, include more in the story and tone it down (make it less detailed) a bit if you prefer.  
> If you guys were off-put by it, I apologize and will refrain from writing it again.  
> Let me know what you think. Thanks!
> 
> Also, kudos to anyone who gets the innuendo!


	53. Unseeing Eyes: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached 50 CHAPTERS! This was meant as a double update, but things got out of hand and I never got around to doing part 2.
> 
> Additional info: I had recycled this chapter more than once. Every time, I thought I had written it well, I wasn't satisfied with it. So, I repeated over and over until I was sick of this. (Still not satisfied with it).
> 
> Here's how these 2 chapters are split: Part 1 will be posted first for obvious reasons. It's only Madara's POV. I implore you to give this chapter a chance and read it to the end. Timeline should be clear. Part 2 will consist of Mina's POV with roughly a similar outline, though hopefully shorter, but trust me, her POV will be important. In fact, it will be pivotal for the ending of this arc.  
> Anyways, on with the chapter.
> 
> [...] Denotes the start/end of a flashback.

* * *

__

"You were awfully quiet this time."

_Relatively._

He woke up to the patter of rain against the window sill. Well, the more accurate saying would be that he had opened his eyes to see small crystal pellets welting against the glass panels, because waking up would mean that he had to have slept first; except he didn't. He couldn't. His body was worn out, his mind ceased functioning, his limbs were all but working and his thoughts were nothing but empty, the only thing that remained was his pulsating heart and his spirit. If he had slept, he could not recall, all that he had felt was interminable darkness for an interminable amount of time.

And within that, there was nothing.

Until he opened his eyes and saw white in place of black, a sky in place of a night, snow in place of grass.  _Her_  in place of his usually empty bed.

A bed he was quite used to having for himself. It had gotten easier over the last few months, to accommodate space for another person- a person whose sleeping habits included the occasional snore, the constant fidgeting, the endless twisting and pushing, or worse, her perennial hogging of the sheets and leaving him out to the frigid cold- had become easier. Somewhat.

Still, despite her ridiculous- albeit funny and quite winsome- sleeping positions, he had managed to become used to it. At some points, he had even welcomed the occasional jab of the elbow into his ribs, to Madara, it was her way of telling him that she was still alive and kicking. It made it a little easier to sleep just then.

Except for last night, she had slept soundlessly. Motionlessly, too. It had been a while but she had been so tired that she couldn't even finish her own sentence.  _'That was'_  were the last words he heard out of her before she went off to her own world, just for the time being. Her chest bobbed up and down as her breathing had returned to normal, her head inclined to the side as he placed the rest of the blankets over her body, shielding her from the cold night air, she hadn't moved an inch since.

Here she was, just about to wake up while he had been long watching her.

It was a strange feeling. Something that tingled his senses and that constantly nagged at the back of his head. It was gibberish, almost incomprehensible as he couldn't untangle his own thoughts from the blabbering mess, heck, he couldn't even distinguish between them. He decided to leave it alone for now, to shrug it off as a mere morning haze.

He wasn't quite awake, nor was he truly asleep. He felt entrapped in something in between. Something glaringly obvious, but even he couldn't see it.

Mina shifted under the covers, her body slithering between the white sheets. He could see as her back arched, her hands stretched out and heard her soft yawn all the while sleeping on his stomach. Face-first. He laid down face-first, half of which was furrowing the pillow and the other hidden behind a mask of his own hair. Black strands fell in spiked locks, reaching the lower of his back as it fanned out all over him, tips touching the small dimples of his creamy skin. His bangs had become one with the mattress, there was no longer a distinction between them either. Much like his thoughts, he was a clutter of disarray.

 _"Oh?"_  She quirked her brows, playfulness oozing from her smoky voice. _"I wouldn't know. I couldn't hear myself."_ It was husker than usual, raspy and almost deep. It was sexy. Unbelievably sexy, he had to hold back a groan. Though, the backhanded jibe was still clear as day even when he purposely ignored it.

Her words were barely audible. She chuckled and yawned before settling back into the bed, tilting her head in his direction as the duvets scarcely covered her breasts.

 _"'Morning."_ She sounded, a small smile plastered across her bruised lips. The soft pink hue of those fleshy muscles were a darker mauve, just like the pecks strewn all over her alabaster skin, from her smooth neck down the arch of body and to her hips. Everywhere that his teeth had wandered left little red and purple gifts in their place.

"'Morning." He replied, his own words muffled by the pillow. He felt as though he was looking at a mirror, the same disheveled appearance looking back at him, though it was not black hair that he saw, it was brown and messy. It wasn't long, but short. It didn't tickle her back in spiky locks, it barely touched her shoulders in wavy strands. Her body glistened with dried sweat, sultry and sweltering.

They both laid in silence, no one knowing what to say. And for the longest time, he thought Mina would fall asleep again. However, she didn't. Her eyes were open just as his were, but he couldn't help but doubt if she was truly looking at anything. The only sign that she was even still conscious was her shifting, the movement under the sheets until they were nearly off her, exposing her body. She was getting ready to sleep again. She shifted sides, turning her back to him and pulled the covers tightly around her body. But not tight enough. It was loose enough for him to catch a glimpse of that scar once again.

Even if he hadn't, he could still envision it in his mind's eyes. Only its jarred start was visible but he could already see the line it followed and where it ended. Dipping through the ridges of her hips, his fingers lightly traced the discolored mark running down her groin and ending just above her pelvis and under her navel. It wasn't noticeable, not to anyone but him.

"Who did this to you?"

He had always wanted to know. He knew better than to raise his voice, especially with a question like this, one that must have taken her by surprise but never showed it. Her back was still to him, and his hands still on her with the cicatrix hidden beneath his large palm. He had thought she had truly fallen asleep, after a while had passed and having heard nothing from her other than her heavy breathing. So, when she did reply, Madara was rightfully shocked.

"What makes you think anyone did this to me?" She asked in return and he couldn't help but notice that imperceptible change in her tone, it took a sudden dive but maintained that hollow facade. It had lost all of its playfulness, teasing and contentment, but it wasn't angry nor accusatory; it was just plain. Albeit, a bit taut.

"You didn't do it to yourself." He mumbled. His palm unconsciously began rubbing the already healed wound, slowly and softly just as she did with his thigh less than a few hours ago. Someone did it to her, and he was adamant about that. She couldn't have maimed herself that intimately unless that was her particular intention; to hurt herself. Something he doubted except if he was wrong about that, too. Which would bring him to;  _Why, why would she want to cut herself?_

From the way it looked, it had been healed over and over, so it had to have happened long ago. Long before he met her and long before she fell into his world. It was a pale line slashing through her already milky skin, one would have had to have an eagle eye to perceive the smallest of details, something Madara didn't necessarily have, not right now and not especially when he was coming high off an orgasm.

He could tell every single inch of her apart only because he was lucky enough to have seen her as intimately as he did, to which the infamous Uchiha leader had learned not to take for granted on the many nights that he was left alone with his thoughts.

It couldn't have been an accident either, it was too distinctively placed to be a mere 'mishap'.

All his reasons were logical above anything else, anyone with half a brain would have been led down the same train of thought, that wasn't to say that Madara had half a brain per se, he was simply...Well, he was astute in his own way. His fingertips brushed against the smooth surface of the blemished pockmark.

"It was a dumb mistake long ago." She didn't deny it nor did she answer his question. As though she was trying to avoid the subject and he could tell that she was trying to avoid more than that by how she still hadn't turned around and faced him. He was fully awake now, pulled back to reality as he started reading into her every move- or lack of.

She was hiding something. He wasn't going to let it go, even when all the signs were telling him to.

"Who?"

Who was the stupid mistake she was vaguely referring to?

"No one important." Her hands took hold of his wrist and stopped him from moving any further. She turned midway, twisting her waist as her eyes finally met his. "Please, let it go."

She wasn't only referring to his hands but the topic as well. And when he wouldn't, she turned distant.

"No." He really wasn't going to let this go. She pushed his hands away roughly and turned fully to meet him. He propped his head on the pillow and sat slantly against the headrest.

"How did you get that scar?" He rephrased his word though found himself getting angrier, not at her but by the various thoughts flooding his mind right now. The countless possibilities, the numerous situations that could have caused a scar like that-

"That's none of your business." Her eyes lost all their warmth, now replaced by a cold calculating calm slowly morphing into rigid steel, stern and hard. For a split of a second, he did not think he recognized her, it was as if it was an entirely different person who was laying next to him in his bed, under his covers. A person who may have looked like Mina but who just...wasn't. Madara didn't know how to describe it other than he did not want to see that look on her ever again. The look of someone who was detached, uncaring and aloof, someone that he wasn't used to seeing in her.

Instead of the normally welcoming honey-brown orbs that were her eyes, were ones just as cold as the waters he nearly drowned in. Clear and frosted just like ice, ice that was gradually melting, letting all that well reserved anger slowly seep out. It was anger that he hadn't quite seen in her. He knew he should have stopped, but-

"I said _I don't_  want to talk about it, Madara." Mina warned him.

Again, he  _should_  have listened to her. He should have done a lot of things but, unfortunately this was not one of them.

"Why not?" He insisted, his voice growing tenser in response to her own irritating reaction. He could tell this day was already off to a bad start, it wasn't that he had intended for it. Truly.

"Because it doesn't concern you." She sighed heavily, pushing the covers to the sides as she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, ready to get up.

"You're my  _wife_ , it does concern me." He said through clenched teeth. He didn't know how many times he would have to say it before it finally got through to her, but he was willing to say it for however long it took before she could fully understand what that meant. It was strange, although unconsciously, he himself could not grasp what they meant. Wife wasn't a word he was accustomed to using, and its meaning was even less comprehensible. Though, he learned not to dwell on such insignificant matters- ones that were petty and small.

"And you're my  _husband_  but does that make you anymore inclined to tell me anything? Because you don't."

His eyes narrowed, his ears perked up and the thoughts in his head were taking a whole different direction now. She sat on the margin, her naked figure barely holding herself together.

"Well?" She looked him in the eyes, waiting for him to finally spill about what happened at Uzushio. Something she had been pursuing for the better part of last week. She tried- and failed-, day after day to get him to talk, she was patient and gentle, not pushing him straight on. And when he still wouldn't respond, she let it go and let him be. She would try again the day after, at breakfast or at supper, making an effort to talk to him but he would always shut her down.

So, to see her disdain revealing itself- now out of all times- was both a shock and a disappointment to Madara. Not in her but in himself.

"Fine, don't tell me." She took in a deep breath. Clearly exasperated, she returned her gaze to the floor, her hands clutching the creases of the duvets.

Madara was at lost for words, he didn't know what to say.

He didn't have to either, not for much longer.

"I'm tired, I'm going to take a bath." She mumbled as she stood up, wrapping the blankets around her while heading for the bathroom, slamming the door shut. Her frustration apparent in every step she took. Until he was left alone in the bed, wondering what the hell just happened.

* * *

Stupid him and his stupid mouth.

Madara cursed himself as he silently walked the halls, yukata barely covering his modesty. He didn't care. All he wanted was a shower but there was a strange and crazy woman occupying his own one right now.

_Was this marriage?_

Because it- quite literally- sucked.

The sex was good, no- it was great, dare he say. The arguments? Not so much.

He was desperately searching for a washroom, a room, anything really. And he had passed one. Madara stopped dead in his tracks and stepped back until he came up to the closed doors. He had vowed to always knock before entering, but-

_Fuck it._

He was sweaty and enraged, he felt as if he was suffocating, and desperately needed something cool against his skin. He shot the door open, not a care in the world that his brother was simply laying in bed, his head resting against the bedpost as if he had been awaiting him. Thankfully, he was fully clothed this time and not tied to each four corners, spread like a roasted swine.

Izuna quirked his brows at the unexpected sight of his half naked brother appearing out of nowhere. And standing in the middle of the room, searching for something.

Kami help him, Madara couldn't remember in which direction the bathroom was. Left. Right. Up. Down. Who cared?

"You smell weird, nii-san." Izuna interrupted his reckless thought by whiffing the air around him. He must have smelled quite pungent if his younger brother managed to smell him from where he was laying.

But he paid no attention to him as he headed towards the right. As if reading his mind, Izuna pointed to the left.

"It's that way."

"Right." Madara instantly changed directions and headed for the door to his left, eager to take the thin material off of him and plunge into a tub of ice-cold water the way he delved into her just the night before. Images repeated on repeat, over and over, even when it was the last thing he wanted to think about right now.

"What's that musk you're wearing? It's...peculiar."

It certainly was, he could smell his own stench without the need of someone commenting on it. Did Izuna mean Madara's sweat, or hers? The smell of his release, or the scent of her own? Entangled in a web of sheets, in their own perspiration, in their wetness, with copious amounts of bodily fluids exchanged in- well, he was bound to smell more than peculiar.

"You'll never know." He grunted, opening the door to the bathroom. He heard metal strings creak behind him as Izuna bent over the bed.

 _"Trouble in paradise, brother?!"_ He shouted just as the door was slammed in his face.

_Finally._

He was alone now.

* * *

The feeling of cold water running down his body calmed the heat that was furiously burning inside, still unquenchable. Though for entirely different reasons this time. When the faucets finally gave way to a splutter of gushing liquid, copper pipes rose and sung- a chorus of stringing metal and grating handles. The jets of water fell into the bucket, filling it quickly as he sat on the edge of the half-empty tub.

He dazed out, unable to concentrate on the flowing water for a mere second.

Madara's thoughts always deviated from one matter to the next, always taking impossible leaps only to land in unlikely speculation. Though, the matter weren't really far off, his mind seemed to revolve around two main affairs. Ultimately, how he managed to screw up a perfectly well morning, and by extension, an even greater night. Heck, the week had been going by so well, only for him and his stupid mouth to end up ruining it all in the span of a few minutes.

Madara looked down and saw a reflection of someone who was tired, exhausted and drained. It wasn't just his body that was wearing him down, no- it was nothing compared to the cloud that hazed his mind. His limbs hung listlessly, elbows propped on his knees. He couldn't feel his legs as they submerged in water, the cold towel slung over his shoulder like a heavy burden weighing him down. And there was, it was just not the towel. Nor the one on his head, although he felt his body relax as the coldness seeped into his skin, his mind was another matter. It was still thumping loud with a migraine. His hair clung to his back in a sheen of water, its roughened ends touching the surface of the bathwater.

The bucket began to overflow, though he didn't notice straight away. He could only stare back at the man who knew too much.

_What the hell happened?_

He didn't know and he certainly wasn't expecting an answer. The fatigue, it was like a worm eating away at his insides, slowly yet deliberately siphoning off any life still beating within him. A fortnight's worth of weariness finally taking its effect now, reminding him of the days when he would go just as long without sleep. The bags beneath his eyes were getting worse, dark circles mere outlines. He could see, but he wasn't really looking. He could hear but wasn't really listening. Not even as the water hit the floor, the bucket spilling over as it couldn't contain anymore.

It wasn't until it tipped over to the side, its contents splattering to the tiled floor that he finally took hold of it. With a sponge, he started rubbing the nook of his neck, running down to his stiff shoulders, to his muscles arms, to every part of him that was tense, in knots that were begging to be undone. He poured the bucket over his head, water flowed seamlessly down his body, at every edge. Drops drizzled down the bridge of his nose, his sharp jaws, his tapered chin, until it covered every ripple in his body, every rugged ab that made him into the stoic sculpture that he was.

And with each drop, Madara's double image disappeared. Inch by inch of him was being erased, replaced by memories of not-too-long ago. With the ripples of each wave, Madara found himself treading water steadily into the past.

_**[...]** _

They were back home.

And he wished he could have said that he felt the same as the day he left. But he didn't. He couldn't, and it was maddening.

It had been three days since they arrived from the Senju and while everything seemed normal- nothing was burned to the ground, much to his surprise-, he wasn't. No one on his squad was. As might be expected, no one talked about it either, It was an unspoken agreement; that it was no longer their problem, it never was to begin with. And as such, their was no need for them to bother themselves with it. It was a pathetic excuse every one of them had no problem in justifying , well- except for Madara.

It wasn't a question of who had the deepest conscience, or even the guiltiest for they had nothing to be guilty about. It was just...just that his wouldn't  _shut up._ He used to be an expert at ignoring this so-called 'moral compass' one was gifted- or in his case, cursed- with. Now, now was quite a different story. He had no idea how it had gotten such a hold on him, conscience or not, Madara was an inherently morally-skewed individual, somewhat. Therefore, this sudden change in his own behavior- it was disturbing him.

Three days of hiding in his study.

From her, but mostly from himself.

That didn't quite make sense, seeing that he couldn't really avoid his thoughts. Though, that didn't stop him from trying to bury himself in paperwork, and when he couldn't- miraculously- find any, he had to resort to the unthinkable; creating his own. Desperate time called for desperate measures. Although, he had to admit, he had never attempted this. That was the point that had gotten to him; he had remembered how much effort he had put in trying to find something to do just to escape the thoughts about Hashirama and Uzushio's fall.

And that included getting out signed documents from eons ago. Page after page, he revised them. Box after box, he was slowly passing the time tortuously, but it was working. He had managed to go a few hours thinking about nothing but a pile of crappy papers. Until he stumbled upon the letter he had received from who else but- Hashirama.

_The invitation._

The one Madara was only now beginning to regret ever accepting. He couldn't even remember why he had done so in the first place. It had to be something quite important- or urgent- if he was stupid enough to let the Senju leader lure him into his almighty trap.

If he could, he would have went back in time, back to the same place, to the same idiot who sat in his chair and knocked some sense into him. Anything to prevent him from accepting it. In doing so, he had not just opened a can of worms, but nearly got himself drowned- twice-, suffered a humiliating incident at the hands of a very drunken and a very confusing woman, dealt with a blabbering Hashirama, only to end up on another land, surrounded by heaps of dead bodies everywhere he looked.

All Madara needed was a single trigger, as small as a mere whisper at the back of his mind or as detailed as a lucid memory, and he was blasted into the past. Back when he was floating freely in the night waters, when he had activated his Susano'o just to barely get himself to the surface, when he found himself to be a helpless man in an ocean of disasters, mother nature's gift to them all.

Or was it when the river flowed with their blood? Was that what had gotten to him? He couldn't remember that either. He had seen his fair share of clans fall to their demise. It wasn't uncommon in times of war when lineages begin to vanish, one by one until only the fittest survived, the ones who were strong enough to to come atop as victors. All in the name of peace. Or was it war? Maybe for love. Or was it hate? To avenge those they had lost in wars before, or simply for money. For land or for religion, for pleasure or on a whim; there really wasn't a petty excuse shinobi like him couldn't come up with just to condone fighting. Madara was sick of it.

The rest got buried in the rubble with the winds time, the Hagoromo were such a clan, long gone, even back in the days when they were still children.

The Rinha, who were one of the few clans that specialized in medical ninjutsu. It wasn't far-fetched to think that they were constantly sought after for their abilities, other warring clans wanting their powers for themselves, continuously fighting over their techniques until they all perished. Their fierce desire for something they couldn't have, led to what they had tried to avoid all along. Their own destruction.

_One would think they'd learn from their mistakes._

The Rinha clan were not the last, but the start of a long line, soon to be followed by the Ryū, the Kumanoi, the Kagetsu, the Ibiru, the Chinoike- whom the Uchiha had a personal hand by exiling them to the Valley of Hell- if Madara were to name all the clans whose ruins disappeared with the years, he would happily spend the rest of the next decade in this room counting on his fingers. Which didn't sound like such a bad idea right now.

To think the Uzumaki would be next to join in the growing list of - _nearly_ \- extinct clans, it wasn't just a surprise, it was staggering. And an eye-opener to those who were far less talented, less accomplished and who were no where near the level of competency the Uzumaki were renowned for. It wasn't just the small clans who truly had something to worry about.

The letter between his hands began to crumble as his fingers tensed around the white sheet, white as the hot anger boiling through him. The table wasn't spared either as it began to shake, just ever-so-slightly as his chakra gradually seeped out.

He could see it, he could see it clearly as though it had genuinely happened.

To walk up to his home one day, to see the gates crushed to the ground, pulverized as the Uchiha crest imitated the spilled blood of his own kin. To walk down the streets he wandered day after day as a toddler, to a child, to a young man, to the grown shinobi that promised to protect his own clan, to put his life on the line for them as clan head. As the images became vivid the more he dreamed on, so did the rage dwelling inside of him. The room he took as a safe haven was turning against him, growing narrower, more stifling while his chakra oozed into every empty corner of the study.

His mind was far gone, already immersed into the little hypothetical scene it had built for itself. Instead of the Uzumaki, Madara saw his own shinobi, his own people; men, women, elders and-

And children.

Innocent children who would have had the chance at a better childhood than he or Izuna had had. And in a split of a second, they were stripped of that chance, of life. The longer he walked that unstable bridge in his mind, the more Madara felt himself hesitating, afraid to see what further horrors awaited him. Because it was only bound to get worse, and worse it got.

The images blurred past his eyes, like screen posters. They moved quick, swiftly so, that even his sharingans had a trouble keeping up. Images of his childhood home in debris, of the streets in scraps and lumber, a cloud of dust hovering over all of them. Of red canvases obscuring past, bodies underneath each wavering step he took, blood smeared across the cracked village walls, smudged over him, his arms, hands, body.

And just as sudden as the images came, they disappeared, a black void blinding him- like a curtain had been shut before him- just as he was brought back.

Madara found himself in his study. Sitting down, a bunch of papers splayed across the desk. For a split instant, he had trouble remembering how he got here, but it wasn't before long that he figured out it was nothing but his imagination running amuck.

Again.

It was something that was occurring all too often lately, he needed to get it under control.

Starting by getting the hell out of there. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, opening them to find his vision had cleared a bit. The oak desk was beginning to crack, the empty space beneath his resting hands was charred from the contact with his scorching chakra, just as the floorboards beneath his feet were.

_Dammit._

He stood up abruptly, ready to burst out that door.

He had barely side-stepped his own desk when he remembered something. Or rather someone, who just so happened to be sitting outside those doors. Waiting for him, again.

_What was wrong with her?_

It wasn't the first time the brutish Uchiha leader had asked himself that. He had doubted that would be the last, but this was...weird, for the lack of a more accurate word. She followed him. Everywhere. Wherever he went, she was there. He was beginning to think he was becoming paranoid, but he could swear to the moon and back that he would see her hanging out somewhere in the background, that was not including the times in which she made it her quest to publicly stalk him. Of course no one made anything of it, a wife did not stalk her husband, however one would put it. But underneath all the masquerade, only those close enough knew something wasn't right. Who could be closer than Madara himself?

In a very subtle- even more twisted- kind of way, he had found it to be disturbingly endearing.

Except, he didn't need endearing right now, he needed Mina to leave him alone. Madara knew very well, that by stepping out that door, she would pounce on him, demanding to know what happened at Uzushio. What was he supposed to say? That the country was in ruins? That countless dead bodies stained the river red for miles? Or maybe she wanted to hear the corpses of the children were scattered over every surface that  _wasn't_  destroyed. About the young boy whom he had left under a willow tree. There was no end to the gruesome details that he could sketch for her, but he didn't want to. He would rather keep the ghastly images tucked safely inside the corners of his mind than to have to speak the words aloud, to have her hear them would only make it worse.

Even if he did want to tell her, his lips wouldn't let him. On the one occasion that he nearly let it slip, he was dumbfounded, though it might have appeared otherwise. The words just couldn't come out, if they had, then they would have become  _real_. And as long as they were up in his head, they were  _not_. At least, not yet.

_Besides, she probably knows._

If she had beforehand knowledge of Uzushiogakure's destruction, surely she must have known what happened? In fact, she should know who did it.

Madara took a step back, deciding to pull a page straight out of her own guide-book; if he couldn't get out through a door like a self-respecting citizen, then he would break his way through a window like a thief.

_Should be simple enough, she does it all the time._

When he turned towards the mullioned windows, ready to jump out, who else but a madman-  _woman_ \- would be watching him from out there? In the cold? While it was snowing?

_Are you fucking kidding me?_

Oh how he had wished he had never turned around, he could have already been on his merrily way out that door, without ever having to notice her creepy presence on the other side. And there, she stood, hunched over and peeking inside. Her cheeks, a blazing red while her body shivered with the chilly breeze. Her short-cropped hair was pulled back in a tight bun as her wide brown eyes roamed his study.

She knocked on the windows, her heavy breaths coming out in puffs of cool air.

 _"Hi."_  Her voice could be barely heard over the frosted glass panel.

_Is she crazy?_

He was torn between letting her stay out there, shuddering in the wintry cold field or breaking the damn windows and dragging her inside, wrapping her in layers of blankets. Maybe tying her to the bed as well.

_Crap._

He could feel his left eye beginning to twitch. Who cared if she was crazy, at this rate, Madara was sure she was going to drive him insane. He had been trying so hard to avoid her since they arrived, but there was no escaping her. It was as if dealing with his own rambling thoughts weren't enough, having a needy woman sitting outside his study day-in, day-out was  _just_  a little too much for him to handle.

Madara stood at the heart of the room, his blue blue haori matching her own kimono.

 _"So, are you gonna let me in?"_  She asked casually, as if nothing about this was odd, or even remotely concerning.

"What do you think you're doing?"

_How long had she been standing there?_

His brows furrowed and his eyes narrowed, his voice reverberated across the room.

"Well, since you wouldn't let me in through the doors, I thought I'd join you from here." Mina then flashed him one of her toothiest- and incidentally the most forced- smiles, one that was beginning to worry him. In fact, all her attempts at trying to communicate with him as of late were perturbing, and Madara didn't know what to make of it. He knew something was pushing her, she had never tried getting closer to him. Ever.

She started rubbing her arms, hugging herself tight as hazier puffs began to appear. She took a glimpse to the sides before returning her gaze back to him. Madara was seriously considering leaving her out there to learn her lesson, but when he looked at her doe-eyed expression, he quickly gave up. Her dark lashes fluttered as he got closer, a grin rapidly taking over once she had him hook, line and sinker.

Madara rubbed his temples, trying to clear a path for the headache that was just about to start. Though when he opened his eyes, he was met with a smug expression, and suddenly, all the intentions he had of letting her in was gone. His hands slammed against the metal frames of the windows as he bent down slightly to face her, a single glass panel separating them.

 _"Pardon?"_ He quirked a dark brow, his irritation creeping its way through to his voice.

"I said, would you let me in? It's really cold out here, Madara." She pouted, fluttered her eyelashes excessively to the point of ridiculousness.

"Nice try." He replied, not fooled by her second attempt of trying to- what was it that she was trying to do? Because- whatever it was- she was failing at it. Miserably. He could hear her teeth clattering as her jaws quivered.

"Come on _Ma-da-ra_ , I know you won't leave your  _beloved wife_ , out here in the freezing cold." As if making a mockery out of him was her one and only goal, she went on to wriggle her brows and blew him a kiss. It took all the strength he had not to break the window into two and pull her goddamn body in. In one piece or not.

"How long have you been standing there?" He questioned through clenched teeth, his grip on the frames tightening.

"Long enough to know you were just about to jump out."

_Dammit Mina._

She smiled.

"Now, just let me in."

"No."

"I  _know_  you're going to let me in." She could say it as much as she wanted to herself, but that wouldn't have made it any less true. She sounded so confident of herself, like she had the answers to the universe. And for that, he was going to go along with it, just to humor her.

" _Oh?_  Cocky, aren't we? Want to bet on it?" He challenged her. She stepped up her game, her smile long gone.

"Don't need to. You're  _gentlemanly_  and  _chivalrous_ nature will do it for you. Wanna know why?" There was no longer a space separating her from the panel, her face glued to the verglas surface as her fingers began tracing a shape. It took him a moment to make sense of the heart she had trailed around her mouth.

_Huh?_

That thought had barely formed in his mind before he heard a loud smooch coming his way, but, with his terrible luck, a stupid window had blocked it. And he thought he wouldn't be fooled again by her antics. She burst into laughter that died down almost as abruptly as it had appeared. Madara didn't even wait, he pulled the windows closed and stepped back, taking another deep breath. The notion of finding inner calmness was no longer an option.

When had she gotten this annoying?

 _"Come on, lemme come! I gave you a kiss, now let me in. I'll give you another one, I pinky promise, now come'on-"_ She whined. and whined and whined. There was no doubt about it, she was doing this intentionally. To get back at him for all the days he had ignored her.

"Be quiet!" He ripped the curtains off and began unlatching the lock, and when he couldn't do it, he broke it. Unintentionally, that is. As long as she shut up, he couldn't care less. Shooting the windows wide open, his hand went out for the collar of her ocean-blue kimono and pulled her in. Mina struggled at first to fit through but his insistent dragging through the narrow space had forced her through, only for her to end up falling to the ground. Madara slammed the windows back and drew the drapes closed.

She knelt to the ground, heaving and taking in the warmth of the room. She sighed.

"Finally. I was running out of ways to get any more annoying. Goddamn." The change in her voice and posture was brusque, instantaneously recognizable. Her playful behavior was tossed to the side, in favor of her usual mindless demeanor. It was then that he realized-

"It was all an act."

_Of course it was._

_"_ It was the only way to get your attention. Speaking of which, it's really warm in here."

Only she- no, on second thought, only her and Hashirama- could unceremoniously change subjects within the same phrase with no hints prior to it whatsoever. Was it maddening? Yes. Was it driving him hysterical? Absolutely. Did he have a chance at changing this peculiar habit of theirs? No way in hell.

With the the curtains now blocking the trivial amount of light that they were graced with, the only source of light now came from the dim-lit lamp sitting on his desk. It was still plenty lit enough for him to be able to see her feeling the floor, touching every scorching surface that his chakra had flared. Her eyes widened with each withering plank her fingertips touched. As if sapping the heat out of this godforsaken room was her next goal, she was doing a mighty fine job at it. While it was most likely the ajar windows, Madara liked to think that her presence was chilly enough as it was.

"It's like a radiator in here." She spoke, to no one in particular. If she was about to start one of her incomprehensible jabberings again, then he wasn't up for it. In fact, he wasn't up for anything, he simply wanted to get out of this room, and so he made sure it happened. As if intercepting his thoughts, she caught him halfway on his way out.

"Wait." The instant the tip of her fingers came in contact with his ankle, he froze, quite literally. It was as if the frost from her tips had sent shivers up his spine, chilling him to the bone, for reasons that were far from being associated with pleasure. Not even fear. He halted and looked down as she pulled on his hakama. She nodded to the place beside her,

"Come, sit." She tugged.

"Let me go." He tried pulling away from her grasp, but she insisted. "Get your hands off." Madara grunted. She didn't.

"Would you just calm down?" She started. He didn't like the patronizing tone her voice was taking. He glared down at her and saw that she had made herself comfortable, back leaning against the deskboard, feet dangling in front of her.

He knew he shouldn't give up, at least not yet, but-

_She's not going to leave me alone, is she?_

Knowing her- well, of course she wasn't. It would have been too good to be true, and if that was the case, then she wouldn't have been the Mina he knew. One look at her eyes and he knew she wasn't stepping down- figuratively. Her impassiveness and blank expression- with a tint of annoyance- told him that what she already knew, that he would sit down whether he wanted to or not, and that he better do it quick.

Did he?

Not quite.

Though he did alter his direction and went to her side instead, albeit reluctantly. She finally let go of his ankles, smiling foolishly like a child given their first cookie.

"Happy?" He grumbled, evidently not seeking an answer, but was given one anyways.

"See, that wasn't so hard, now, was it?" She chuckled as he slid down, taking the seat beside her, careful as to leave sufficient space between them. He was already on a struck nerve, Madara didn't think he could handle another one. Preferring to look straight ahead, at the empty, dull wall than at her, he noticed how she had crossed her ankles, how short her legs actually were. Compared to his, at least. Just to affirm that he wasn't exactly dreaming of it- he knew he wasn't, he just couldn't fathom how he was always caught by surprise by her height every time- he took a side-glance and saw that she was still a head shorter than he was. He wasn't exactly sure why he had been expecting otherwise.

Madara sighed, finally letting out a breath he hadn't known he had been holding. Holding for a very long time.

And so they sat for a while, no one saying anything. Just enjoying the seemingly false peaceful silence that reigned over them. Minutes passed, each of them engrossed in their own little world. Madara's eyes were focused on the invisible shadows dancing across the wall, flaring like untamed flames. Hers weren't much behind. It was another while before she interrupted the daze that hung over them.

"Oh!" Mina nearly jumped, excitement taking over. "I nearly forgot!" She sat upright, hands immediately loosening her obi, opening the collar of her kimono. His brows furrowed quizzically while his mind raced with ideas that far outpaced the rate at which her fingers fumbled with the open collar. His sharp eyes followed, closely trailing behind her fingers right until they disappeared under the several layers of clothing. The normally composed Uchiha was awfully distracted by the sight to be able to hear her clearly.

"I forgot to give you one." She paused and grunted as she rummaged through her cleavage, clearly searching for something. Something that was taking her a strangely long time. If it were him, he would pull it out in under a second. All he had to do was try, and try he did  _naught_.

"Aha!" She exclaimed as she got out two round paper sacs, each of them crumbled. He was puzzled at first- in fact, he was still puzzled by her choice of wrapping to this day- as he tried to make sense of what she was oh-so delighted with.

"Here, it's a rice ball. I know how much you like them, I thought I'd bring you one-" She didn't wait for him to answer before handing him the food wrapping right into his palms. He wasn't proud of it, but it took Madara quite a while to catch on. She had already started unwrapping hers.

"Okay, so it's not much of a ball anymore, but- you know..."

No, he didn't know. And she never continued that phrase. Still, mimicking the way she crossed her legs up to the way she unwrapped the washi papers, he had only come to realize how hungry he was at this moment. But above all, he was sort of shocked how she figured out that onigiri were one of his few favorite foods. He didn't complain either ways.

She was right. It was anything but a ball. It was a mess of mushed-up rice enfolded in crinkled nori.

"I didn't have pockets, I swear."

His gaze shifted from her to the onigiri and back to her. She patted her thighs, emphasizing the lack of pockets in the seams of her kimono, thus, leading her to resort to a more creative alternative, hiding it in her bosom. Madara would often question her mental stability, but there came a time when there was nothing to question anymore, everything she did seemed absolutely normal, even if it were contrary.

He looked back at the rice-'ball', and no matter how much he tried to convince himself not to eat it, his stomach's arguments were always more convincing. And louder, too. She didn't hold back on her end and gobbled half of it right up.

_Screw it._

He did as well.

He couldn't lie, this onigiri tasted funny. He could practically smell her scent all over it, mixed in with a strange fragrance- probably from the layers of her clothing- and a bizarre whiff of... _cinnamon_? Or was it vanilla? He couldn't tell, and he honestly couldn't care. It was food, and he wasn't about to start getting picky over it right now. So, he ate quietly. Staring ahead, he simply sat motionless, only taking chunks as she imitated him, nibbling on her rice-ball.

Minutes passed with none of them saying anything, rather preferring to enjoy the slowly growing comfortable silence. It was only when he began seeing the dancing shadows come to life, swirling and twisting until they detached from the walls, their tips serrated just like a saw- it was only then that he was pulled out of his trance by here mere voice.

"Madara?"

"Hmm?" He responded, swallowing the rapidly crumbling rice grains as he looked down at her. And for the first time that evening, she locked eyes with him, that lasted more than a flash of a second. Though it wasn't that had surprised him, it was that odd contortion of her face. The quirked brows, the biting of her pouted lips, the glistening eyes; the look of someone who was concerned. He quickly tossed that foolish assumption to the side and waited for her to answer back.

"You..you're alright, right?"

"What?" The words were simple, but for some reason, they were incomprehensible. He didn't get the context in which she was talking- if there was one at all. A light blush colored her cheeks.

"I mean..uh- tha-that if something happened back- you know- back at Uzushio-"

_There it was._

He should have seen it coming, of course he wouldn't be able to just sit down a whole two minutes in silence without having her reminding him of what he had been trying to avoid at all costs. It would seem that his hardened- or rather deadpanned- expression did not assuage her, the opposite in fact. She seemed to have gotten more worked up, more nervous, more fidgety- but above all, more red. Mina continued to stammer. As he continued to watch the mess before him unfurl and stutter her way into even deeper embarrassment, Madara took another bite of the ball of rice in his hands.

"I just want you to k-know that y-you can tell me what happened, th-that-  _fuck."_  She cursed when she finally lost her train of thought, a process of thinking he had no idea where it began nor where it ended. He was just as confused as her. Her toes wriggled just as her nails scraped the dry skin on the back of her hands. In a moment of sheer courage- or irrationality in this case- she dropped the food to her lap and turned her upper body into his direction.

"What I wanted to say was that you could talk to me if something is bothering you. There, I said it."

_That wasn't so hard, now, was it?_

In all seriousness, he couldn't help but feel otherwise. Madara understood well the sentiment behind her words- or he thought he did- he just couldn't understand what the hell was that look on her face. If he hadn't known better, he would say that she was angry- enraged even. A single look at those furrowed brows, the glowing red face, the pouting lips, the clenched fists- either she truly was angry or was  _really_  constipated, neither of which he had preferred as an outcome.

Madara took another bite as he tried to circumvent this little trap of hers. He knew what she really wanted, he wasn't stupid. He would giver her the answers she desired, just not now. Maybe one day, when he was ready. Until then, well- something  _was_  bothering him.

"This onigiri tastes funny." He mentioned right between chews, successfully catching her off-guard. Her features softened and her grips loosened while her back touched the desk board once again. Her eyes lit with confusion.

"I could taste your sweat on the rice-ball."

He spelled it out for her, any more and he might actually have to spell it out. Did it bother him? Not as much as it should have, but if it gave him enough material to distract her with, then Madara would use all of it.

He bent his left knee upwards and laid his arm over its cap, still maintaining eye contact with her.

 _"Wait, what? You're joking, right?"_ It was the tipping point for her, as she began to laugh hysterically. What started off as a hushed chuckle quickly turned into a full-blown cackle in no time. It wasn't the reaction that he was expecting, but considering that her emotions tended to be all over the place, he wasn't too surprised.

"No." He answered plainly, returning his gaze to the wall in front of him,

"Well, you must really like the taste of my sweat if you're still eating it, huh?" He felt a few jabs to his ribs, stealing his attention. He hadn't realized that he was still eating it, honestly. In fact, he was nearly finishing it.

 _"Humph."_ He sulked, eating the last bits of the onigiri.  _So what? It was food._  Was he to throw it? It seemed she too had the same mindset, rather preferring to eat hers instead of throwing it away. Then again, it was her own scent, not his.

Seeking to change the humiliating subject at any cost, he abruptly changed the topic at hand and asked one question he had been meaning to for a while.

"Why do you do that?"

It was mind-boggling, how she never completed her sentences. But worst of all, how she always cut her laughs short, how her warm smile faded almost the instant it was formed- careful not to show any teeth, well except when she meant for it, which was not a good sign-, how she always covered her face when she wept, it was odd.

"Do what?" Mina sounded perplexed.

"Hide your mouth behind your hands every time you laugh."  _Or cry. Or smile._

"Do I?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible. She broke eye-contact and found a new kind of fondness in the plain carved wood in front of them. He wasn't anticipating an answer, not now at least, he only took it as an opportunity to ask, knowing well that he might not get another chance. Madara paused, his head tilted towards the grey skies. The windows creaked open with every gust of wind, letting in fresh breezes flurrying past the curtains. It was cold. The moon still had a few hours of sleep before the cosmic crescent made another appearance. Despite the dreary outcast, Madara was only filled with gratitude. Grateful that he wasn't out there, his limp body floating seamlessly on the whirling tides. That he wasn't out there, drowning.

But for what he was most thankful for, he couldn't hold in his arms. He didn't know how to.

"Growing up, I never exactly had the straightest of teeth-"

His ears perked up at the sound of her soft voice. His head instantly darted in her direction, immediately taking her in. Her shoulders were hunched forward, as if trying to shield a treasure she hid within herself. Her legs were propped up and her head laid down, face covered by strands of her hair.

"-nor the prettiest of laughs, hmm." Her lips perked up at her own words, the tips of her fingers touching them lightly as if to remember they still existed.

"I was always ridiculed for them, still am. Years of having to wear braces didn't really change anything, though I suppose things did get a bit better."

_Braces?_

He may not have understood what the latter half of her confession meant, but the first part was clear enough. Madara simply did not get how she could get mocked for something as trivial as that, in fact, who was stupid enough to do so? Oh did he want names, but deep down, he knew that even if he got to know the blithering idiots who ridiculed her, he wouldn't be able to do anything about it. That was the first draw, familiar irritation making its way back up.

He gripped her jaws gently and forced her to look up at him. She was taken aback. He turned her face side to side, looking for any hideous deformity others might have seen that he hadn't picked on. He looked and looked, searched for that imperfection to no avail. In its place, he found pale skin, smooth at every edge. Full , plump lips hiding a set of perfectly straight teeth. A perky round nose under a pair of beautiful wide eyes. Eyes that didn't seem to have an end, nor a beginning but that went on forever, with no depth in sight. Eyes that were lighting up, shade by shade as they looked into his dull ones, lifeless and boring. All of a sudden, brown didn't seem like such a bleak color anymore. It wasn't murky, it was bright. It wasn't monotonous, but vibrant. It wasn't depressing, but was strangely exhilarating.

"Who cares what they think?" His gruff voice came out in low, deep pitches. It was rough and throaty, thirsty and yearning, though not for water. He hadn't realized how close they got, faces a mere inch apart. He could feel the fluttering of her thick lashes against his cheek, the softness of her fingers brushing over his other hand, of their bumping shoulders, but what he was most obliged for was the subtle changes in her expression.

The subtle curvature of her lips as her upper one lifted just slightly enough for him to see those snow-white teeth of hers. The way the dimples in her cheeks crinkled, the swirling of warmth under the shades of honeyed-amber of her orbs. His thumb kneaded her creamy chin.

 _"I don't."_  Mina murmured. To Madara, that was his sign.

_"Well then, neither do I."_

He leaned in for a kiss.

_**[...]** _

He had ruined it.

Why did he have to ruin it?

Sitting here, on the edge of the tub, Madara was only beginning to understand exactly what he had done wrong, where things went south. He poured another bucket of water over his body, streams of water trailed down his muscled back like valleys between mountains. Red scratch marks tainted his unblemished skin of his lower back, proof of how deep her nails had dug through. Each cold drop carving its way through them, ripping through the tension and allowing a more lax feeling to take over.

He sighed, relieving some of the pent-up exhaustion he had accumulated along the past few weeks.

_What the hell am I doing?_

He wasn't one to sulk over a petty argument or a misunderstanding. It wasn't befitting of a clan leader, much less of a shinobi clan like the Uchiha. The more he replayed the morning's turn of events, the more he was convinced that he had said nothing wrong. She had simply over-reacted and that wasn't his problem. Why should it be?

He took hold of the soaped sponge and began rubbing the areas beneath his neck and upper back, where the constant strain on his muscles was truly at its worst. He kneaded and rubbed, untying the knots that had formed in their place. With each loosed end, he regained the mobility of his shoulders and the feeling overwhelmed him.

Everything was going to sort itself out. Madara was sure of it. There wasn't anything that time couldn't heal.

Soap suds fell to the ground in white bubbles, covering the tub as it coated every inch of him.

He needed something to do, something that would distract him and get his mind off of her. He would settle for anything. But first, he needed to gather his wits and figure out just what had happened at Uzushio.

Who was responsible for its destruction?

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that you've read this chapter, you'll understand that it was meant to give an insight about how their relationship slowly developed over the course of the past weeks, with it accumulating to the events occurring since they arrived from the Senju. To summarize, that *one week* time period briefly described in Izuna's last POV will be expanded on a bit more in the next chapter, only from Mina's POV this time.
> 
> It will be different from Madara's. For one, it will be much shorter and will focus more on her struggles currently, with a flashback to a scene just like Madara. That's about it.
> 
> Unseeing Eyes: Part 2 is next.


	54. Unseeing Eyes: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be shorter. I swear, I have no idea what happened. One idea led to another to another, and then everything spiraled out of control.

 

_**Mina's POV** _

_I ruined it, didn't I?_

Of course I did, it was only natural. Had I not, then I wouldn't be me, would I now? It would be like going against nature, and it was well known what would happen if one decided to cheat mother nature. It never ended well, not for anyone, but particularly for said person.

_Urgh. What a frustrating man._

Couldn't he have just stayed quiet? Why did he have to talk? The morning was going by  _so well_ \- fairly- and then he just had to go ahead and open his mouth. What was worse was that I had went along and answered, making me the truly stupider one in all of this. I shouldn't have responded back, if I hadn't, then none of this would be happening.

I grunted, violently drying my hair with a towel.

_Why was he so complicated? Damn._

Weren't men supposed to be simple creatures? Or was I wrong?

I was wrong it seemed. And if so, then maybe the problem was with me. I overreacted, like I always did. But this was too much, too much for me to take.

The room was bathed in steam, vapor stifling the only ounces of air trapped between the four walls. Drops of water condensed on the mirror panel right before me, drops trickling from the silvered patina down to the polished wood frame. I could barely see my reflection through the thick haze. No amount of hot water was withering enough to make me forget my outburst- or his words. It was mostly his words, particularly his question.

It was so straightforward. Clear. Plain. Unambiguous.

The answer?

Not so much.

In fact, it was far from being unambiguous for it was all but a pile of memories strewn together by years upon years of denial. Denial that will stay with me until the day I die- to my grave if one would put it, I would make sure of that. Nothing was going to get me to spill it, not even him. Especially not Madara, of all people.

_"Fu-uck."_

I felt as though I was ripping my hair as I combed through the loops of knots, tearing through the split ends and pulling at the roots of my head. Might as well just scalp myself. Though I had to admit, it was much easier to draw a comb through than when it had been horrifyingly long, at least I didn't have to untangle thirty-seven inches of godforsaken hair.

No matter how hard I tried to distract myself- thinking about the most inane of things- did not do much to stray my mind from the problem at hand. Having had enough of my hair, I tied it up in a messy bun and went for the door knob. Being in the room was suffocating enough, standing motionlessly in front of a mirror plucking strand after strand off the top of my head was just a little too much.

Stepping out, I was met with a gust of cold air flurrying through the open windows, carrying a biting frost nipping at my naked body. Now did I only regret ever coming out of the bathroom. Steam exuded from inside, filling the bedroom with a disappearing haze. I rushed towards the fluttering curtains and quickly shut the windows, drawing the white drapes closed. My breaths came out in small wisps of fog, the temperature was only dropping with every day that passed. It was only natural, it was January after all. Or I believed so. Madara's birthday had been two weeks ago, if Hashirama was to be taken seriously. Based on the vague knowledge that I recalled, that should have been in the last week of December. Seeing that my own birthday was only a week after, then that would make us in the second week of January.

Only now did I realize that I was finally able to put a date to the months here, and a part of me felt just a tad relieved.

I turned around, back facing the windows and looked at the mess that was in front of me.

The bed was- well, it was not a mess, it was a jumble of wet chaos. I gulped. I rubbed my thighs together, trying to keep whatever warmth that wasn't being sucked out of me right within. Not really. If I had to be truthful, it wasn't because of the cold. That tingling sensation running up my thighs was driving me crazy. Now that I had to admit it, being in here was infinitely worse than being in the washroom. Memories of last night came rushing back to me, every movement played out in front of me. On that bed.

I still felt the tips of his fingers lingering over my body, they were electric, lighting every inch of my skin into a static frenzy. The musk of the room pulled me even deeper, images of his perfectly sculpted body mingled in his sweat and mine, of each curved contour of his muscles, of his own scars- I leaned against the sills, balancing myself before my weak knees had me tumbling down. A renewed heat pooled into the pit of my stomach, rubbing my thighs rougher and rougher until I was sure to have them chafed by the time my mind came down from another high.

The same hormones that had flooded my higher brain yesterday were threatening to shut down the same parts now.

Like switches being flipped, bulbs lit in the corners of my mind, illuminating every dark reflection of our night. I breathed in deeply, in and out. Rhythmically. In a split of a second I found myself thrust back, back to the bed where time had stopped. Where time was forgotten, the thin line that separated reality from fiction was now a blurry haze.

Arms and feet tangling, sheets hurled to the side, it was very hard  _not_  to look away. Not to feel. Not to feel as his tongue carved every bare patches of skin like a well refined chisel, not to feel the soft lips, the slick tongue, crawling into spots I wouldn't have known how to reach. What was perhaps the worst, was how impossible it was not to feel the embarrassment of coming right on his-

I shook my head, stopping that thought right when it mattered and banishing it to the far recesses of my mind, along with all the other- relatively- raunchy and lewd cravings that were starting to take-over the sane parts of my head as of late. It was much easier to blame it on my hormones acting up or whatnot, but I knew deep down that it didn't just stop at some chemical messengers perfectly designed to regulate every physiological action in our-

_Darn it._

No matter the direction in which my thoughts took, they always became far too outlandish, taking the wrong turns until I always landed back at square one. Where I started.

The sound of his voice, the low rumble, the husky groans; they were like a magma chamber of an erupting volcano, filled with nothing but hot, hot molten rocks. Madara's guttural groans were the lava, kindling what was an already burning inferno within me. Mixed with his scent, they threw me into a heady trance, shook into the depth of my bones.

That frosted atmosphere didn't seem so chilly anymore. Not while I felt heat rising up my body.

"What is wrong with me?!" I sighed in exasperation. Gritting my teeth, I pushed myself off the wooden frames and went for the bed. This really was worse, standing in this room, it was tormenting. Because, despite the soreness that I felt, despite the cramps that threatened to pull me down, I burned. Not physically, it was just...I throbbed. My body ached, gnawed, craved for more. Knowing very well that it wasn't going to happen, he was gone.

He had left.

And his absence was perhaps the worst thing in this room, well- not quite. It wasn't nearly as bad as knowing that I was the one who had caused it.

 _"If you could have just kept your mouth shut-"_  I mumbled under my breath, talking to myself was a habit I was well accustomed to, but having full-blown conversations in my head was  _not._

_You called?_

_No, no I didn't. Go away._

_But I just came._

_Don't care._

_Fine. But before I go, do me a favor._

The audacity of whoever-whatever- this thing was had to order me in doing them a favor was atrocious. But what was even more appalling was the fact that I was responding back. Again, like every time. Some things just didn't change, did they?

_No they don't._

_I wasn't asking you._

It was becoming increasingly disturbing the more the conversations went on. Really disturbing. I tried to think of anything, do anything that would distract me. The sheets seemed like a perfect excuse. Speaking of which, they needed to be burned. As soon as possible. Cremated. Carbonized. Anything that would get rid of the unholy mess that soaked the sheets.

_Yes, speaking of which, avoid repeating the unholy mess. It was- traumatizing._

_Oh please, you know you liked it. You are me after all. No?_

I scoffed and ripped the sheets off the corners, taking off the duvet and covers, throwing them onto the other ones that already formed a heap on the floor.

"Stop acting like you didn't enjoy every second of it-"

A loud cough erupted from somewhere in the background, and it was then that I had realized that last phrase was not as hallucinatory as I thought. It was  _very, very_  real. I swallowed audibly and held back a surprised shriek, slowly turning to meet the individual who had entered while grasping the bed-sheets in my hands, my knuckles almost as white as the linens themselves.

I hadn't realized that I had been holding my breath until I finally let it go. A big part of me was relieved upon seeing Yuna's face. Not exactly sure how having her walking in on me at that moment made it any less embarrassing- but it did. Somehow. It could have been worse. It could have been  _anyone._

"Oh, it's only you." I muttered. She didn't reply, but stood silently a few feet away, holding a folded kimono along with other articles of clothing. I thought she would place it on the dresser as I took off the rest of the linens. I moved across the bed, snapping the broken headboard pole out of the way, thinking how lucky we were not to have had that impale through us. Madara used...well- quite a bit of excessive force. There were no bounds to his strength, I have come to reaffirm.

I bent over to untuck the corners of the pillows, very much aware of the woman's gaze right behind me. It wasn't the fact that I was stark naked that shocked her, nor me for that matter. If I had to admit, there wasn't an inch of me that Yuna hadn't already seen- word for word. Her sister, Lady Chiho, as well. But she was a bit more invasive, that one, rather preferring to see the inside of me first and making her way out. I was sure Izuna, too, had taken a peak when I miraculously awoke in that forest. Heck, even Mito had seen me naked.

I was beginning to think there wasn't a person in this world that hadn't seen me in my birthday suit. Whatever list that was, it was certainly growing shorter.

So, no, I wasn't awfully conscious of my sheer nudity in front of this woman. As she, normally, wouldn't.

"Is something wrong?" I finally asked, once I had enough of her lingering gaze. I straightened up, crumbling the linens into a tight ball and looked straight into her eyes. Except, her eyes weren't looking back at me, they were lagging somewhere southern, her thin lips; flexed into a taut line while an eyebrow raised in question. It wasn't long before my eyes began wandering down south as well.

_Oh my fuc-_

I was trying very hard to see past the- not one, not two, hell not even three, I had stopped counting by this time- bluish marks his mouth had left. They were everywhere, some of which were merely red, others a little deeper. But one thing all those bites had in common; they were all meticulously placed for the whole world to see, the whole world being Yuna.

A sweat bead swiftly ran down the right side of my face as I realized that; the hickeys were relatively tame. It was the flushed hand-prints on my thighs, spreading them apart as if though they were still holding me. I wished that I could say it had stopped there, but the more I discover about these strange- though unstintingly impressive- bruises, the more I sweat. The prints darkened as they cupped my ass, to which I could only see by twisting my hips back enough to be graced with a view I would have been happy never seeing in my life.

Madara spared no expanse, did he? He just had to be so generous, out of all the times to be ungrudging-

_Oh God._

I felt as though my heart had stopped, halted right inside my chest as I imagined myself bent against the bed, scraping the sheets as my- practically- multicolored cheeks hung out in all its so-called glory, for her to see and silently judge.

_No. No. No. No._

The light-red outlines of his giant palms mingled with the pinkish hue that was gradually turning mauve, contrasting against my pale skin.

_Screw you Madara._

How dare he leave me like this? A rainbow-colored emotional mess in front of Yuna, no less. I could imagine him, standing- no, leaning- there against the door frame, smirking at his achievement. His grinning expression was already imprinted in my mind, fueling my petty anger and vowing to get back at him. If he could leave me in a clutter of red and blue, who said I couldn't do the same to him? I just had to wait until I could sink my teeth savagely into his hard-toned abs, into every deliciously firm muscle, until then-

I looked up and saw that I had turned into the same shade as the prints on my body. The mirror on the opposite, wall hanging behind the head maid, was wide enough to reflect the image of a horribly humiliated me. My clammy palms were struggling not to let the sheets go. We finally locked eye-contact, Yuna and I. Here black ones stared into the depths of my soul, her stern expressionless face as stony as ever. It was the look of a disapproving parent. Because this was exactly what it was, I felt as though I had been caught by my judgmental mother doing something naughty.

_Damn it, Mina._

This moment couldn't have gotten any more awkward, even if the world depended on it. No, that wasn't it. All that was missing was the chirping of a cricket in the background. It was winter, so no chances of that happening. Still- I recoiled back, slowly covering my nether region with the clump of linens in my hands.

What did one say in a situation like this?

My eyes desperately searched for an excuse, or a door, or a window. Maybe if I could jump out-

_"This isn't what it looks li-"_

_"I don't judge-"_

Just when I gathered the courage to talk, she had spoken just in time.

The moment I looked back up, I saw the the ghost of a smile, the faintest lift of her taut lips, though it was all in the eyes. That smugness that seemed to be hereditary- as far as I was convinced- in the Uchiha bloodline; it did not escape Yuna. The woman was creepy by nature, the trademark grin they all happened to share, along with their sharingans, only amplified that spine-chilling characteristic of hers.

"A bit on the adventurous side, is that it?" She whispered, the hairs on the back of my neck raising at the implication of her words. Adventurous wouldn't even begin to describe it. In all honesty, it was the most exercise I had done in  _years_  and accordingly, my body had tired, gave out too soon, too quickly for my liking. But the cramps were worth it, I'd do it again.

_Hey, the lady is talking to you._

_Right._

Before my thoughts could stray any further, I reeled myself back to reality and watched as she made her way around the room, her burning gaze taking everything in, every detail, every piece of clothing, every strand, every particle that was out of place. She placed the kimono on the dresser and went to collect the tarnished bed-sheets that scattered the floor. As if this wasn't embarrassing enough, having her collect the same covers that he and I had-

I had already made plans to get rid of them.

I understood, I knew she was a house keeper and all, but this was genuinely mortifying. I only tightened my grip on the white cloths that barely covered my body. Although, if she was going to take care of them, I only felt it right to perhaps...advise her? At the risk of sounding completely pretentious- seeing that this was her job after all- I went ahead and told her anyways.

"You- uhm- you should probably burn those." I said meekly. Yuna was already on the other side of the bed, picking up whatever that was tossed on the floor. She straightened up and looked at me, brows quirked as if what I had just said was preposterous. And maybe it was.

"Burn them?" She sounded as though she wanted to burst out laughing. "If we burned every bed-sheet there was after every sex act anyone has ever done, we'd run out of linen. But if you  _insist_ -"

I blushed furiously.

This woman...she was something alright. Unlike her more reserved and punctilious sister, Yuna was unabashedly shameless. That alone cold be heard in the way she spoke, in the way she walked, in the way she carried herself. Though, that didn't mean she didn't exude that same authoritarian demeanor Lady Chiho seemed to be full of. Their similarities didn't stop there, their appearance was nearly the same save for the way they kept their hair; Yuna always wore a tight bun while her older sister was more fond of tying her gray strands in a high tail. Their skin, the wrinkles, their moles; they were copies of each other, just reversed. Two sides of the same coin.

She began walking back to me, following the outline of the now bare mattress.

The nearer she got, the more nervous I became though I remained adamant on not letting her get the better of me, more than she already had. Yuna came to a stop a feet away, a jumble of litter in the nooks of her arms. For the longest time, we stood there staring at each other, wondering what the other one wanted. Or mostly me, for she was waiting for me to hand her over the linens I held onto. It took me a while to figure that out, and when I did, I wish I hadn't but what choice did I have?

She stretched her palms out and raised her brows quizzically, "So, do you want me to get rid of it, or-" Yuna trailed off, suggesting the obvious.

That flush of shame was slowly seeping down to the rest of my body as I could only imagine being the physical embodiment of humiliation. No amount of praying that it wasn't noticeable was going to help me now and here I was, swallowing my own shame as I began to hand them to her, slowly exposing my body again, stripping myself of the little fabric that was used to cover whatever was left of my modesty. In all of this commotion, only one name rung in my mind, Madara's. That alone was enough to strike a nerve, but I couldn't burst out right now. Not while she was still around.

I had but my hands left to hide my decency, something I was beginning to wonder if I even had in the first place. Still, it wasn't enough. The palm of right hand was placed on my nether region while the left arm strained to withhold my breasts in place, ultimately slipping out every time. She had seen me nude before.

 _It's no big deal._   _Right?_  I tried to convince myself. But this was different; different context, different circumstance. It was a little too late, the damage had been done.

I couldn't even keep eye-contact with her, it was horrifying having to look at that gaze, the one that was simultaneously judging and applauding, a mix of  _'pst-pst_ ' and an  _'I told you so'._  Like sweet, sweet victory, it was mostly victory. If her smug expression wasn't evident enough, I didn't know what was.

"Nothing to be ashamed of, like I said, I don't judge." The sounds of her footsteps began to quieten as I finally raised my head back up. When I did, Yuna had already made her way to the door-frame, placing the sheets into a hamper.

"I'll send someone to clean this room right up."

And before I knew it, she was gone, with the hamper. The doors were slid shut and I was left alone. Again. I let out a breath of relief once I wrapped my around the fact that I didn't have to keep up the pretense anymore. My arms fell to my sides as I leaped to the bed, back hitting the bouncing mattress.

I laid down, staring aimlessly up at the ceiling. Like always.

Wondering exactly how I ended up here. Last week was going by so well.

**_[...]_ **

It was a relatively sunny day.

Well, as relative as one could get in a winter's noon. Which wasn't much, but in comparison to the days past, it was plenty. That day was illuminated with that special cold, pale light only that one winter's sun could give, and the rain from the night before made everything glow with glistening ice. It was clear that if it rained again, it would fall as snow instead of water from the sky. It was the perfect day for staying inside, but I couldn't waste a chance like that, it was the first glimpse of sun that I had seen in ages, of course I wouldn't let it go.

In hindsight, I should have probably listened to reason.

But I didn't. And I was fine with that, because at the end of the day, it wasn't as disastrous as I had thought it out to be.

Walking through the forest, it was a change. A welcoming change. Fresh air was a gift. Even when it felt like it stung my lungs, the chilliness freezing every inch while the moisture only making it worse. It was a flaming cold, the kind that left you scorched with not heat, but with bitter frost. That still hadn't stopped me from etching my way through the backyard and further into the desolate trees. Trees that stood starkly against a blank background like forlorn figures, slanting at every angle. I walked and walked, taking my pace as my eyes quietly took in my surroundings.

I had nothing but a kimono and a cloak worn over. They weighted heavily on my shoulders, yet did nothing to block an inkling of the cold outside.

It was okay, though. I was used to it. Beneath all that frost, all those gusts of wind, beneath the thin layer of snow; there was a sort of warmth that I only have ever felt in winter. It wasn't just warmth, it held a cruel, painstaking truth. In its place were fond memories of that one and only season, the same coldness, the same crystal flakes, the same dark clouds encroaching a deepening gloom; just another different world.

I could feel my heart tighten right in the clutches of my ribs.

I watched as each footfall imprinted in the pure crystalline snow, carefully avoiding the lopsided roots, the roguish twigs.

I was stuck in this world with an insufferable man who can not come straight out with his feelings, but instead chose to keep quiet and who also seemed to have a problem with dealing with his anger issues. Passive aggressive was what he was. But what did I expect? The man was out of sync with his emotions, almost as unbalanced as I was. But he was worse, way worse.

Madara was an emotionally skewed individual with a tint if immorality hidden somewhere in there. He wasn't exactly the greatest role model there was out there, but at this point in time, he was still somewhat sane. Though, I suspected that push over the ledge was soon to come. Ever since coming back from Uzushio, I noticed the subtlest of changes in him, or rather his behavior. I knew something happened, and it wasn't just the Uzumaki's destruction. There was something else that was bothering him, something that was having him turn the other way. Not from me. He wasn't exactly hiding from me, it wasn't in his nature. Madara was uninhibited, his uncensored honesty was part of who he was, and I new deep down, he would have had no problem with telling me off, in the most ruthless way if he could.

But he didn't.

Because he wasn't hiding from me, was he?

 _Maybe_ _he was hiding from himself._

Just maybe. But I wasn't exactly seeing that going anywhere, isolating himself from the rest in order to avoid whatever it was he was trying to avoid was rendered- ultimately- a moot point.

If he thought his constant avoidance and evasion from me- or himself, whichever it was- was skillfully subtle, he was wrong. He couldn't hide in his study forever, even if he planned on it, I would make sure it didn't happen.

I frowned.

All this thinking was getting me nowhere, I needed to confront him head on. Which wasn't an easy task, last time I tried to get to him was through a window, narrowly. I went in with full intentions to getting him to confess only to end up making out with him. How it ever got that far? I didn't know, all that I was sure of was productivity was not on my side.

I grumbled, hugging myself tighter as I tried to keep myself warm.

The further I walked into the forest, the deeper my thoughts strayed. Until I came to a full stop. Winter wonderland was an understatement. There was simply no words to describe the beauty of the season, but more so, now.  _Now_ , in the midst of this white world, everything seemed so... _perfect_. Clean and untouched. Purity at its finest. And in between all the dancing and prancing of snowflakes, between the dormant flower buds and the supine trees; for the first time I felt as though I belonged.

Right here. Right now. This one fleeting moment, it was all I had. And as long as I stood here, there was no reason to let it go.

I bent down to the milky floor and lightly brushed the thorns swirling their way through the ground. The thorns became less visible and more smooth as my fingers ran up the knotted branch, one of many. There were no leaves, just beautifully tight buds, enclosing on themselves and hiding their flowers till the blooming of spring. I was surprised to see that not all of them were willing to wait that long. Tilting my head, I caught glimpses of slowly unfurling buds. The winter may have still been in full swing, but that didn't stop them from blossoming. It wasn't just one bud, but several, all of which were in different phases of flowering.

One had begun to open, letting out a beautiful shade of golden pink, its hue deepening right at its wavy edges. I rose up, taking in the entirety of the plant.

_Camellias._

They were gorgeous, just like peonies.

I stretched out my fingers and touched the silky smooth petals. They were colder than I had imagined. There was another one beside it, but paler, almost white. Though in place of pink, were scarlet blotches, tainting the fully blossomed flower. It sprouted forth, its glossy petals dripping a deep red, like a bleeding heart.

It was breath-taking.

More and more of them appeared, my eyes never able to tear away from each one. Some of them were crimson, others were pink, few had blossomed but most were blooming. It was a winter flower after all. The tips of my fingers found a stunningly tucked one, half way between opening to the world, its other half concealed, as if it shied away from the others, unwilling to let flourish.

I tried to will it to open quicker, wanting to see the beauty I knew it was hiding inside, it wasn't fair to keep it hidden from the world, from me.

 _All for himself._ Why couldn't he just show me?

But nature always had its way, its own timing, and it wasn't ready yet, the camellia.

_Maybe he wasn't ready either._

I gave up on trying to force something that wasn't going to happen, it will come undone in its own time. I stepped back and sighed.

"Geez, if you weren't half as stubborn-"

"If I weren't half as stubborn  _what_?"

 _"Arhg!"_ I screamed at the top of my lungs as I stumbled back.  _Holy shit._ Madara's dark voice came out of nowhere, destroying whatever peace there was. Hairs on the back of my neck rose in both fear and anticipation.

My shoulders hunched in instinct, my arms only gripping my body tighter, trying to stop the faint trembling. I turned around slowly, certain of the individual who was standing behind me but still held qualms over it. I was right. Madara stood there in all his glory, a few feet away from me, still the over-sized porcupine he was. A sexy, over-sized porcupine, but he didn't have to know that. His normally shaggy hair was pulled back in an unruly tail, though still spiky as the day he was born, or so I liked to imagine.

He looked at me, eyes completely dull and expressionless. It was that look, the very one that belonged on a mask, which meant that there was no way I could read his mind right now.

"Nothing." I murmured and stepped forward.

It was the wrong move. I ended up tripping over that roguish branch, the one I have been warning myself  _not to_  trip over for quite some time.

I shrieked as I fell to the ground, face drowning in the pile of snow in front of me, consequently taking an unceremonious amount in my mouth. As I continued to eat my way through the snow, I tried to lift myself, in vain. There was a faint throbbing in my ankle, but it was nothing serious. It was the fact that I had just body slammed my poor figure into the icy ground, face-first.

"Are you alright?" I heard Madara's voice nearing. I managed to kneel on both my elbow and knees before I looked up at him. He was crouched just before me, his palm stretching out.

"I'm fine." I assured him.

"You shouldn't be walking out here alone."

 _Did it matter?_  He was probably following me anyways.

"I know." I tried to get up but couldn't and instead settled for sitting on the ground, wiping the snow off my nose and eyes. A pie to the face would have been a more dignified downfall, honestly. Now that I could see clearer, I took note of the slight curve of his upper lip, the most un-concealed smile I had ever seen on him.

"Can you walk?" He asked, a hint of concern in his words, downplayed by the gleam in his eyes.

"I ca-" I stopped mid-way and thought of my answer, eliciting a quirked eye-brow from him.

Could I walk?

Yes.

Did I want to?  _Hmm_...

"I can't." I answered after careful deliberation.

_"Oh?"_

I blinked furiously, fluttering my eyelashes as fast as I could. Eyes wide open, I stared deep into his own and lied.

"Uh-huh."

It wasn't that I couldn't walk, I was just too lazy to. I tried to further prove my point, to make it just a tad more believable. I stretched my legs and rubbed my right ankle.

"Ow." I said, not even trying to sound hurt. Even if I did, it would have fallen flat. "See, it hurts. Uh."

 _"Does it now?"_  His smile was becoming more evident the more I tried to lie, glad to see that he was enjoying this little fiasco. His outstretched hand went to my 'wounded' knee, and the instant his warm palm touched my skin, I felt the heat travelling up my body, leaving me hungry for more. I was always in awe, how he was able to keep himself warm in times like these and here I was, my thick skin still unable to give me cover.

I bit my lips and covered my bare ankle, ready to trample on his if it meant I could steal the heat radiating off him.

"You are hurt." He stated, playing along with my sham of an act. "Come on, get up." He gave me his palm and I took it greedily, using it as a lever to prop myself up rapidly in a hurry.

 _Yes!_ If I could, I would have done my ridiculous victory lap, but decided to keep the humiliating dance in my mind. I didn't have to walk back but more importantly, I could now suck the life out of him. He went to grab me by my thighs, ready to fling me over his shoulders as he always did. But I couldn't let him. I dodged his attempt at trying to lift me and ran to his backside.

As gently as I could, I jumped on him. Which wasn't gentle as I thought. At all. I lifted my right leg at first and pushed my weight on him unwittingly. He arched forward as a result, and croaked as if all the air in his body had been knocked out of his lungs. I supposed it did, but that had never been my intention.

"What are you doing?" He could barely get the words out as he gasped for air. I climbed up, jumping him in the process.

"Aren't you going to carry me?" I questioned. Maybe I had read it wrong. I had assumed that he was going to carry me back to the house, was I wrong?  _Oh-oh._ It was only when his right hand caught hold of my leg, was I able to steady myself and raise my left leg. He quickly got the gist, not really leaving him much of a choice, and clasped my left thigh. I hoisted myself and made myself comfortable rubbing against his back, snaking my arms around his neck.

This was much better.

_I'll just consider it as another item scraped off my bucket list._

Getting a piggyback ride by an irritated Madara was already high up on that list, I mean, what wasn't there to like about it?

"Are you alright?" I asked. I wasn't completely heartless, the least I could do was make sure I wasn't breaking his spine in half.

"What do you think?" He replied, his jaws clenched tightly. Despite his apparent annoyance, he still hasn't tossed me to the ground like useless trash, which was a good improvement. Instead, he had started moving into the other direction, following the pair of snow-filled footsteps that led to this place. Retracing our steps, he carried me along, huffing and puffing. Like the big bad wolf, but sexier. Again. Porcupine or wolf, Madara was certainly a sight for sore eyes, turning heads wherever he went, and sexy was just the beginning of it. He looked like lightening, but sounded like thunder. It was frightening.

I was becoming increasingly concerned with the directions my thoughts were heading lately, but it was always easy to shrug them off.

It was like I was riding a walking heater, quite literally. I snuggled my head in the thick of his hair, smelling that peculiar scent of his. I was fully aware how unsettling my behavior was at the moment, but- I couldn't care less. I was being offered heat. For free. I was going to abuse the hell out of it, and him. Mostly him. I tightened my grasp around his neck, letting my hands wander down to his clothed torso. Madara straightened his posture, almost unbalancing me as a warning to retreat my hands. And in response, I did what I was silently told and wrapped them around his shoulders. Grinding my hip into the small of his back, I laid my head in the nook of his neck.

He never said anything, but kept walking straight on.

I couldn't help but wonder-

"I don't suppose you'll be piggyback riding me through Konoha anytime soon, huh?"

The image of Madara carrying me- no, anybody, a kid at most- on his back through the busy streets of Konohagakure was a comical one, I couldn't help but chuckle. I guess he didn't exactly see the same image I had in mind, for what he said next;

"Konoha?" He inquired, seemingly perplexed by the name of the village he would come to create alongside Hashirama. It was then that it hit me; they hadn't named it yet.  _He_  hasn't named it yet. For reasons unknown to me, it only made me...giddy. A part of me cheered as I finally had my chance to tell him. I raised my head and looked ahead, eyes scanning the low hanging tree boughs for something special.

"The village you and Hashirama are building."

If I could see him right now, I would bet my money on that same frowning expression I had not too long ago.

"He already named it, is that so..." He spoke, barely audible beneath his heavy breathing. Even then, I thought I had picked up on a hint of disappointment in his voice.  _So, he does care._

"Actually, no. He didn't." I whispered, placing my head back in the little haven I created for myself. His roughened cheeks brushed against mine, I felt myself bob up and down for every step he took, the kimono slipping upwards and exposing patches of skin. I didn't mind, because the rest of me felt warm. Cosy and snug, it was strange but it didn't bother me, far from it. It took him a while before figuring it out.

"Why would I name it such a thing?" He gave me a side glance and our eyes locked.

"You'll see." I didn't want to give it away just yet. I would rather wait for him to figure it out. "Stop."

_There._

Something virescent had caught my eye, he halted almost as abruptly as I had mouthed the words. It was the sole one hanging on the cracked branch, lonely and miserable. I tried my best and stretched my arms as long as I could, anything to catch that leaf. It was truly a miracle that it was still hanging on, when all the rest of its fellows had been long gone, now one with the ground or the wind or wherever they had gone. I struggled to hold onto it but eventually ripped it off, regrettably. I held it gently by its stalk and brought it forth so Madara could see as well. It was rough on the surface, with a slit running diagonally through it. Less than the size of my wrist, it hung freely from the bough, waiting for its time to come.

Much like all of us.

I leaned on him right when he took the leaf in his hand.

"What a lonesome leaf." He commented absentmindedly.

"Yeah, just like the Uchiha." I laughed, trying to crack a joke but apparently it went straight over his head- figuratively. For one, he did not laugh, so the joke surely fell flat. Secondly, he was the Uchiha clan head, of course he wasn't going to laugh. What was I thinking?

It didn't matter, I wasn't allowed much time to think any longer. He turned to look at me, and I should have known. That one look, as if he was just given a dare and was about to live up to the challenge. I swallowed. Hard.

"Is that so? Well, then, hold tight."

_"Wha-AHHHH!"_

The next thing I knew, we were flying. Up in the air.

No, no, no.

_"Madara!"_

I couldn't breathe. How could I? Not when he leaped from tree to tree, walking on air as if it were nothing. I would be screaming my lungs off had I still possessed them. Forget walking, he was running. Up. Up the fucking hundred-foot long trees. Against goddamn gravity.

Did gravity even exist in this world? Did inertia? Did the laws of physics even apply here?

Shit, shit, shit.

_"Fu- MADARA!"_

I could no longer see the ground, the ground did not exist. Just the sky. And him. Madara, he was all that I could see, all that I could feel, all that I could touch. He never stopped, he ran and ran, faster than Forrest ever could. I squinted my eyes, unable to handle the stinging of the wind blowing in my face. Even then, I was still able to see the stump in the tree, and I hoped to God he was able to see it too, I didn't want to die just yet.

If I could talk I would tell him to watch out, but before I could even finish that thought, he was already jumping to the next gargantuan tree. I felt as though my heart was stuck up in my throat, I couldn't feel it. I did what I probably shouldn't have, I looked back down. I wish I hadn't. My eyes bulged out as the unfathomable distance was beginning to register in my mind, which was in the process of short-circuiting as the distance grew.

If I wasn't holding onto him firmly before, I sure as hell was now. If I could, I would dig my nails into the depths of Madara's bones. I tightened my eyes around his neck, choking him no doubt. He was my only haven, my anchor, and if I didn't hang on, I could fall back down to my death. And there was no stupid pendant to save me this time around.

I shut my eyes closed and buried my face into him, or rather his hair. And screamed.

Until I felt nothing. Nothing but air around me. There were no prodding branches, no creaking, nothing.

Everything quietened down, everything became still, the wind was no longer deafening and Madara- bless his almighty unhinged heart- had stopped moving. I didn't believe it, I couldn't. I wouldn't move my head an inch away from him. I needed to calm down. I was sure to have pissed my pants, but well- I wasn't exactly wearing pants.

Thankfully, I hadn't actually urinated, though the urge to was becoming stronger.

A few moments had passed before I was finally able to open my eyes, to finally take in a breath. Madara's steely grip on my thighs never slacked, not even for a second, unlike my heartbeats. I could feel each beat, each lub-dub, gradually returning to normal, relatively normal. When I first opened my eyes wide, I couldn't recognize where we were. Not straight away.

It wasn't a place I had ever been, not in this world and not in mine.

"Madara-"

I was lost for words.

It was that feeling all over again, when I had fallen down the rabbit hole for the first time, my back hitting the cold ground and knocking everything I had within me right out, the pain vibrating through every bone in my body as I laid there struggling to inhale, to exhale, to think, to do anything. It was back again, but instead of an abyssal floor, there was the weightlessness of the air. As I tried to remember how to breathe, how to speak, I was taken aback by Madara's sudden jolt.

I thought I would fall, but he caught me in time.

I was drowning in a sea of blue and grey, of livid skies, but there was no water, just air. It was a clear canvas, few wisps of white clouds hovered above. The vast space over us was boundless, what was below was infinitely worse. Evergreens extended far beyond the horizon, never-ending until the world collapses, until the sun burned out, the end of time. Shades of green and grays painted the far lands a dreary image. White patches of snow toppled peaks and erased others. The mountains were no exceptions. They stole my peripheral vision, everywhere I turned, they were there, their roots embedded in millennia old soils.

It was dark, there right above the valley that stretched between them.

The compound was no more than an ant compared to these monstrous edifices. When I looked down, I realized that the Uchiha base wasn't exactly as big as I thought. The houses were barely larger than crates from this height, the walls that served as fortresses were like an imposing line in an ocean of white and brown.

We were so high up, I had difficulty breathing at this height. Oxygen here and far above was diminishing. We had to be at least a hundred-and-fifty, two-hundred feet above sea level. I dared to look and found that Madara had chosen one of the tallest trees in this land and to which he was using as a stepping stone. How could he-? How could he balance himself on such a narrow tip? Nervousness filled me at the thought of him-

"This whole area once belonged to the Uchiha clan." His voice was a booming thunder among the silent woods, echoing for distances I had never seen before.

"The regions extending from the Honshū in the east and through the Valley of Hell-" He pointed to the immense lands of forests to the side all the way to the endless valley up north, "-were all lands that belonged to us for centuries."

Hands still snaked around his neck- albeit a bit less suffocating now-, I gazed in awe, jaws slightly dropped. He spoke with a never-before heard nonchalance, completely untroubled- if for a mere moment- but that was all it took. And that alone stole my gaze more than this world was doing right now.

"However, years of wars and fighting had dwindled our lands, our people as well. This is who we are now."

He gestured to the miniature village that was at our feet. To think all these acres, lands, powers, were once at these people's disposal, at the snap of their fingers; but now, to see them in such a comparatively confined space, it was both an astonishing and a tragic image, time hadn't treated them well. Time didn't really treat anyone well.

As the wind blew, his hair did as well. Fluttering in every direction, with each gust, with each gale, it was a miracle he was even holding his place. I was blinded by his baffling black strands, his mane knew no boundaries. By which I meant my senses were in constant assault with his ruthless spikes, strands in my mouth, nose, eyes. In his defense, my hair had been somewhere in the mix as well.

Carefully pushing it to the side, I leaned my head on the Uchiha brute's broad shoulder. I straddled him as tightly as I could, not in an attempt in crushing his hips but in an attempt to save my life.

_You're not dying today, Mina. Not today._

Repeating that mantra wasn't exactly working, though it was enough to keep me from having a mental breakdown right now.

"Well, it doesn't have to be that way anymore with the new village." I spoke softly, right into his ears. I didn't want to burst his eardrum as well, that would be going overboard. A broken spine and fractured hips were enough for a man of his stature.

"You mean Konoha?" He asked teasingly, pulling out the slitted leaf that I had found. I couldn't help but giggle.

 _"_ Yeah _, Konoha."_

And with that, he let the leaf go, go where it was mean to, riding the winds for as long as it would take it. In no time, it was out of our sight, disappearing in the acres of woods stretching out before us.

"Why are the mountains so dark?" I couldn't help but feel the obscurity of that place, even from back here. It was macabre, odd and grotesque. The clouds that had neared them took on a darker tone, concealing whatever disaster the mountains had conjured up. He didn't answer me at first, thinking perhaps he hadn't heard me or decided to ignore me. It wasn't until he had finally said,

"They are the way they are." That I finally realized he didn't exactly appreciate the question. As if the mention of the mountains were a bad omen. Judging from the sudden crestfallen look on his face, I surmised it must have been exactly that.

"Have you ever been there?"

Maybe something had happened to him there.

"No."

 _Or maybe not._ But surely, there must be an explanation for his dislike of the place, of the valley.

"Don't you ever want to go there? Find out the secrets behind them?" I quirked my brow, genuinely surprised by his lack of interest in such a neighboring land. The silence was a poison, for in that gaping void of sound the emptiness of the emotions he had once held was laid bare. It was far from comforting, it was tense, like the suspended moment right before the instance a glass shattered to the ground, breaking into thousands of shards. And when he did speak, his words held all the more admonition.

"Somethings are better left unknown."

_**[...]** _

* * *

_Somethings are better left unknown?_

What was he talking about?

Days. It had been days since our little walk in the forest. I had been trying to figure out what he had meant, there was not a second that his words had wandered far from my mind. Well- save for yesterday night. And that was mainly due to the fact that I had- for all intents and purposes- lost my mind, any coherent thoughts were thrown at the window the moment our lips collided. Everything that happened afterwards was...was thrilling to say the least. Gratifying barely scraped the surface, to count the number of emotions that had ripped through my body in those moments would require countless other spare hands to work out.

The mere thought of it had me shuddering, the good kind, the one that sent tingles down one's spine and had them crippling, asking for more.

_Get a hold of yourself._

I scolded myself, reminding my dumb brain that this was no time to start replaying the heated exchange in the middle of a hallway. Out to the world. The least I could have done was hide in the privacy of my own room, but no. Besides, I had an intention of going somewhere, and I was going to get to it. Yuna had sent someone to the room, embarrassed as I was, I didn't think I could handle staying with the young housekeeper as she scrutinized every inch of the bedchamber. The room reeked of sex and sweat- it was pretty obvious- but the maid remained expressionless, never faltering.

I decided on letting her do her job in peace.

If Madara was going to pretend that he had better things to do, then so was I. The library was the perfect excuse, all I had to do was sneak back in like the previous time. If I was lucky enough, maybe Eiji would do it for me- that was if he was still following me. Who knew with that man, he was a capricious one, wayward in a way that made him all the more dangerous.

I often wondered how a guy like him could possibly be related to a man like Takayama. However, wondering never got me anywhere, and it was always much simpler- somewhat- to disregard any thoughts of him that weren't welcome.

"What have you done to my brother?"

_That voice-_

It had snapped me out of my daze as I stopped dead in my tracks. I turned around and saw a fairly serious looking Izuna perched on the porch railings, his back leaning against a pillar while his hands crossed at the back of his head, a head that was now a whopping mess of unruly hair. The effect of chopping off his hair was, unfortunately, not permanent. Though, that didn't mean this current look was any better. It was typical of Madara's, just shorter.

_About time._

In all honesty, I had even forgotten he was still around. Never really gave him much thought, I had other things preoccupying my mind. But that didn't mean I hadn't seen him floating like a ghost around the house every now and then. I wasn't sure if he had meant to avoid me or not, but he lacked the usual subtlety he was known for. I wasn't taken aback by his humorless manners as much as I was by the inanity of his question. If I was right, then Izuna must be referring to a sulking Madara moping somewhere in the house, probably in his study. But an even more plausible scenario would be  _a pissed off_  Madara moping in his study. I could already imagine him fuming.

"I gave him cooties, that's what." I flashed him a crooked smile, clearly sarcastic. Up until this very moment, I was still adamant on my belief that Izuna was secretly a child stuck in a grown man's body, and I would hold onto that belief until the day I died. And as such, the way to treat man-children was to simply ignore them, though I couldn't do that. Always treat children as children, as my grandmother used to say, this situation was case in point.

"What?"

 _But_  when said child didn't understand your childish talk, what does one do? Then what?

He sounded confused, he looked even more muddled. He straightened up and let his hands fall to his sides, his dark eyes never leaving mine. I sighed, not wanting to get into an argument with him. Izuna was the least of my problems right now. Deciding to ignore him too, I turned around and continued walking towards the 'not-so-secret' archives Madara was hiding. Or not. It was disguised in plain sight, so could it truly be called hiding?

I would have expected his younger brother- the Uchiha's second in command no less- to have better things to do than to follow his sister-in-law around. Shaking him off wasn't an option, because he was here for one reason and I just about knew what it was. I stopped yet again and spoke.

"You know, I haven't forgotten about our deal. Your debt."

That was what he was her for, no? That had to be it. What other reason could he possibly have to approach me. If I was right, then this was one stupid idea, wacky just like he was.

"About that-" He trailed off and that was when I knew there was something much greater that I was missing. Something he hadn't told me before. For one, I knew he didn't do anything. He wasn't ready to pay his debt, that was what he was going to confess. It had to be it. I couldn't say that I was surprised, I would be lying. Because, in truth, I didn't expect anything from him. That didn't mean I didn't care; I did, of course I did.

It was just that...I didn't want to deal with him right now, or ever later for that matter.

"What is it?" I retorted, voice laced with disdain. I crossed my arms and waited for him to respond.

"You see, there is currently one less participant than what was originally thought." He rubbed the back of his neck, grazing his hair.

_Huh?_

So, it  _wasn't_  what I was expecting to hear. Looking up at the six-foot lanky giant, I tried my best to decode that look on his face, to make sense of his words. It was no use. He was almost as emotional as a blank sheet of paper. I closed the distance between us.

"What do you mean  _one less participant?"_

I glared at him, maybe that would get him to come clean but again, it was all in vain. As far as I knew, there were three elders involved, not including Hashirama. One less would mean-

 _"Izuna-"_ I breathed, mouth agape with shock, as a horrific realization took over me. I felt the shock of the mere possibility of him- of him-

_"You didn't."_

_Of course he didn't. Did he?_ Then again, Izuna was just that crazy enough to go ahead and murder people in a fit of God knows what, and his despise for the council's elders was one to rival Madara's own. I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him down to face me.

 _"Let me make one thing clear here, I never asked you to take care of them like that, never!"_  I hissed, fear seeping into me at the possibility of someone down this hall was listening in on our little conversation. What if he had taken my words verbatim? What had he done? Oh God.

In the midst of my panic, I had completely overlooked the growing grin on his face. And when I did finally notice his smirk;

"Well then, you're in luck.  _Because I didn't._ "

 _Wait, what?_ It was my turn to become confused. He gently unlatched my hands from his high-collared navy shirt and straightened up, the smirk never faltering.

"Karma got to him first before either of us could." He revealed, yet withheld something else. "His heart had stopped beating, the funeral is tonight. You're welcome to attend."

It was as if he was inviting me to find out for myself. There was something off about this.

"What a damning coincidence, don't you think?" I narrowed my eyes, clearly skeptical. Apparently, he was as well.

"Yes, I find that his timing too is awfully suspicious. But I must say, he made the right choice."

...

So, it was true. If so, then-

"The man is dead, Izuna."

I didn't think I had heard right, but from the sound of his voice and the carelessness of his demeanor, it was as if he didn't care or  _couldn't_  care. He probably didn't, he was Izuna after all. The callousness he exuded was borderline unwarranted. Still, this was a man, not some pesky bug he could rejoice in its riddance. He quirked his bristly brow, genuinely puzzled by my response.

"You care because? If anything, I'd think you'd already be there dancing on his grave."

_Dancing on his grave?_

"I'm not as heartless as you think. Humph." I scoffed, and turned my head away. Was this how people thought I was? Someone capable of desecrating a grave, immorally? Or was he messing with my mind, yet again? For the hundredth time? One would think I would have come to know the difference between Izuna's direct insults and his banter, but no, he was just that good. Or I was that stupid. It didn't matter.

"I wouldn't push it, karma might just come for you too." Or poetic justice, because it was simply that. Delivered swiftly without a warning, we were all going to get the fitting ends we deserved, our retributions.

Now that was a thought I could enjoy. I began to walk away, but heard him chuckle. It was empty and hollow, losing all the quirkiness he once held.

_"I'll be looking forward to it."_

* * *

Crap.

Another one broke, again. I was going to run out of pins at this rate. I wasn't an expert thief, I didn't know how to break in and enter, unless it was through a window, but there was none leading into the private archives. The whole underground corridor was dark, as though night had come early for this part of the house. Only torches lit the blurry path. The stone-cold walls and granite fillings gave this already haunting place a darker tone.

I tossed the broken bobby pin to the floor into the pile of wrangled metal strips.

 _Great_.

I sighed loudly, exasperated.  _How was he so efficient at this?_ Eiji did it with such ease, it took him one single turn and he had the knob releasing soundlessly. He was a professional, I was not. It was frustrating really. Out of all the times to stop following me...that wasn't to say I enjoyed being followed, much less by a creeper like him. Though he did come in handy in times like these, his absence was of even greater relief.

_Eiji._

_What a confusing man. A bit on the homicidal streak, too._

Safe to say by now, that these were some sort of inherent traits found in Uchiha men. While obvious in some- particularly Madara- it was less pronounced in others, mainly Eiji and the like. Even Izuna's peculiar habits, I very much doubted I knew anything about them or him, with Madara perhaps the closest thing to him. But Eiji, well- he was in a category of his own.

_Stop thinking about him, dammit._

I shook my head and threw the second last pin I still had. Broken and onto the next, the last and only chance. I took a deep breath and held onto the large bronze cast as support. I jabbed the metal wiring into the keyhole and tapped, twisting and turning, bending the pin slowly. Pretending to know like I knew what I was doing, I was convinced I was getting closer to opening it.

Until the pin snapped in half.

_Fuck._

This was ridiculous. I let my anger get the best of me as I banged my fists against the colossal doors- which happened to be more befitting of gates rather than an entrance to a hidden library. Much to my surprise, the doors began to creak open, inch by inch, revealing an even darker interior.

_Well, that was easy._

No need to call for Sesame now, the thieves were opening the doors willingly. Ghostly thieves for they did not actually exist in this universe, just Ali Baba's. I pushed them slightly wider, and grabbed a torch off the wall to clear the path before me. As I entered, I was engulfed in the darkness of the murky room, the doors shutting quietly behind me, cutting me off from the rest of the world.

_Now, where to begin._

* * *

If it weren't for the sudden movement outside, I would have never looked up from the book beneath me.

There was the faintest of reverberation echoing outside these ajar doors, the slightest of resonance, like a marble rolling off the floor. I hadn't thought anything of it at first, not until I heard it again. Perhaps it was a figment of my imagination, or so I believed at first. No, it was too orchestrated to be a random illusion. I strained to keep my eyes off the unidentified tome I had picked up after hours of shuffling through this wide archive.

With nothing but the torch as the source of light, I went on my search head on. I had located a kerosene lamp when I had bumped into one of the tables. Delighted that there was another potential source of light, I used the fire of the torch to kindle the lamp. After replacing the wooden torch onto a handle near the walls, I purged my way through heaps of books, books that must have once belonged to the other library.

Upon arriving here, there was none whatsoever that still littered the hall which had to mean that they managed to compile them in here. More or less, the same piles that were outside were simply put the way they were, blocking isles and isles of shelves. Shelves that touched the ceilings and rooted into the floor, they were magnificent. The books, more so. Obviously, I wasn't going to devour them all, not even if I made it to a hundred years.

With the kerosene in hand, I randomly pulled one out of the stocks, going by sheer luck than mere logic. The tome was leather bound and authorless, as usual. It was dusty and worn from age, again, the usual. I hadn't expected much from the volume other than to give me a good read.

I was wrong.

I was so very wrong.

I had chosen a seat near the quiescent fireplace, setting the lamp on the corner as I dusted off the ages-old dirt with a cloth.

The first page should have been a warning, it was. But I was too stupid to figure it out then.

The image of a hand-painted woman decorated the large parchment paper. Motifs and patterns adorned each edge of the yellowed-papers' corners. Swirls of red loops entwined with lilac ringlets trailed the trim of the sheet, their colors slightly washed. In spite of the elaborate patterns and the intricate details of the molding of the book, the main center-piece focused on one and one only;

_Kaguya._

I wish I knew why, why my heart skipped a beat, or why it raced when that beat returned more forcefully.

It was a sight to behold.

At the center, she sat, the creases of her robe smoothed by the artist's brush, the wrinkles of her violet-cuffed sleeves non-existent by their creator's hands. Her pose, reminiscent of a Buddha statue, spoke of great nobility, of magnanimity and altruism, of self-imposed aristocracy. The tips of my fingers couldn't help but dare to touch the surface of the rough parchment, immediately pulling away once it touched her image. I couldn't, I couldn't do it.

Her eyes. They were translucent, milky against the sheet yet fading into the shades of her flawless skin. She looked...beautiful. Strangely alluring, like the temptations of a forbidden fruit. I was in awe, deeply so. The outlines of her round eyebrows were barely visible but were enough so as to one distinguish it from her forehead.

At its heart laid a third eye, red like the blood of man, of mortals. It opened wide, oh-so wide, engulfing everything that dared lay its sight on it. Tomoes beyond count tainted the scarlet orb. The same tomoes were reflected upon the surface of the moon she held in her arms, in her embrace, like a blossoming lotus. Her darkened lips were taut, just as the horns that graced her head. Sprouting from the mop of sheer white hair were two wooden horns, curved it its top while her strands fell to the infinite abyss beneath her.

Four pairs of hands extended from her back, rotating and forming a large halo, like that of the sun. The eight arms, each and single one held a piece of shining stone, each one running into a hypnotic circle. My eyes couldn't keep up, I leaned down and squinted my eyes to take a better look at the stones in her hands. There were eight, while the ones that held the moon in their grasp were devoid of any stones.

I couldn't take it anymore. My eyes were burning me, seething as a migraine ate away at my brain. I shut the book almost instantly and grabbed my head, trying to calm the chaos inside.

_What the hell was that?_

I wish I had never even thought of those words, for the migraine only got worse with each thought, each word, each syllable. I banged my fist onto the table, nearly knocking the kerosene to the ground. I took a deep breath, then another and another before I laid on the desk.

It was a while before I raised my head again. When I did, I decided to take another crack at this mysterious book. But would avoid the first page at all costs. So, I did. I stretched it open right from the mid-section and opened onto a page of incomprehensible scrabble. I closed my eyes, rubbed my temples and took a minute to ease the tension in my orbits.

I opened them and found the same incomprehensible scrabble.

 _What the-?_  I sifted through the next pages and the same handwriting covered each single one. I skimmed backwards and it was identical to what came after. Every few other pages, I would find hand-painted images of a place or of signs and tomoes, of emblems and animals.

I didn't understand what was going on. How old was this book? What the hell was this language, just how ancient were some of the books here?

I went back to the second page and flipped through. The pages were heavy and rough, it was parchment, made of sheepskin- from the feel of it- but without the wool. It was reminiscent to the one Takayama used to write in back when-

_Wait._

Something had caught my eyes. Around a dozen pages in, there was a colorless painting of a landscape. Of terrains, acres upon acres of farming lands with a large lake encompassing it all within its grasp. A few primitive houses stood their grounds. Hays served as roofs, walls were no more than wooden blocks. But that wasn't really what had pulled me in. At the far corner of the page, near the outskirts of the small settlement, stood a tree. A young one, no more than five feet high if I were to guess. It appeared almost insignificant, its leafy branches merely a few scribbles of the inked brush, its trunk was only a shade darker. They were surrounded by thickened mountains, their peaks reaching the skies.

It was a beautiful piece, almost peaceful, reminding me of the day Madara took me up to the highest roof of all, to a view of a similar landscape.

I flipped through to the next pages, looking for any other images that could give me a clue about this book, seeing that the writing itself was not decoding itself. It was like a cipher, each stroke, each line and each loop, they were the code, but I didn't have the key. However, that didn't mean that I wouldn't search for it. For dozens upon dozens of pages, there was none to be found. Until around the seventieth page mark, there, spanning the length of the entirety of the book was a duplicate image of the one I had seen right before. The ink was deeper, darker and carved into the parchment.

It was a pitch-perfect copy of the painting aforementioned. Except, this time, I made out the smallest of details; the tree was just slightly bigger.  _Just_. It was barely noticeable, I had to squint my eyes against my comfort. I skimmed through the next pages, taking ten at a time. An idea had began forming at the back of my mind. There was also another thing that was bothering me, the words 'So no Kuni' were- miraculously- the only ones I had been able to construe, perhaps the fact that they were etched right near the clear paintings made it a little easier.

_So no Kuni? Isn't that the Land of Ancestors?_

Another image had appeared in the next fifty pages, the tree still getting bigger. Bigger and bigger. At this point, I had begun running through fifty sheets at a time, this book- if one could call it that- was the equivalent of a brick.

I was right.

The tree was growing, expeditiously. Once a five foot tall sapling, it quickly grew to ten, then fifteen, thirty, sixty- until it had reached the edge of the paper. With each image, it had eclipsed its surroundings, masking the once picturesque village under its shades. I could hear the sounds of my racing heartbeats beating loudly against my chest.

At its center hung a fruit, one and only one. Tightly sealed, its elliptical corollas closed in on its core, enclosing its heart in whorls of colorless sepals and sheathing it.

_A fruit, it was a fruit._

I gulped loudly as my fingers traced the rough outlines of the painting.

It wasn't just any fruit, nor was this just any tree. As if a trigger had been set free, I was finally able to recall the few memories I had of the ending of this timeline. I had always thought the Divine Tree and its bearing of a Chakra Fruit was nothing but an elaborate spoof.

I thought wrong.

If the tree had bore the fruit in this frame, then the next one should be of a devastated land. Destroyed, obliterated. With nothing left, no life, no death, just endless weaves of dreams.

If my heart could beat any mightier, it would surely explode. If my heart could beat any louder, I would surely become deaf.

In spite of that, I had to find out.

I immediately skipped fifty pages ahead, ready to face it, to know if my worst nightmare wasn't actually a nightmare, but a reality. Kaguya would have eaten the Fruit around that time- when the Land of Ancestors was on the verge of war with its neighboring land-, she had to. I closed my eyes and breathed, opening straight to the next page where an image was due.

But there wasn't.

When I opened my eyes, I was met with nothing. I thought that maybe I had opened onto the wrong page, that maybe I had miscalculated and retried, but I wasn't wrong. This was the right number, except there wasn't a painting, not an image, just words. That was because there was a page missing. Upon closer inspection, I saw the rippled cuts right in the center-fold, as if it had been ripped right out of its seam. I stood up and felt the uneven grazes, my eyes trying to take as much advantage as they could from the sparse amount of light, to no avail.

The lights from the fire flickered across the obscure pages, glimmering unsteadily.

That Fruit wasn't supposed to be touched, yet she went on anyways and did it. Kaguya never headed anyone's warning and ate it.

...

_But did she?_

I stopped fumbling with the pages as my fingers came to a stand-still, a new fear crawling up my body, immobilizing me. I had never thought of it, there was no reason to.

What if Kaguya hadn't  _actually_  consumed it? Whole? What if she had simply taken a bite out of the enormous chakra source?

Just what happened to the rest of the Fruit?

The sound of a resonating marble reverberated across the hall outside, and for the first time since my time here, I felt completely isolated, alone and afraid. Cold sweat trickled down my forehead as the countless possibilities of how this night could end flooded my mind. When another marble ball rolled off the floor, I knew I couldn't stay here any longer. Hurriedly, I had closed the book shut, memorizing it by heart right before placing it back. There was absolutely no way I could be forgetting something such as this anytime soon.

I carelessly pushed the chair back and rushed to the door.

I reached out for the knob, kerosene lamp in hand, ready to dart out, and I would have, had it not been for the loud creaking beneath me. It wasn't the usual wood, it was much louder and much steeper, it was a plank that didn't belong where it was. I stopped moving and looked down at the floor, the planks were arranged in coordinated fashion, organized. All but for one.

_Huh?_

I ran my feet lightly on it before tapping, a hollow sound resonating back.

It was a trap door.

Bending down, I saw that it was hinged to the other floorboards by clasps, almost imperceptible in daylight, much less at night. Almost, but not completely. I knew I shouldn't be wasting more time on this, that I should probably get out but who knew when I would be able to come back here again? Madara was bound to find out about my little tricks and something was telling me he wasn't going to be too pleased with it. And with that thought in mind, I had unlocked the hatch, lodging it from its locks before successfully unlatching it.

Picking up the the lamp, I took in the last good breath of clean air before diving in. But before that, I had hovered the flames over the opening and saw nothing but darkness. The smell of years old musk inundated my senses and assaulted my nostrils, I learned quickly to block it. I had no idea what was waiting for me down there, but this might have been my only chance in figuring it out.

I would. I did.

With the lamp firmly held in my grasp, I pushed myself down, using the dangerously rickety ladder as my support. What connected this floor to the one beneath. Dust and debris were brushed against my sides as I shoved my way down, taking step by step as lightly as I could without putting all my weight onto the wooden stairs. I coughed, trying to expel the irritant particles out of my systems. It was difficult.

When my feet finally touched the ground, I realized that this was an underground basement, or something of the sort. It was barely bigger than an antechamber, made of nothing but hardened rocks and moulded clay. It was an even deeper dugout that reached into the earth's chasm. Like a cellar, or a vault. Though vaults were used as means to store valuable items. This place was empty as far as I could tell. I raised the lamp and covered both my mouth and nose with the crook of my arm's elbow. I began waking along the walls, looking at every crumbling crater, every imprecise carve, at every lattice of webs, everything. It looked as though no one had been in here in years. Many, many years. It wasn't a wide place, I had managed to circle it over and over, thrice. They were the same walls, the same cracks, the same fissures, nothing had changed.

_Why would Madara keep a place like this?_

There was no use in staying here anymore, besides, the air here alone was stifling and damp, I couldn't avoid breathing for much longer even if I tried to, not exactly seeing why I would keep on subjecting myself to this.

I turned on my heels and headed towards the latter, nearly tripping over a pebble.

"What the-" Before stumbling to the gravel-coated ground, I had caught myself. I gazed down and looked at the rock that would have been the cause of a very disastrous fall. I bent down and picked it up, partly surprised by how smooth it was, how well-rounded it seemed. It was like a missing piece to a puzzle. I looked around, searching for a groove into the wall.

I started by blindly feeling the wall to my left, slowly inching my hands up the girded soil.

_Ah, there it is._

My thumb had found the pit and flicked the furrow.

I brought the lamp closer to the surface and began to replace the pebble. The instant the small rock touched the gouge, the soil began to disintegrate.

_What's going on?_

I retreated my hand as earthy particles started falling, crumbling to the ground. Like a safe, a squared outline of the area I had touched started to fall apart. A perfectly concise square, down to the dot. It was impossible for a natural formation to have been this perfect. I thought I had seen a rag stuffed behind the cracking pieces.

There was something wrong about this. Something eerie. I dropped the pebble to the ground and followed my hunch.

Using the nails of my right hand, I began to dig out the rest of the nearly fragmented marl. There was something hidden in there, deep into the wall. Hidden for a reason, for no one to see. I had to wonder if Madara even knew about this. Of course he have had to, what was I thinking. The more I dug through, the clearer it became what was concealed inside. My fingers worked furiously until they had formed a hole into the soil, revealing parts of a glass jar.

I was sweating profusely now, and if it had been possible, I could have sworn that this chamber had become narrower. I was having trouble taking in air as grime and soot overflowed my lungs. I knew I should have stopped right then and their, I should have backed away when I had the chance, should have left the jar hidden forever, should have never come down here in the first place.

But I couldn't, I couldn't stay away even as my heart knew better. It sunk deeper than I had ever felt but still, that hadn't stopped me. I was as good as an automated machine, working and working with no stopping in sight. Not until I had the jar in my hands.

And in my hands, it finally was. I laid the kerosene to the ground and pulled the large glass vessel out into the open space.

It was covered in old rags, the fabrics were knotted tightly over the lid.

_Stop this, Mina. Leave._

I wished that I had listened to myself instead of ignoring those words.

I wished that I hadn't known exactly what it was floating in the jar, but that I was ignorant enough, superficial enough not to care.

I wished that I had been blind.

For the moment that I slid the ragged cloth off the jar was the moment it had fallen to the ground, colliding with the lamp.

I wanted to scream, to shout until my lungs collapsed but not a single sound came out of me, there wasn't an ounce of life left in me in that fraction of a moment. My limbs shook, my arms crippled, my tongue tied and my head; dead. There were no such things as coherent thoughts, just blurred static in place of a sound mind.

_No._

I stepped back.

_No._

Another step. Then another and another until my back hit the wall. It was then that it had dawned on me. There were no doors, no windows, no exit. I could feel the cage closing in on me, the cold metal bars trapping me in this endless nightmare that was my stay in this world. My eyes widened and my nails scratched into the depths of the walls as I slid down to the floor.

My body went rigid with my heels rooted to the spot. I couldn't move, not even if I tried.

I wanted to claw my eyes out, one by one so I wouldn't have to see them leering at me, gawking at me, judging me.

Regardless, I couldn't do it, I couldn't tear them away from the ones who floated in the cracked jar. Hedged in a container full of viscous liquid, were a pair of red eyes. Without its vivid glow, it was almost impossible to tell that it was a sharingan.

Not just any sharingan.

A painful throbbing ripped my throat apart, I was losing breaths, I couldn't feel the cold air, there was none. Nothing but a burning flame, scorching every inch inside me.

They were motionless, frozen in place forever. There were no pupils, no tomoes. It was but a scarlet canvas, just a canvas, black spirals whirling into hollowness. Like eddies. Like bottomless eddies, though instead of a blue ocean, there was a bloody one, in place of waves, there were black flames.

_Oh God._

Tissue hung limply from the round orbs, colorless and thinning. Blood vessels were long ruptured. Each eye tilted at an abominable angle, split apart and stretching wide open yet unseeing. They were blind.

I didn't know when the tears had started, but they were spilling forth, dampening my cheeks. I couldn't breathe now, I couldn't as gnarly fingers clasped around my throat, strangling me. I was pulled back to reality abruptly as another hand emerged from the wall behind, clutching my mouth. It was too late, all of my screams were smothered by roughened palms, by blackened nails, my pleas were silenced painfully as I tried to fight through.

_Someone, anyone! Help!_

I flailed my arms back and dug my nails into the same flesh that sunk into my skin. The panic grew stronger as my thoughts gave way into emotions, fueled by nothing but fear. Fear had me shoving my toes into the ground, had my body squirming achingly in an effort to try and get away from the monster surfacing behind me.

Inch by inch, a body emanated from the crooked wall but I couldn't look, I  _wouldn't_  look.

_"Shh."_

_His voice-_

In less than a second, my body had given up. My muscles had relaxed against my will, my hands fell to the floor as my legs stopped moving. My eyes bulged out as I recognized that voice. Tears had stopped streaming long ago. Just when I thought this night couldn't have gotten any worse, there he was, his upper body springing fully from the wall beside me. I didn't even need to look him in the eyes to know, I could already make out the beard. The ever-growing graying beard, the deepened scar carving from the the base of his chin and that ran up the left side of his face. The sharp jawline, the tapered nose.

_"You are not to tell anyone about this."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I'm just going to be sitting here in the corner, waiting for someone who'll get my Forrest Gump reference. Anyone?* Okay, no >.<  
> Would love to hear your opinions, you guys/gals xD.


	55. INFORMATION

**No, this isn't a new chapter. I know you must be disappointed, but please keep in mind, I'm more disappointed in myself at this point.**

**I'm writing this so I could avoid a shit ton of confusion and unnecessary questions later on. And to organize my thoughts regarding this fic.**

**I'm not sure if I had said this before, but this story is split into _two parts._** **Hopefully, this provides a summary of what has happened and what _is_ going to happen.**

**Up until now, we have went through around (roughly) 50% of the story line, so kudos to anyone who followed up until this point. You're the champs. In other words, half of the fic is already done.**

* * *

 

**PART ONE**

**Warring Clans era- centric/ Pre-Konoha founding-centric.**

**CHAPTER 1 is a prologue.**

**CHAPTER 2 (Down the Rabbit Hole) up until CHAPTER 57 (Untitled yet).**

**Arcs:**

**ARC 1** \- CHAPTER 3 _([Where Am I?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/32378022) )_  until CHAPTER 9 _([Don't Play With Her Toes?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/32461764) ): _ Where Mina still tries to acclimatizes to her new situation, aids in Izuna's survival and finds a new haven in a library.

 

  **ARC 2** \- CHAPTER 10 _([Fire!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/32468145))_  until CHAPTER 15 _([Nii-san! I'm Getting Married!](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/32520513) )_ : Sort of like an interlude, describing the lives of the clans during a period of a ceasefire, no war, no fighting. An invitation to Hashirama's wedding is sent.

 

  **ARC 3** \- CHAPTER 16 _([Oh Boy](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/32520804)) _ until CHAPTER 21 _([For Shits And Giggles](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/32833917)):_ Hashirama's wedding to Mito, insights into several characters' minds.

 

  **ARC 4** \- CHAPTER 22 _([Tobirama](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/33084960) )_ until CHAPTER 28 _([Recovery](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/33894492)) :_ A development in Tobirama's and Mina's relationship on their adventure to the settlement. Pendant's powers are first manifested, a surprise attack by the Inuzuka. A group of Uchiha defectors found dead in a forest. Sora's true identity is revealed. Orchestrated attack by the Kaguya clan.

 

 **ARC 5** \- CHAPTER 29 _([The Blushing Bride And The Killer Groom](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/34013046))_  until CHAPTER 33 _([Conflictions](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/34800239))_ : An in depth look into the giant calamitous leap into Madara's and Mina's relationship. I really fucked up here.

 

 **ARC 6** \- CHAPTER 34 _([The Moon is Beautiful Tonight, isn't it?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/34969916))_ until CHAPTER 41 _([Humiliation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/36329058))_ : Takayama's death, Eiji's personality unraveling, the secrets about the pendant coming to light, foreshadowing of Uzushio's fate,  Mina's finding out about the ludicrous bet on her wedding night.

 

 **ARC 7** -  CHAPTER 42 _([The Butterfly of Winter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/36432837))_ until CHAPTER 48 ( _[Cosmic Retributions and Startling Encounters](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/37253996))_ : Development on the settlement issue, Uchiha's invitation to the Senju base, Mina accompanies. Disaster ensues. 

 

  **ARC 8-** CHAPTER 49 _(_   _[Eddies](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/37380722)_ ) until CHAPTER 51 _(_[ _Scarlet Rive_ r](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/37699130)): Uzushio's destruction, upheaval at the Senju compound. Black Zetsu hovering in the background. Madara's upsetting demeanor. 

 

 **ARC 9** \- CHAPTER 52 _([Midnight Orchestra](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14049585/chapters/37898336))_ until CHAPTER 58 (The End of the Beginning, parts one and two)- A more believable leap in Madara's and Mina's relationship. In depth look into their growing bond, etc- No spoils for the next 2 chapters. 

* * *

**PART TWO**

**CHAPTER 59 until CHAPTER ??**

  * **There's a time skip between part one and part two.**
  * **Will approximately be the same number of arcs (~10), with more or less the same length.**
  * **Konoha founding centric, in other words, focuses more on the establishment of not only Konohagakure, but other hidden villages as well.**



**Expect more twists to come.  More cataclysmic events to unfold.**

_**When can you expect Part Two to be released?** _

Can't say for sure. Honestly, I'm not going to lie, I feel like I'm losing my muse- have been for a while now (things have been quietly deteriorating for the past couple of months). I have tons of imagination, ideas and plots to unravel, I have the inspiration, but that inspiration is slowly dwindling. I feel like I'm typing to ghosts, to the air, everything just 'poof-ing', It's like I'm talking to a wall, though, instead of my voice, it is this story. It kinda falls flat, and that in itself, is extremely disheartening. 

My worst fear is abandoning this fic, I don't want it to become one of those dead fics that loses hope, whose sporadic updates become less and less frequent until it just...stops. 

....

I'm doing my best to pump out the next chapter, I really am. Though, it is getting harder to update.

Thank you for everyone's support up until now, with those of you close to my heart, you know who you are.

 


	56. My Blind and Dead Father

 

_"You are not to tell anyone about this."_

His red eyes bore deeply into mine, etching away at my mind. This wasn't a fragmented reenactment my brain conjured up, it was worse. It was real.

A scathing heat washed over my body, the torrid blaze gouging my eyes. I brought my fingers to my eyes, they were still there, sockets still intact. My blood-curdling screams went unanswered, unheard in this dark underground basement. I trembled, my heart thrashing, pounding against my chest.

Eiji's eyes; they were different this time.

I didn't recognize them. I didn't recognize him.

My back ached, throbbed with pain from the base of my neck down to my tailbone. Saliva pooled at the back of my mouth as I struggled to breathe, his hands clasping my mouth tightly, blocking any air from reaching my lungs. Fear traveled through my veins as I watched the tomoes in his eyes swirl to life. They were alive, animate, full of vehemence. Unlike the pair that laid on the other side of the chamber, watching, leering, but not seeing.

No.

Eiji's were alive, beating and flickering, like the deep flames of an enraged fire. I no longer saw the man but what laid in those hollow sockets. In the inky blankness of nothing, they glowed a bright red, an explosion akin to a nova in an oblivion, a catastrophic ignition of a star. Spurting red light brilliantly as black clouds hovered at its center, just like his Mangekyou.

_"Scream and I'll make sure you never speak again."_ His velvety and dark voice warned me before slowly unclasping his fingers, one by one, from my mouth. His other hand still clutching my neck in a tight grip.

My neck strained in place, I couldn't move even if I wanted to, I couldn't scream even if I wanted to. The dagger pricked the skin of my throat as his left hand loosened its firm grip on me, if only for less than a second.

I had never seen one like it.

The tomoes had elongated, touching the black rims of his eyes. Exploding from its heart was another spiral, another three tomoes wreathing into a ring, then another and another, curving along his orbs. Rings like the ones in the jar, concentric whorls in an ocean of red. Whirlwinds exactly like an eddy. I was blinded by the similarities of both pairs of eyes that I hadn't realized that the tears have stopped, that my cheeks were dry, that blood was drawn as the dagger pierced lightly into my neck.

My jaws froze, words wouldn't come out.

Half his body was buried deep into the wall as his upper half surfaced, I couldn't see his legs. He wasn't standing. He was suspended a foot up the wall, emerging from it as if he could walk through rocks, through boulders, through stone. Invisible. I had always thought him to be an invisible individual, no one would bother looking twice in his direction, no one needed to, but now...

_"E-eiji."_  I breathed, voice cracking.

The dagger remained planted on my neck.

"Shh." He hissed, unwavering and never moving an inch.

"I didn't think you'd find it, though I suppose I should thank you."

I didn't want to, but I couldn't. I wanted to tear my eyes away, I wanted to look at anything but the dread in front of me, but he wouldn't let me. One move in either direction and my skull could be rolling onto the ground, next to those headless eyes. I didn't know how I was breathing, I couldn't have been. A painful pressure engulfed me, collapsing on my lungs as I gasped for air. My eyes bulged while I tried to comprehend what he was about to do to me.

Eiji's head tilted to the side, looking down upon me, his face expressionless as he spoke.

_"You have my thanks."_

I gulped, feeling every inch of the stone-cold blade scraping against the surface of my skin.

My brain couldn't help but connect the strangest of dots right then and there, I couldn't help but see how pitch perfect he was to Takayama. How he sported the same graying beard, the long hair pulled back, the same creases and the same wrinkles, albeit fewer. The same skin tone, down to shades of his rosewood lips, perhaps if Takayama was still alive and had seamlessly lost years to his life, this was how he would look like.

His lower half started to surface as he materialized out of the wall, his midriff appeared, and then gradually the rest of his abdomen until leg by leg, he stood to my side. I felt the dagger shift upwards, its tip never lifting from my face as it landed on my temple. I cautiously raised my eyes and found him crouching back down, meeting me head on.

Every cold bead of sweat that rolled down my face, every shiver that ran through my bones, every quivering tremble and every loud heartbeat, they were deafening, ten fold worse when the distance between us was close to nil. The glass jar behind him never escaped my mind nor my view, it was then that it dawned on me.

_No, he wouldn't. He wasn't stupid enough to-_

_"No.."_ I struggled for air, but the word still made its way out.

"Yes." He corrected me.

In the half-light of the dwindling torch flames, the underground chamber was bereft of any noise, any air, any movement, anything but the movement of the rustling jar against the clay ground. It smelled of musky metals with a tinge of acrid burning. Cobwebs have taken on the repulsiveness of old and dirty lace. The fine strands were no longer white. Instead, they hung heavy with grey dust as they tangled and tangled and tangled into sheets of threads. As if drowning in a tub of ice, I felt a rush painful cold wash over me.

"You wouldn't..."

_"I would, I can and I will."_

In a flash of a second, I leaped forward, hands stretching before me as I jumped to take hold of the jar before Eiji had the chance to-

_"Fuck!"_ I howled in pain as the dagger was pushed sharply through my skin and pierced my left palm. I recoiled my other hand instinctively and my body curled as I tried to push the pain away. I screamed as it finally sunk in. Deeper and deeper until the blade was embedded right through my hand, fixing it to the ground and ripping spasms of pain through me. The jar was barely out of reach, I was so close, so close, yet so far. I didn't trust Eiji, and he just proved me right. Using the scarce strength that was all I had left in me, I turned my head and looked up at the same inscrutable and aloof man.

I should have expected this.

He sat crouched, arms propped on his knees as he looked down at me.

"I told you not to do so."

While I should have expected this, I still couldn't believe it. My eyes bulged as I watched in horror. He stood up and began walking towards Takayama's eyes. I would have screamed- despite his earlier warning- but my labored breaths and the searing pain in my left arm distracted me. I tried to stop the bleeding by cupping my other hand over the wound, but I was starting to lose sensation in my left hand altogether. Warm blood spurted from the center, drenching the back of my hand as it seeped through the narrow hole and the mangled, exposed flesh. My body laid in dirt, I couldn't keep on clenching my teeth any longer.

"Dammit!" I howled, unable to tolerate the sheer burning feeling tearing through my hand.

Looking up from the dirt, I saw Eiji's sandals indent into the ground, each step getting him closer to what he had wanted all this time. How could I have been so stupid? He had been watching me, he had never stopped. All because Madara had ordered him to.

"You don't have to do this, it's not worth it." I gasped heavily, trying to find my breath.

He just kept walking, bending down until the jar was in between his hands at last. He picked up the rag and placed it over it, hiding Takayama's eyes for the second time in what must have been ages.

I twisted and turned, trying to sit up in spite of the pain my body was enduring. I was pinned to the ground against my will.

_Come on._

I panicked.

_"I guess we'll have to wait and see."_  Eiji finally responded, facing me. He stood tall, very tall. And just like that, I was brought back to that fateful night, where he stood upon the temple's steps as the Hyuuga's decapitated head rolled down the stones thumping against every hard edge. He stood in a pool of blood, at the top.

This wasn't much different. Except, he wasn't saving me this time around.

My pain was instantly set aside, replaced by an immeasurable fear as he shot me a small smile.

A smile.

One that I had only ever seen on one person before.

_No, not a person, a monster._

And just like that, he disappeared. Eiji's body dematerialized once more as he disappeared right into the walls, fusing with the background so seamlessly. He just...vanished, like his body had been made of nothing but thin air.

It was in that moment, right then, that I had felt as though a seal had been lifted off my tongue, and I screamed, screamed as if my life depended on it. And it did. If I couldn't unlatch myself anytime soon, I may as well have bled to death and no one would know until it was too late.

_Come on Mina, pull it out._

I couldn't do it, my right hand shook violently as my left was just as useful as it was numb, I couldn't bring myself to tear it away, to feel the unbearable pain once more. I would have gone crazy, it was either that or to continue watching as my blood gushed out of me, feeling as though the rest of my body tire and numbing.

_Come on!_

I closed my eyes shut tightly, preparing myself for the anguish that was right around the corner.

_Come on, one..._

I circled my right palm around the hilt tightly.

_Two..._

I didn't wait to three. I immediately- and regrettably- forced it out, yanked the hilt by its base and tugged the dagger right out of my palm.

_"Fucking- Shit! Aahh!"_  I screeched as the pain rushed back, ten times worse, leaving a gaping hole right at the heart of my hand. I drew it right into my body and coiled into a fetal position around my arms. I couldn't stomach looking at the torn flesh as more of the blood stained my clothes. I writhed in the dirt, struggling not to scream my heart out, tears were already falling, gravel scraping against my dampened face.

I held my left hand tightly into an embrace.

_Damn you Eiji!_

Damn him, damn him, damn him!

I needed to get out of here. And quickly. It was as if the walls had begun closing in on me, suffocating me, sucking every ounce of air with in me. Through my tear filled eyes, I looked back up at the ladder, my only exit out of this godforsaken room.

I had to try, otherwise, I would die alone in this underground chamber. The worst was over, or so I convinced myself. I glimpsed at the blade, tossed a few meters away. Anger, so much of it. It had built up within seconds, and that alone was enough to push me upwards, to my feet. It was enough to force me to do something about it. Because no one else would. Then again...

There was no one else.

Silently praying that I wouldn't end up an ashened skeleton in this place, I stood to my feet, whimpering at the feel of my weak legs. They were numbing. I took my first step, though painful, I moved forward. On and on, left hand still wrapped in my kimono.

Arriving at the base of the sloped ladder, I had no idea how I would even begin to climb it. I didn't need to have an idea, my legs began moving on their own. Using my right hand as my only support, I began- and failed. Failed over and over. I had no choice but to use my left palm to pull myself as I climbed step after step. I flinched with every step I took for every rung, I felt as though I had gained two hundred pounds, unable to fully support my body that had been weighing me down.

The trap door wasn't helping. I flexed my right arm and bent my elbow, pounding into the wooden squared door, knock after knock, it wouldn't budge and the longer I managed to strain my left arm. I turned my neck and narrowed my eyes, my vision in this dark musty chamber was as good as a bat's, unable to make out the lock through the blackness. Hair strands blinded me as I hoped that the lock wasn't latched from the outside.

_Fuck!_

_"Urghhhh!"_ I groaned, using all my might and pounded into the trap door incessantly, I could feel the blisters etching into the skin on my elbow but I couldn't stop.

Just when I thought I had run out of patience, I heard a click, or rather, a crack on the other side. I used it to my advantage and gave it one last thump, bursting the wooden planks away. Not waiting a second longer, I tore the the other small wooden beams to the side, snaking my arm through the hole, I unlatched the lock from outside before pushing the trap door wide open.

The scent of aged books and polished timber flooded my nose as I found myself in the dark library once more.

I didn't know where the exit was, but found the dimly lit torch that I had placed earlier. The flames were slowly fading, but it was bright enough for me to make out the ridges of the doors. I didn't hesitate, I started running. In my haste, I bumped into chairs, knocking down books along the way. But I didn't care, I was going to get out of here in one piece, I vowed to myself.

And so I did, grabbing hold of the bronze knob, I turned and turned to no avail. It was stuck, but not locked. Trying the best to ignore the pain that as now creeping up my shoulders, I tried hard to swivel the knob.

When that didn't work and when my patience had truly ran out, I body slammed into the adjacent door. Once, twice, thrice until it finally unlatched. I didn't allow myself time to react, nor concentrate on the pain, I had to go on, I had to go on and never look back.

I opened the door forcefully and stepped out, incautious of what may have been splayed across the floor. For the next thing I knew, I was falling to the ground, a pair of marbles rolling in the opposite direction towards the giant archive doors.

Upon impact with the wall, I managed to hold myself before falling face-first to the stoned ground. Instead, I had planted to the wall, my right side taking the wort of the hit. But I was grateful, thankful that it hadn't been my other. I took a glimpse back at the same marbles that I had met earlier on, before I made the worst decision of my life and opened the trap door. Except these ones were bandage, laying near the bottom rail of the door.

Unconsciously, my eyes had wondered upwards, if only for a mere moment. However, that mere second was all it took, all it took for shock to overtake me, but not not long enough for it to register. It was as if this night couldn't have gotten any more nightmarish, here it was; hung loosely over the grotesque knobs and shone brightly under the moonlight.

There it hung, my necklace.

_No._

A copy of my pendant.

Or was it? I couldn't tell. The red gemstone at the middle was reminiscent of the same one I had gotten for my birthday long, long ago. The concentric circles, the silver chains, the memories.

Had I not felt my heart had skipped a beat, I wouldn't have known I still had one. Had I not heard my breaths, I wouldn't have known I still had a pair of lungs. Had I not felt my ribs crack painfully, I wouldn't have known I still had a set of bones, a set of teeth, a skull in one piece.

And yet, I couldn't have pulled myself together at that moment if I knew any better.

A sense of attachment I had never felt before, it was  _mine._  It had to be. I crawled on my knees towards the doors, for my legs could no longer bear to hold my limp body anymore. Knees dragging against the hard floor, I knew I should have probably stopped myself. I knew I should have crawled away and far from here. That I should have probably alerted Madara of the idiotic mistake I had just done. I probably should have done a lot of things.

But I didn't.

I went for the pendant. Out-stretching my hand, I had barely touched the surface of the ruby before a foul smelling odor assaulted my senses. It was intense, almost intoxicating, but above all; pungent. It was- nearly- safely clasped in my hand when I realized that there wouldn't have been smoke without a fire.

Except, there was.

Wispy clouds of the scent began rising from the marbles, quickly diffusing into the library and the hallway.

While I had lost feeling in half of my body long before I came out, the other half was beginning to give out as well, but with little cognitive abilities I still had, I managed to apprehend that this wasn't just an ordinary smoke bomb. I was starting to feel lightheaded and dizzy, soon, even my knees couldn't hold my weight and that was when, against my own volition, my consciousness was slipping through. My fingers were still clasped onto the chains, pulling them along with me as my body fell listlessly to the ground, the loud thud echoing in the endless corridors.

Though my eyelids were hardly open, my vision was long gone, and the last thing I saw that night was the inside of a hollow, desolate library. A library I would never step foot in again. Not now, not ten years from then. If I was still alive.

* * *

**_Madara's POV_ **

She had opened her eyes.

Two days.

For two days, she had lost consciousness.

He sat there, on a chair, careful to keeping his distance. Because that was all he could do, and it wasn't entirely for her safety, or rather his. There was quite a lot going through his mind, though all was put on hold when she finally came to.

Madara had no idea where to start, nor where to end, all he knew was that he needed all the answers. Now. And quickly too. However, he knew better, if living with her for the past months has taught him anything, it was that she was a reluctant talker, only revealing whatever she saw fit, leaving him to guess the rest, like a dog chasing its tail.

This time was no different, he had presumed.

He sat slanted in his chair, elbows propped against the armrest while his head leaned into the palm of his hands.

_Breathe._

He had to remind himself that this wasn't the time to get into another fight with her, but truth be told, it wasn't like he had forgotten. Madara was simply having a difficult time reigning in his temper.

Of all places that he could have found her, the private archive was one that was explicitly off limits- not only for her, but most- and had been repeatedly bashed into her brain. There was no way she didn't know that she shouldn't have been there. That, he was sure of, as sure as one could get.

If it hadn't been for the guard that he had assigned to her room ages ago- who also happened to be on duty that night- well, had it not been for him, Madara would not have found her, nor have looked to be honest. He had been self-absorbed in his own work, in the plans regarding the settlement, in what would happen to 'Uzushiogakure' now, in what would Hashirama do, he was engrossed- as he had hoped- that he had found himself completely forgetting the spat he had with Mina. A part of him had been grateful, until the moment a housekeeper had burst into his study in the ungodly hours of the night, informing him that she had been found unconscious in the underground corridor.

True to his skeptic nature, Madara had calmly set the inked quill down and howled at her to leave him alone. He wasn't fond of interruptions, much less a second one that came shortly after the servant ran out of his chamber scared. It was a guard this time, and Madara had momentarily thought that this had to be some sort of joke and was quite expecting Izuna to make the next appearance. When he didn't, he had known something was truly wrong.

Even now, Madara still thought he should have just believed that maid from the start.

Otherwise, he would have saved himself the trouble from going straight down to the library. But reflecting upon it, he knew he made the right choice. Had he not, he would have never seen the opened doors, or more importantly, the little impromptu rearrangement that had happened inside. It would seem that she had found it, and it just so happened that Madara would have never known about this if she herself hadn't been found. Who knew, perhaps she had been secretly sneaking into the library without his notice, if she had, there was absolutely no trace of it inside. And there wouldn't be, either.

_Because she has no chakra._

The seals that he hidden within the walls of the archive would have never detected any signatures, because she didn't have any. The fact that Mina had even found the trap door would suggest that she must have already been in there if she knew the layout to the chamber. There was little room for doubt right now.

While trying not to snap in the midst of his madness, Madara sat quietly as he watched her regain her consciousness. It took her a few moments to dare move a single muscle, and so he waited patiently.

It wasn't until she finally sat up that it became apparent that her memory still lagged behind.

In spite of that, Madara remained adamant on not revealing a thing to her first, he'd have to wait until she remembered whatever it is that she was hiding, even if it took her a hundred years to. He had all the time in the world.

"What's going on?" She groaned, her voice was raspy. She looked like a mess, though he supposed being knocked out for two days did that to you. They had changed her clothes, removed the bloodied one that she was wearing. It was one of many details he was eager to hear the explanation to, how her kimono was tainted in her blood but there were no evident wounds. Speaking of which, not only were there no signs of injuries, but the bruises as well, they were gone. Or so Yuna claimed. The Uchiha leader had no idea what that old hag was rambling on about, but it seemed they too had disappeared.

Mina began to sit up, every movement she took looked just about as painful as it got, her bones creaked as she tried to flex her arms, twisting her neck as she tried to relieve the pressure, the strain that was put on her body while she was bedridden.

_Breathe._

He found himself repeating the same mantra over and over, though Madara was soon finding himself running out of patience. So soon.

She grumbled as she touched her hands, kneading them, scrutinizing them carefully, particularly her left palm. Her actions were odd, as if she had expected to find something in her hands.

_Maybe she was looking for her pendant._

The one that she claimed to have lost but as incidentally found in her palms that night. Whichever it was, Madara decided to stay shut and continued with observing her.

As if that same thought had occurred in her own mind, it seemed to have triggered something within her. Alertness took over her as her demeanor changed, her hands moved frantically over her body, feeling every wrinkle in her gown, searching for something until she had had enough and pushed the covers to the side.

"What the-?"

Her hands continued to roam until it landed on the base of her neck, and it dawned on her.

"Looking for this?" Madara spoke, interrupting her little search. She froze, her eyes gazing intently at the necklace hanging from the fingertips of his right hand. He hadn't moved an inch, not one as his head remained leaning in his palm. His black mane covering most of the backrest, hiding the right side of his face. He tried his best to remain stoic, though his sharp featured had always betrayed his sense of impassiveness.

"How did-" The words were barely out of her mouth before she took them back. Her lips shut taut, not another sound came out of her. That was good, it meant she realized how utterly stupid and useless her next question was going to be.

He didn't say another word either, rather preferring letting her take the charge from thereon, he was merely going to listen. He honestly couldn't come up with a logical, sound reason as to why she was down there  _where_  and  _when_  she wasn't supposed to. He couldn't think of one, though he prepared himself to hear the most inane, irrational and petty excuses she could throw at him.

"I'm sorry."

He didn't think he had heard right.

"What?" He asked, baffled by her lack of snappy remarks.

_"_ _I'm sorry."_  She whispered, if only a notch louder. Madara was fairly surprised though he couldn't decipher what exactly were her intentions. Last he recalled, they hadn't left on relatively good terms, so her current apology was most certainly not related to  _that_. Still, he remained resolute and waited for her to continue. Patiently.

Mina refused to look him in the eyes, diverting her gaze back to her arms and hands, still seemingly searching for something, and it wasn't the necklace this time. Her back hunched over, she asked;

"How long have I been-"

"Two days."

Silence weighed heavy on their minds, though none of them wanted to break it. He clasped the pendant into his palm, grasping the chains and carefully brushing against the metal, as if counting beads of a string. One by one, he counted as the time passed, and when it became evident that she wasn't going to say another thing, he decided to give her a little push. Just a little.

"Is there anything else you want to say?" Madara asked, trying to persuade her. This was as far as he could go, it was her turn to talk, he'd be damned if she got him to spew another word.

"I-"

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have been patient with her stammering, but he knew better this time around, seeing that he had learned quite enough from their previous interactions.

"I.." She kept fidgeting with her fingers, flexing and relaxing each digit, her eyes never meeting his. Rather keeping her gaze hung downwards, her eyes were glazed over with a doleful look almost dismal. Mina's brown hair was in a disarray, though most had fallen over, completely shielding her from keeping any sort of eye-contact with him. Her short bobbed tresses were unkept, the creases under her eyes were dark, and her wrinkles; taut.

"I'm sorry."

"Yes, you've said that already." He responded, irritation seeping into his words. He wasn't sure what she was waiting her to hear out of him? His acceptance? That wasn't coming anytime soon.

"I know I shouldn't have...I shouldn't have done what I did and I'm sorry for that."

"And yet you still did it, why?"

She raised her head and finally looked up at him, her brows were furrowed as if she couldn't comprehend his question. Her lips parted, a bare whisper came out of her mouth before they shut again. Madara straightened up and clasped the pendant tightly.

"Well?"

"I just, I just wanted to understand."

"Understand what?"

What was there to understand? Everything in that room wasn't meant for people like her, for any non-Uchiha. What could she possibly want from a endless documents and archives that were of no use to her? She could have stolen them had she been a spy, but that wasn't it either. He doubted she was sneaking in there for the pleasure of it. So, what was there to understand?

Madara arched forward, straightening his arms as he looked at her, observed her every movement.

It was clear that she was still struggling to find her words. Again and again. Something was holding her back, as always.

"Everything. I just want to know why this is happening to me, Madara."

The silence of the bedroom made his blood run as cold as the wintry air that crept through an open window. Bereft of any wind, the leaves outside hung limp until they fell of their own accord, there was no whispering noise or rustling. It was as if nature conspired to keep him in the dark, not daring to whisper the reassurance he craved. He didn't like the tone her voice was taking, nor the direction in which her words were heading. The hurried footsteps outside and the squeak of a door somewhere down the hall brought his attention back as abruptly as it had wandered. His head snapped in an instant from gazing out of window with unfocused eyes to her. He narrowed his eyes as her pleading tone only became more indisputable.

"I...I thought that maybe there was something in there that could tell me  _what_  I am, or how I got here. Maybe even-" She stopped talking when he noticed the stern look he had been giving her. Madara himself had not been aware of how stringent he was becoming, though he couldn't help it. He really wasn't taking too well to what she was saying, nor what she was about to say. Mina's eyes softened, her brown hues lightening as her brows creased.

"Maybe even how I could get back..."

"Back  _what?"_

_"_ Back home, Madara."

_Home?_

_What home?_

Was this not her home? Was it not enough? She had a roof over her head. She had a bed to sleep in. She had a husband who happened to be a renowned shinobi. She was inextricably tied to one of the greatest clans in that era. What part of that was not  _home?_ He failed to understand what she was talking about, but above all, he wasn't hearing the answers he was expecting to hear and that was beginning to spurn him ever so slightly.

He shifted in his chair, holding in the growing annoyance that he was feeling.

"Try again." He said curtly. He was having none of this and the next answer he was going to hear had better been one he was hoping for.

She simply said nothing, only looked at him as if he was the one in the wrong. From her look alone, he could tell she was confused, but mostly hurt.

"I'm telling you the truth. Why don't you want to believe me?" Mina muttered, that hurt growing all the more evident.

It wasn't that he didn't believe her, he just couldn't. But he was learning to, slowly but steadily. However, this was just different for truth always relied on perspective. It was a strange notion, one that was always abused under the guise of lies. They were meant to bring people to one understanding, although he was finding that difficult at the moment. So, maybe he could try another approach and through that, perhaps he could find his way to his own truth.

"How many times have you broken in?" He asked. It seems that she was dead-locked with her answer on that question, he figured it wouldn't hurt going down another route.

"Two." Mina confessed, her features returning to their usually deadpan selves.

"How?"

Madara was only barely aware how this was turning out to be, but if an interrogation was what it took to get her to talk, then so be it.

"Does it matter?"

" _Answer_  the damn question." He said through gritted teeth. This really was not a time for her to talk back unless it was in an intelligible, logical response to his questions.

"I used hair pins to unlatch the locks from within." She admitted.

_Where on earth would she learn that?_

But more importantly, how could simple pins have been able to open the bronze plated locks? He couldn't imagine it, Madara simply couldn't take it as an answer. She couldn't have done it alone. Never. Someone must have helped her. And just when that thought was beginning to settle in his mind, Mina had picked up on it.

"You could ask Eiji, he taught me himself."

_Eiji?_ He hardly had a moment longer to form another thought when she interjected, "You asked him to follow me, remember?"

If that had been meant as a jab, Madara hadn't noticed. He was still trying to figure out how Eiji fitted into the equation. When the answer was clearly obvious, he had still chosen to ignore it. But apparently, she couldn't. Mina was able to read his face like she could the back of her hand, and put two and two together. Then again, his puzzled expression was a dead giveaway from the start.

"He didn't tell you, did he?"

_No, no he didn't._

Now, Madara was having quite a time figuring out why one of his shinobi would purposely avoid doing the task he was assigned and had personally agreed to? It was...odd to say the least, but what was odder was the fact that she was implying Eiji as an accomplice. What was perhaps even worse than all of this, was how unsurprised she seemed compared to his muddled state. It was almost as if she had expected this. Her unfazed expression was the tell-all. What else did she know?

"Why would he? Now that he got what he wanted." She mumbled, sighing.

Madara couldn't help but think he had gotten more than what he had bargained for. Were these the answers he sought? He had no idea. Were they the truth? He couldn't tell.

"And what would that be?"

For the sake of it, he would go along until he found anything concrete to hold onto. Her behavior, on the other hand, seemed to take on a whole different turn. It was as if the mention of Eiji from the beginning had disturbed her. But this particular question, he could tell there was something that she didn't want him to know, or rather, she herself didn't want to know.

Mina's brown eyes widened, her pallor was accentuated by her dark hair, giving her all the more ghastly appearance. Her eyes were red, not nearly bloodshot, but he could see very well the vessels that fed her sight.

"He's, he's.." In an instant, she tossed the heavy covers to the side and knelt on the bed as if in a hurry. Mina began to crawl across the sheets until she reached the edge and sat before him. Her gown was a mere silk sheet covering her body. He took notice of her hands, he saw how they trembled and quivered, though not from the cold. He noticed how her fingers fickled with the hem of her gown, scraping her thighs as she tried to will them to calm.

"He's dangerous, Eiji's not... _he's not well."_ She whispered, however, her words rung loud and clear. He could hear it in her voice, how it trembled, how it promised to unveil something more than what she just confessed. Because, deep down Madara knew the man was never exactly well from the start, but he never asked questions, owing to the fact that, at the end of the day, neither of them were  _exactly well._

"As opposed to you?" He countered.

It took her a moment to let that sink in, but despite that, it never hindered her. She sat quiet, yet, she only grew more manic. Her cheeks were a blazing red, her skin; dry and rough, with healing blisters covering most of her arms and knuckles.

"No, you don't get it. He found Takayama's eyes."

_Oh yes. About that._

Now, this was one part he was quite eager to get to, though he was quite pleased that she had brought it up herself. He leaned forward, for he was sure the next part was quite an interesting one.

"And how did  _you_  find it?" He responded in the same hushed tone, and with that, she leaned in closer until their faces were mere inches apart.

"I..When I was leaving, I found a trap door and opened it. That's how, but that isn't my point, he-"

_"Oh but it's very much my point, Mina."_

Safe to say, Madara wasn't particularly overjoyed with this. How could a woman like her have broken in and unlocked the hefty gates, only to enter and just 'find' a trap door which she also casually opened? Perhaps his mind was jumping loops, but he knew he couldn't take her words at face value.

She licked her lips as she continued.

"He found it just as I did, because he had followed me. He has never stopped following me."

He searched her eyes for something, anything that would tell him she was speaking the truth.

"He's angry, Madara. He's really angry and is about to do something stupid." Her pupils moved erratically, searching his own inky ones, silently pleading him to believe her.

"How would you know any of this?" He was losing more and more of his patience and Madara wasn't entirely sure how longer he could last. He was still quite irate with the fact that she had somehow managed to unearth something his grandfather had buried long ago, with good reasons. But most of all, this incident had him second-guessing exactly how secure that room had been. Not enough, from the looks of it.

And now, this.

She brought her hands up and placed them on his shoulders.

"I don't think he ever got over the fact it killed his mother all those years ago, just as it did to his father. Eiji just wants his revenge."

...

At this point, Madara knew he should have just told her to stop speaking, for all he got was more questions than answers. What did Eiji's mother have to do with any of this? And how did Mina know about her? He was thoroughly confused as to how the questions kept piling up while the answers he managed to decipher were nothing in comparison.

Her hands shifted from his shoulders and traveled up his neck, caressing every patch of porcelain skin until they cupped his jaws. It was relieving, to feel her skin touching his. He wasn't distracted, though he had to wonder exactly what her plan was.

"Please believe me. He isn't well, Madara, and he's going to use his father's eyes to unlock his Eternal Mangeky-"

_"What did you say?"_

He thought his ears had picked up on something. Something utterly intriguing. Truly, she never ceased to surprised him. He caught hold of her hands, and clasped her wrists, locking them into his harsh grasp. He would have activated his sharingan, though that proved to be useless in the past. He narrowed his eyes, and if his features had never been intimidating before, they were now. He heard her gulp loudly as he pulled her closer to him, to his heated body, nearly pushing her off the edge of the bed.

"Just how much do you know?"

One could fairly say Madara was very much passed his patience right now.

Mina looked up at him, still fearless, as if his abrupt change in attitude didn't affect her. And that alone was reflected in the words she uttered next.

"Enough to know you never unlocked yours. And you never will, as long as your brother still lives."

His face had become rigid, his jaws were clamped tight as his teeth ground against each other. He glared at her intensely, though yet again, she didn't seem to falter, as if anything he did now never got to her. That was perhaps the last straw.

_"You want to say that again?"_

Every one of her words stung only fueling the fire that burned inside of him. Every violated phrase was like gasoline to it, his fists began to clench and his jaw rooted. There was only oh-so more he could hear out of her mouth. Whether she knew it not, it didn't seem like she cared.

"Izuna was never supposed to live past that night and you know that. His eyes were meant to be his dying gift to you, but it never came to that either."

His temper was a slowly filling glass, once it overflowed, there was nearly nothing anyone could do. Right now, he was brimming. Fast. His eyes twitched as he had to listen to her tell him what he had already dreamed of and dreaded for most of his life.

Just as he was about to spit out a few scathing words of his own, the door to their bedroom opened with a bang.

The sliding doors slammed open with a force nearly shattering the wooden frames, cracks began appearing up the sides of the doorway. And at the center of it, stood a terse-looking Uchiha, identical to Madara in every way. Both pairs of heads shot straight to the door, eyes fixated on the individual who had just interrupted their soon to be argument.

Izuna was seething yet appeared to maintain his calm appearance. In spite of that, Madara knew his brother well. Knew him well enough to know that this was not a friendly visit on his part.

"We need to talk, brother."

* * *

"I would have expected more of you."

Madara was doing his best to ignore him, his very best but he couldn't help but feel that everyone was doing just the same to push his buttons today. Everyone. Including Izuna, who was currently following in his footsteps, as he was leading the way to his study. He was still incensed and hadn't fully gotten over his conversation with his dear wife. No one gave him the time to go every little thing she just said, he had no time to analyze her words, her reactions, but mostly, he couldn't tell what was about to happen.

Takayama's eyes were still missing, and he knew he couldn't doubt her words for much longer. A part of him knew he had to believe her, whether he wanted it or not.

"You are one to talk." He replied bitterly. As usual, his words had no effect on Izuna. His younger brother's footsteps could hardly be heard over the deafening sound of his own temperament.

"This isn't about me." Izuna was certainly not giving up easily, not this time. Then again, when had he ever given up?

"Shut up."

Both their voices echoed loudly across the halls, the anger in Madara's own was enough deterrent to anyone who still dared to linger somewhere along the corridors. Anyone who did, did so at their own risk. The tension surrounding both brothers was palpable, almost tangible. It wasn't far-fetched to think another fight was to break out between the twp. However, if anyone knew better, it would be the both of them, and what they knew was that this was perhaps not the best time to spar, albeit wanting to.

"No, maybe it's time for you to shut up." Izuna retorted, this was far from playful and Madara could almost taste the loathing his sibling was portraying. There was obviously something on his mind and he was quite eager to get it out, just in the privacy of the Uchiha leader's study.

To say Madara was ticked off would be a very understated opinion.

Once he arrived in front of his study, he shot the door open with the same force Izuna used back in his chamber, though this time, Madara didn't hold back. The thud of the impact reverberated across the hallway.

"Who knew that the one time she lets you slide up her skirt had you spilling our clan's secrets."

A gilded sword narrowly came thrown towards Izuna's direction, but Madara, well- Madara knew better, to some extent. When he turned around to meet his brother, he was met with a sardonic grin that couldn't encompass everything his second-in-command wanted to say, but it was wide enough to know he wasn't joking around anymore.

_"Watch it."_ The older brother warned. And he meant every word of it. His day was not going well.

At his cue, Izuna had slid the doors shut, much gentler than his counterpart, outlining how easy it was to jerk Madara's chains.

"Well nii-san, care to explain to me how she knows what she knows?"

_No, no I don't._

Now that both brothers were alone in the same room, there was nothing holding them apart, nothing holding them from going at each other's throats. Truth was, Madara didn't know how to answer. He hadn't told her something as ludicrous as that, odds were that she knew it all along, he just never bothered to ask her what she knew about his clan.

"I don't know, I haven't told her a thing." He replied, irritated at his brother's insinuations. He wasn't one to spill secrets simply because he found his way between a woman's legs. Not only was that simply not true, but also outright insulting. He wasn't weak and he refused to be degraded to such a disgraceful image of someone he could never be, not even when he was at his lowest. He wasn't a weak man.

"So, how do you think she came to know then?" Izuna repeated his question, although worded differently. He walked forward and Madara stepped backwards, preferring to keep something solid in between them. Like his desk, yes, his desk was perfect.

"I don't know."

Well, that wasn't fully right. A part of him did know. But the greater part of him was wise enough to know that he shouldn't tell another single living soul about it. What was there to tell anyways? That he may or may not believe that his wife isn't from this world? That he had bought into her fallacy? That she was in fact right, that this was not her world, that they were simply nothing more than fictional characters in her own? The more he thought about, the more crazier it sounded, the more crazier _he_  sounded and that frightened him. He could only imagine the looks he would get, he could already see it in his own brother.

They met each other's dark gazes and Madara could already see the distrust growing in Izuna's own, the judgments he could already feel. He might as well have been ostracized by his own clan, and that was one thing he did not want.

So, no. No, he didn't know how she knew some of the very hidden secrets of his clan.

"I don't believe you." Izuna said bluntly.

"And that's not my problem." As much as it hurt to hear those words, Madara had to remind himself that it was better this way. Better than being the subject of his clan's stigmatization, of his brother's estrangement. He took his seat and tried to calm himself before any more of his thoughts spiraled out of control.

"What has she done to you, Madara?"

For quite possibly the first time, Izuna seemed confused. Genuinely. He could see the expression on his face, partly concerned but mostly in awe. There really was no mistaking the two brothers, except for the fact that Madara looked far older than his age, while Izuna far preceded his own. Whereas Madara had etched dark circles under his eyes, Tajima's youngest son still had clear skin, soft as the day he was born. The effects of sleepless nights, burdened responsibilities and never-ending worries affected the clan head in more ways than one, more than it could have ever taken its toll on his brother.

Madara was tired. Exhausted and fatigued. There were never enough words to describe how shattered his body was, yet still craved training more than anything. There wasn't a moment he wouldn't pass to abuse his body, to train, train and train.

But it wasn't his body that was tiring him today, rather his mind.

What has she done to him?

Well, that was also one question he'd like to find the answer to.

As for the one he'd give...

"How would I know? Keep in mind, you're the only reason she was ever in my bed in the first place."

He didn't hesitate to point that out whenever he could, because while he probably did have a say on how things could have ended up, Izuna was the whole reason that this possibility could have become a reality. She would have never been an option had it not been for his little brother's stupid plan.

"And? Did that somehow incite you to warrant her to go somewhere you've banned most from entering?" He crossed his arms, hoping that he had caught his elder brother in a lie. Except, Izuna hadn't. Madara felt his temples throb as another migraine began to set in.

"I didn't. She broke in."

"Oh?" His brows arched. "And I suppose she was also able to read the contents of those scrolls, right?"

His nails began screeching against the wooden top, roughly carving into the desk. Izuna wasn't making this any better. As if he didn't already know that was certainly impossible, his younger immature brother felt the need to point it out.

"But that would be quite a feat, considering that she would have to activate her sharingans to read them, but well- she doesn't have one."

"I  _didn't_  translate them to her."

Because that was exactly what his brother was thinking. He just couldn't say it out loud, or maybe he could.

"Well, someone did."

_No, they didn't._

"Maybe."

Izuna was standing on pins and needles as much as Madara was, and was quite furious with his brother. He was simply a better man at not showing his rage, that was all. Though, standing before him as the other sat down, barely able to control his own temperament, he was slowly being provoked to do the same. Identical features nearly as stern as the other, it was getting tiresome having dead-locked answers thrown at him.

As for the man with the least sound mind in the room, he was always considering another possibility. If what she had said about Eiji was true, then perhaps he had translated it himself. Then again, Madara never recalled feeling another chakra signature besides his own that night. It made no sense to him. Before his brother had another chance to interject, Madara found it easier to task him with something would have done himself but didn't fully trust himself with.

"I need you to find Eiji."

"What?"

It was evident Izuna hadn't made the same jump in thoughts as he had, and was ready with new questions to hurl at him, judging from the confused look that he wore. Figuring that he would just himself the trouble of having to answer them all, he said;

"He was with her that night. I need you to find him and bring him to me."

_Then what?_

He wasn't sure what to do. Eiji had explicitly went against his orders, failed to report to him what he had wanted and completely went on with his own separate mission in mind. To say how intolerant he was of such behavior, would be a severe understatement to anyone who knew Uchiha Madara. Yet, he couldn't wait to sink his teeth into his damn skin. Especially after what he had found in the basement that night. Though, that would have to wait.

"You think he-"

"Maybe."

_Probably._

"Why would he even-"

"He was after Takayama's eyes." He said solemnly, the darkness evoked in his words were rather strange, although enough to ward off Izuna from asking any further questions. Or so he hoped.

"Weren't they destroyed back when-"

"No, and that isn't the issue right now, Izuna." Madara locked eyes with his brother, he could very well read the surprised expression on his face, but there was something else occupying his mind. He pulled out a dagger from his pockets. It had a leather tinted hilt, strewn by old strings. It was frayed and tattered, the tantō looked old and its blade was relatively blunt. But apparently not blunt enough not to pierce through flesh.

It had laid there on the clay floor, thrown to the side, next to a small puddle of blood.

Now, as it laid against his pale, large hands, the tip of its blade tainted a dark red that had dried over the days. But it wouldn't be far-fetched to think who it belonged to. Neither would the hand prints that stained the ladder. The more he looked at it, the clearer the scenario became in his mind.

"I need you to find out if it belonged to him."

There wasn't much doubt in his mind, even so, he needed to make sure. He tossed the dagger to Izuna to which he caught with ease. He continued to analyze the short knife as Madara continued on.

"Make sure he doesn't leave if he hasn't already."

It seemed that his brother caught the subtle implication for he recognized the look in Madara's eyes, it was as if he was looking in a mirror. One that didn't necessarily frighten him for once. It was unsettling enough that they had shared the same thoughts- on more than one occasion- but well- this situation in itself was disturbing. He watched as his younger brother tucked it way and silently gave up on whatever argument he thought was winning. The important thing was, Izuna had finally let go and was about to listen to him without questioning him for once.

"Fine."

And with that he left, leaving the older Uchiha alone in his own study.

Madara wasn't exactly sure what to make of this.

There were a lot of questions he still hadn't found the answers to, and this- he found- was starting to occur far too often for his liking.

He settled down in his chair and rubbed his tense shoulders, though it didn't matter how hard he would try, his muscles were pulled as taut as they ever were. He turned and looked out the window and saw nothing but white. Winter had come early and hard this year.

He could feel something was missing, yet couldn't name it.

His reflection was staring back at him from the fogged window, giving him a view of himself he hasn't seen in a while. And when he became wary of looking at something he wasn't liking, he tore his eyes away and gazed somewhere else.

The palm of his hands.

Where the pendant was not too long ago. He had left it with her. Simply because she had asked for it. He flexed his white knuckles and released his grip. Color began returning to his hand, to his fingers.

Unconsciously, he found that his thoughts were slowly returning to revolving around her. Why did she always have to find herself in these situations? His memories brought him back to the night in the woods with the Kaguya clansmen. She always found herself in the most confusingly stupid and not to mention dangerous situations there were. He just wished...he just wished that she could simply stay  _put._ What was so horrible about being an obedient wife? He couldn't understand. Why did the thought of her alone have to cause him these goddamn headaches?

Why couldn't she just live up to the perfect image of her that he had made up?

And then he remembered.

That wasn't who she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think you can spare a minute of your time to comment, that would be great.


	57. The End of the Beginning: Part One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part One ends next chapter.
> 
> Merry Christmas and Happy holidays!
> 
> Hope you all have a great new years.

 

_**Eiji's POV** _

Everything was the same and yet...

Everything was so different.

The winter trees stood naked as they had before, as they always had, though their roots curled in a distorted way, as if each tree in itself screamed in agony. The sky was but a mass of black ink stretched from horizon to horizon, not even the greatest of all moons was bright enough to illuminate this dark night. It wasn't just an ordinary January night, it wasn't an ordinary night at all. The wind was just as bitter as the day before, coming straight from the north, but the scent was of something else entirely, metallic almost, with a tinge of rotten verdure wafting through the air.

Though, that didn't quite bother him for he might as well have been blind. And he was. For now. The dark never bothered him anyways, this made no difference to him.

The only light in what might have been miles of thick forests was the one radiating from the lamp inside the cabin and in the midst of the pitch-black world, instead of letting small shafts of light through, it emitted an ethereal glow. Almost blinding. If he could see, that is.

But Eiji couldn't see. Not for a while more.

No one would have done what he just did, not alone anyhow.

He couldn't risk it with anyone else, he was the only person who he could trust with this, the only person who could carry it just as  _he_  wanted it, the way he wanted it.

It was like a graveyard, but quieter. In place of rows of dusty tombstones erecting from the ground at every turn- right and left-, were the same lifeless trees. Like a sea of the dead, but thicker and denser. They were crumbling with the withering of years upon years, just like the ashes of their grandfather's bones.

There, in the middle of nowhere at the heart of an obscure forest, stood a lonely cabin. Shambled and ready to fall to its own grave, it was his safe haven. Has been for years and will continue to be as long as it still stood in one piece.

Eiji had chosen the place carefully, he had to. There was no other choice for him. He had gotten what he had always sought, he had laid the bait back at the compound, and now...now, all he had to do was wait for it to show up. It was bound to, because it always did. This time was no different. Actually, it was.

He was different. He could feel it.

Eiji had always wondered how it would feel looking at the world through his father's eyes. He didn't have to wonder anymore.

_Just a while longer._

He repeated, trying to find the patience he was known for. At any given moment in the past, his patience had been a virtue, but now, well- he was once again trying to find that virtue. If he had to admit, he was having a difficult time finding it. A very difficult time.

Patience wasn't simply a matter of sitting and waiting.

It was foreseeing, it was envisioning.

It was looking at a shoot and seeing its flower, it was looking at the thorns and seeing its rose. It was looking up at the moon and seeing the halo of a sun.

But no matter, he had gotten what he wanted, now all he had to do was rest. Whatever time he had left, he would use it to his advantage.

The gloom of the wintry night crept into him like the damp into bare timber wood. It seeped into his skin, into his pores, oozing through his crippled veins and travelling to his heart which beat more morosely as each second he took his breath in this miserable world. Even the sounds of fluttering rain came to him as if echoing from deep within a well rather than from high up in the skies. Then from under the steady carpet of hazy clouds came a steady rush of rain that moved like a hail in chaotic directions, thick enough to dampen an old man's garments.

The sound of each drop rattling against the fragile windows was just as loud as each beat rattling against the cage inside his chest.

His pale and naked body shimmered in the dimly lit room. His lean and scrawny figure was adorned with scars, many of which still haven't healed to this day. Many of which he gained through battles, many of which were discolored and many of which were still hideously engraved into his body. His slender back was creased and furrowed as he arched forward. His bones jutting out ever so slightly, lining the curve of his spine. Under the thin sheet of the blanket, he laid, gripping onto the embroidered hem as he tried to tolerate the pain.

His body ached, his face numbed and his eyes burned; they burned badly. He hadn't quite expected this, but he was prepared for it. He knew that this was never meant to be an easy transition, that alone was all he ever needed to know. Everything else did not matter to him. Pain did not matter, his comfort did not matter, his health did not matter, nothing did. It was all but a means to a greater end. It may have been at his expense, though Eiji was blind to it, blind long before he had attempted to take in his father's eyes.

He hadn't just attempted, he had succeeded.

And  _that_  was all that mattered.

He could now feel...complete, the most that he had ever felt in years. The closest he had ever felt to his father, to his dead father who would surely be weeping in his grave had he been able to. But Eiji didn't mind, he knew what had to be done, and so he did it.

Who could possibly be worthier than him? Who was to take the old man's eyes if it weren't him? Was Eiji supposed to let them rot after all this time?

 _No_.

That was his answer.

There was no one worthier than the son, and certainly not one who was going to let something like this rot away in the grasp of the Uchiha. They had taken it a long time ago and for far too long- never bothered to destroy it for whatever reason they had had back then- and now, all he was doing was simply returning them back to its owner. Now, now his father could finally see the world again.

After all these years, his father can finally...see. Through him, he was finally able to give his old man what he couldn't have ever given him when he was alive. And unto death, Eiji finally did it. It wasn't out of pride, it wasn't self-delight either, it was...it was his gift to him. In his own way, he was finally able to gift his father what he had always wanted, even if it was too late.

He groaned. A pang of searing pain shot up his spine.

It was like a void. A dark void. A never ending dark void that consumed everything in its path, leaving him feeling like absolutely nothing. Empty. Nothing to subside his hollow soul that crept in the very own shadows that he cast, away from any other human life because it was the same emptiness that was so consuming, that it itself cannot bare to pretend that everything was okay.

Because, nothing was okay. People walked this earth day to day, pretending that everything was fine, that the world was dandy- even shinobi, who had seen their fair share of war would occasionally indulge in that same delusion for nothing more than the feeling of self-comfort-, and, just maybe, it really was.

He knew he was only alive from those same shadows that he cast, proven only when the sunlight hit his skin and noticed that he was there.

His limbs weren't lithe, his head wasn't wise, his heart wasn't pure. He was who he was and he came to accept that long ago.

The pitter-patter of the rain became louder, the howling wind was near-deafening, but what was perhaps the worst was the constant pounding against his chest. Eiji's breaths were labored and heavy as he barely took in gasps of air, sweat covered his forehead and smeared his body.

_Just a few more days._

He knew better than to fast-track his recovery, but well- what else could he have done? He was fairly certain the big bad wolf had sent his little minion of a brother out in search for him. The truth was, Izuna wasn't a bad pursuer at all, but Eiji was much better at hiding. If he didn't want to be found, then he wasn't going to be found. It was as simple as that.

No longer was the door open, no bright light came from the hallway.

No handle, no way out just as there was no way in.

Four concrete walls, a dilapidated wooden floor, a toilet with no paper and a bare mattress- this 'seclusion room' of a cabin was no better than a one man prison cell. A ragged gray blanket covered up to his hips with the fabric distressed by so much wear yet still rough. There was nothing to hold his mind or attention. Outside this room could be anything, anyone. But he knew there wasn't. There wasn't an animal that dared come out in the midst of the harsh winter when food was scarce, when the coldness was bitter and when the deadly silence was throttling.

There was nothing even to mark time, nothing but that one window. Would someone come for him, if they could? In five minutes or five hours? Would he know the difference?

He gripped the dainty sheets as firmly as he could do a glass of water. The pain had an unpleasant warmth to it, it was burning, eating away at his stomach as if a branding iron had been placed over his abdomen. He had always prized himself in often ignoring pain and just walking on regardless, but that wasn't possible right now. It owned him for however long it lasted. It was scorching his innards better than boiling water ever could.

His mind tried to scream it out as it radiated further up his body to the only place where it all started.

He wanted it so badly. He wanted it in his hands, between his fingers, where he could see it, watch it, touch it. But that was never going to happen. Never. No matter how hard he tried, it would always slip by. And that was why the wait had been so grueling. That was what was truly painful.

He had made a mistake. A potentially costly one. He should have waited until she came out into the hall, with the jar in her hands. Certainly, he could have never been sure that she wouldn't just place it back and pretend that nothing had happened. But he liked to think that he knew her. A strange specimen, she was. Despite all logic pointing that she would have returned the eyes simply for her safety, yet she never followed logic.. Therefore, all her actions would have rather followed an illogical path. He actually believed she was stupid enough to come up with the glass jar and demand an explanation from Madara. Had that been the scenario, Eiji's most sensible action would have been to confront her when she stepped a foot outside those archive doors.

That was what he had planned, though he had to admit, impatience had gotten the better of him, and because of that he may have permanently sealed his fate.

One thing he could never do, was step a foot inside. The seals within would have tracked him, identified his own chakra signatures. He would know, he had created them himself. Even so, no one was allowed to be in there, including him. As for her and her lack of obedience to common rules, she could easily come in and go as she pleased. She would have never been identified seeing that she had no signatures to give off. That was the one element that he had been depending on since the start, her peculiarity served her well. And him, too.

He had always been watching and listening to her on the other sides of the door, he was able to sense her presence by the sounds of her mere footsteps. And as she had gotten ready to leave, he too had been caught by surprise. It seemed that her feet had found something.

That had been the turning point for him. Deep down, he knew that she had found it. As opposed to Eiji, who had spent the majority of his adult life pondering where his father's eyes could have been hidden. They were no longer out of sight. The moment he heard that trap door open, he knew there had been a secret chamber built within. All the more affirming his theory, there must have been something of great importance if Madara felt the need to lock it away from the rest of the archives. He hadn't need to think a second longer- although he should have- because as of now, he had no idea whether his presence underground could have been detected. He had sincerely hoped not, but even then, it didn't matter. She would end up telling the Uchiha Clan Head what had happened and he would undoubtedly believe her. He was involved, and his name would surely not escape her lips, nor her mind. And so, she deserved a gift, a special present that she had always longed for.

He hoped that she was at least grateful for the little memorabilia he had left hanging on the door knob. The wicked part of him couldn't hide his smirk a moment longer. Though, as quickly as it had appeared, it had vanished.

Eiji shifted to the side, moving his muscles as he tried to relieve the stress, they were stiff and rigid, almost impossible to move without tearing one. He hadn't been bedridden for far too long, though the pain certainly didn't help it. With each agonizing move, he cursed and cursed. His body was in overheat, yet the room he was in couldn't have been more opposite. With each labored breath came out as condensed fogs, wispy just like a cloud. He didn't need to see it to know. He pulled the blanket closer while he remained in a sitting position, hunched over the rest of his body.

He stretched his hands to the left, slowly. He let his fingertips wander until he came in contact with the cold wooden surface of the night stand. The piece of wood was no more than a couple of planks nailed by the edges, it was far from being sturdy. He knew it was somewhere close. He kept feeling the rough surface, inch by inch until he finally found it. A small mirror. He grasped its rusted handle and slid it towards him gently as to not get scraped by the untainted glass. The pain was increasing in waves, with each peak robbing him of his voice and each lull promising him relief that never lasts. All that he was able to do was writhe, his occasional whimper bouncing off the walls of the empty room as an echo.

He would be lying to himself if he said that he was sure of what he was doing, because he was not.

He brought the mirror closer and laid it over his lap. Eiji's other free hand made its way to his face, brushing the scar that lined the side of his chin up until his temple. He found the seam of the bandages that he had used. They were bloody and soggy, they needed to be changed.

The weather outside only seemed to be deteriorating more and more. The pitter patter of rain was long gone, replaced by the harsh knocks of small pellets. It had to be hail, or so he thought. The howling of the winds only seemed to get louder, rougher, colder. Still unable to tear down the centuries old trees. If he could, he would uncover the curtains and watch as the night turned to day, with not a moment to spare.

Eiji began removing the first strand cautiously, careful not to touch his throbbing head.

One stained strand after another, he stripped them off. Slowly revealing himself. The anticipation was a nervous kind of energy, a different kind altogether. Mixed feelings of excitement and dread, with uncertainty taking the throne.

Yet, he couldn't keep his hands from trembling ever so slightly, and it surely wasn't because of the cold.

_One left to go._

He raised the broken shard of glass that he used as a mirror with his free hand. Everything came to a halt at that moment. Everything. Silence itself couldn't be heard, as it ever could have.

It was there, finally...

And for the first time in days, Eiji opened his eyes.

* * *

_**Mina's POV** _

_What has happened to me?_

No matter how many times I keep asking myself that question, I couldn't come up with a legitimate answer. Was there even one, anyways? I was beginning to seriously doubt that.

_How long has it been? Two days?_

Four since I was put down by that tear gas or something of the sort. Two since Madara ordered everyone not to let me out of this room.

_Yes, that seems just about right._

The thing was...

This seemed way too familiar. I know we went through this before, why was he insisting about it? One would think Madara would learn by now that I don't take no as an answer. Why did it always have to come down to this? He was such a stubborn man, very stubborn. And for some reason, that resonated within me.

No matter, that wasn't the issue right now.

The issue right now, was how to get out of this goddamn room. I waited a few days, I played nice, but this was getting to be  _just a little_  too much. Sitting here on the edge of the bed, I contemplated on my next flamboyant escape plan, completely disregarding the same idiotic behavior that got me into this situation in the first place.

_Well, not completely._

I do remember exactly how I got here.

And it angered me more than it frightened me. How could it not? The man had every intentions of killing me and leaving me to rot down there so as long as he got what he wanted. And what did I do? I was pathetic, absolutely useless as I let him step over me. Eiji was merciless, that much was clear, pretty clear for a while now. Despite trying my best to try and avoid him at all cost, well- it seemed that my best just wasn't good enough. He would always find a way of showing up in the most unexpected times. Why?

I hadn't a clue. I won't ever, either. Not that I would want to.

I clenched my fists, gripping the pendant in my palms as I looked down at the piece of familiar jewelry.

 _This wasn't right._ There was no longer a speck of doubt in my mind that he would even hesitate to kill me in a fraction of a second. Which was relatively odd. If he had wanted me dead, he could have just left that Hyuuga to take care of me. That would have been proven easy enough and he would never have needed to lay a single finger on me, he wouldn't have had blood on his hands. But he didn't. I couldn't decide whether it was because his father had still been alive at that time or that he simply needed me alive for something else.

My gut was screaming the latter.

However, that was it. I never trusted my guts. Not anymore. It always managed to lead me down paths I probably shouldn't. Then again, I didn't need my guts and intuitions to do that, I do that just fine without any of my inklings. Which can be easily proven by my idiotic decision to scavenge the damn library- one that I should have probably left alone.

But I didn't. And now, I'm here.

"Breathe..."

Closing my eyes, I tried to regain the same calmness that I had not long ago. Which was seemingly impossible as long as my brain was awake and functioning. I groaned, knowing there wasn't a way out of this that didn't end up with me in some sort of trouble with Madara. As usual. I was beginning to think something was wrong with me. Had to be. The tension never left my limbs, I felt as though my muscles were pulled taut from the constant strain. It was tiring, though admittedly, not as tiring as waking up from a two day slumber. I hadn't seen Madara since yesterday, today marked the second day in which I was stuck here. Somehow.

_Not for long._

As I got ready to stand, I heard a light echo bounce off the floor. I realized that I had let go of the pendant a while ago. I bent down to pick it up. It felt uncanny. Eerie even. It was a long silver chain with concentric circles interlocking, attached in the middle and a small red rock embedded right in the center. Yes, it was a pitch perfect carbon copy of mine, if it wasn't already the original. Except, a part of me couldn't help but doubt it.

The last time I could perfectly recall having mine with me, was right before leaving for Hashirama's wedding eons ago. It was there, with me, in my hands, as Sora tailored a kimono for me. That memory was forever stuck in my mind, the only concrete memory that I could recall. Anything after and I was unsure if I even had it. It was safe to assume, I had lost it that night.

Which meant Sora had held onto it. That had to be it. Because, if it weren't so, why would Madara seek me out personally and accuse me of leaving it at some grave site where a bunch of Uchiha defectors were murdered? I didn't question Madara's words, what I did question was how it even got there in the first place. Not only that, he had offered me the necklace as proof. Later that night, when that Kaguya freak had taken me- or rather, Zetsu- he had stolen the pendant from me. For a reason, and only now did I understand it. Black Zetsu had always been after the stones. Yet, he had left it, according to Madara. Which wasn't right, he would have never left it so restlessly unless it was...it was fake.

What Madara had offered me earlier on was a false one, all the while, he had kept the real one with him.

I fell to the bed, my back hitting the mattress with a loud thud. All this thinking was driving me mad. I laid down, hair splayed across the sheets as I looked up at the ornate ceiling.

Back then, he had never trusted me to give me the actual pendant, that had been obvious.

Still, the only reason the Kaguya clansman even knew of it, wasn't actually from Zetsu, but from Sora herself. He said so himself.

_**[...]** _

_"I apologize for the delay. My daughter had given it to me but there seemed to have been an accident. I believe we are settled now."_

Or something like that. She had tried to incriminate me by giving to her father as he slayed those travelling Uchiha. Either that, or the man had foolishly forgotten it at the slaughter site. It was probably the latter. In fact, it was the latter. Again, he had admitted shamelessly.

**_[...]_ **

_"Let me go! Wait! What are you-"_

While it was a blast strolling down the horrors of memory lane, I knew I couldn't just stay put for long. I had to do something. Anything. With enough determined will, I had managed to get my body to recoil just in time before he grabbed my left breast. As expected, he became angered at my sudden reluctance. His response was slightly more violent as he seized the collar of my kimono with his right hand while the left roamed over my body roughly. As if searching for something and it became increasingly apparent as to what it was. His fingers found it as they untied the sash and located the necklace hidden between the inner foldings of the robe. He ripped open the cloth and snatched the necklace.

"Hmm. I knew I would come to find it again. I will admit we made a mistake by dropping it back at the Honshu, but here we are." His smile turned feral. I couldn't hold back my horror anymore. Bits and pieces of information began to make sense. I wasn't quite there yet but I was sure this man was a person of interest in Madara's hit list. He stood up and tossed my pendant towards the figure that remained in the darkness. He caught it and as he did, I caught a glimpse of his arms. They looked anything but human. Like an extension of his shadow. Nothing but..matter. Physical matter.

"I apologize for the delay. My daughter had given it to me but there seemed to have been an accident. I believe we are settled now." This man, who was unusually dressed like a member of the Kaguya clan, spoke to his counterpart.

_**[...]** _

_Oh yes, how could I ever forget that night?_

I could feel my heart race as more details came back rushing to me. From the disgusting feel of his gnarly fingers untying my kimono, to the endless stare at a black entity that will come to never leave me alone.

Madara had returned  _my_  original pendant later on, I know he did. Though, things only got confusing when Eiji had come out of nowhere with a second version of the necklace. Yes, that was right. Just before Black Zetsu had quite literally haunted my sleep. And snatched my pendant.

Mine was gone. I knew that now.

Meaning the one I was holding in my hands was the copy Eiji came with.

I couldn't help but notice, holding it right above me, swinging in the air, that it too, was changing color. The first time I had seen it, it was a gorgeous flaming orange while mine had been a midnight blue. I had no suspicions now, that the scarlet color in my palms would soon morph into a magenta-like, before its shade slowly darkens to violet then blue and finally, black. It was going to turn black just like mine.

I sighed heavily, the confusion still weighing me down.

Attempting to pull myself up, I unwittingly pulled another muscle, which had me whimpering in pain. Sitting back down at the edge, I hunched over as I patted my lower back. I groaned.

"Why does this always have to happen to me, urgh."

I never considered myself to have always had good luck, but I never had damaging luck either. I was just, just a normal person. I wasn't favorited by fate, nor was I cursed. I was me. That was all there was to it. Until I fell to this strange, strange world. Then it was one hit after the other, as if I didn't deserve a break.

Maybe I didn't.

For all the shit I had put people through, maybe this was my own special kind of hell. Just for me.

For everyone that I had mistreated, for everything that I had taken for granted all my life, I regret it. I regret that I couldn't even say goodbye to my brother, to my parents. To my friend, the only one that mattered in a sea of mindless morons, and perhaps that was what I had regretted the most. Unlike the bond of a family, my friendship was one that I chose, one that I had built and one that I should have cared for. Maybe Mary knew what I meant, maybe she understood. I hope she did, anyways.

_I wonder if they still remember me._

I hope they did too. If only one person did, I would still be content with that. That was enough for me. I just wanted someone to know that I had existed, that I hadn't breathed for nothing, that my heart hadn't beat for nothing, that I hadn't lived for nothing. Maybe some part of me was still engraved somewhere back in my world.

Without realizing, I had been clenching the red skirt of my hakama rightly, wrinkling and creasing it. There were minuscule stains, so light they were almost imperceptible. They kept appearing, dots scattered randomly until I traced their source. I had no idea tears had began to fall, so suddenly too. I quickly dried them and got up.

I needed to get my shit together.

I silently took in a deep breath and counted down from three. Once, twice, until I was satisfied that I didn't look like I had bawled my eyes out. Now, I had a reason to get out. I had something to do, and it was to return this lovely pendant to its rightful owner, or its thief, whichever. Because it was not mine, it didn't belong to me and I wanted nothing to do with it.

Eiji had purposely left it out there on the knob for a reason, he knew I would take it. He was hoping that I would take it, he was right. However, I had it with always proving him right, it was time that I stopped playing by his books. I began walking to the door, ready to deal with the same guard who had been standing there since yesterday. I just hoped to hell and high heavens that it wasn't the same shinobi that I had duped the first time I sneaked down to the basement.

_I guess I just have to find out for myself._

I slid the doors open gently and peeked out.

Who else but who I had been dreading stood there, motionless and cynical with a mop of red hair, though technically it was no brighter than dirty orange. I cursed under my breath as I tried to come up with an elaborate excuse for him to fall for it again.

"Hi-"

_"Get in."_

"Okay. Bye."

I slid the doors closed and pretended as if that hadn't just happened. What was his name again? Jiro, was it? That was what Yuna had told me once. The same man who was meant to watch over me last time, was now watching me again. He was quite angry, rightfully so. I was assuming he got a mouthful from Madara the last time around when he had let me wander around, or not so much  _let me_  as much as it was getting tricked by me. What mattered was, well- he had no tolerance for me right now and I shouldn't take my chances on him.

_Well, Mina, what to do now? Hmm.._

As I stood leaning against the doors, there was only one thing in sight.

A window.

Whereas a hypothetical bulb should have shone bright within my head, something much more louder rang. A bright red alarm warning me that this was not one of those times. Yet, it always came in handy. Did I learn from my mistakes?

I'd like to think so. How often? That was up for debate, but for now, I needed to get rid of this necklace. I wasn't going to let Eiji use me as bait. If he wanted to catch Black Zetsu's attention, he could very well do that on his own. I was not a sacrificial piece up for fulfilling his avenging goals.

Was that not what he wanted? Revenge for his parents?

Eiji was a capable man, very cunning and smart, and what better way to bring forth a predator without offering it a bait? Zetsu wanted the stones, and the stones were what he was getting.

Not if I had a say in it.

Finally making up my mind, I walked over to the window. Only one person could help me right now, and I was thankful that his room wasn't too far off.

* * *

I knocked on his window. It was quite cold out here. Actually, it was very cold. Seeing that I was barefoot, but that was alright. Kagami would open soon. Hopefully. I knocked again, hoping to god that he was in there. My breaths were just as chilly, though it stung just to take in air. My throat was dry, and my limbs; numb. But I kept knocking anyways, even when my knuckles were white from the cold. It wasn't until a few moments later that I heard shuffling inside the room.

_Come on Kagami._

As I waited for the little Uchiha boy to come to my rescue, I hugged myself tightly and rubbed my thighs together in an attempt to keep whatever warmth there was inside my body. My teeth clattered as my jaws shivered. In less than a second, a pair of pale hands were wiping the glass windows, droplets of water condensed over the smooth surface were being wiped hastily as the boy's features became clearer. It was nonetheless foggy. He narrowed his eyes once he recognized me.

_"Mina-chan, is that you?"_

His squeaky voice could barely be heard across the double plated panels. I nodded eagerly.

"Yes, it's me, now open up Kagami."

Without a second longer, the child was already unlatching the locks. And soon after, the windows were slowly being risen, allowing some of the heat inside to radiate out and giving me a peak of what I desperately needed. I helped him with the heavy set windows, and started to squeeze my way in. In my haste, the hem of my skirt caught on the railings but I quickly untied it as I found myself craving more of the heat within. Almost immediately after I entered, I shut the windows closed and sighed.

"What were you doing out there?" He couldn't wait to ask. I turned to face a wide-eyed, beautiful little boy. His black hair always in a disarray and his little stout nose red as a little known reindeer.

"I came to talk to you, silly." I faked a smile as I tried to regulate my breaths.

"But didn't Madara-sama say you can't leave your room?" Kagami questioned, obviously puzzled by my presence.

_Crap, he knows, too?_

By his reaction alone, it wasn't hard to figure out that my dear husband had probably warned the whole household, which consequently meant everyone would be on the lookout and I would have to be more careful. This was great. Fantastic. Marvelous. Exquisite!

 _Goddammit Madara!_ He always knew how to counteract my stupidity. No wonder he didn't just barricade the windows, he didn't need to. The whole house was on alert.

"He...he did. But he doesn't need to know that." I crouched down to meet the boy eye to eye. He was skeptical and I understood that. I already felt horrible that I was getting him into this whole mess. I should have just stayed put.

"This is our little secret, okay?" I whispered and winked, trying to get him to loosen up a bit. Apparently, he wasn't buying into it. Understandable.

"Are you feeling alright, Mina-chan?" Kagami had his guards on. It was odd seeing him like this, it had been a long time since I've seen him so guarded. I gripped his shoulders gently and tried to comfort him. I wasn't sure if I was actually helping the situation or unknowingly making it worse.

"Of course, I'm fine, thank you."

 _Was I?_ Physically, I felt great. Mentally, well- it was hard to tell. I just didn't feel like I was up to par. But that was okay, I was living under the impression that everyone here around me was seemingly below par. Who was to say an individual was more in touch with reality than another? If that was the case, then I was perhaps the one overstepping my boundaries.

"Kagami, I need to ask you something and I would appreciate it if it was left between us, okay?"

He seemed to hesitate, even if for a moment. I could still tell.

"Alright, I guess." He agreed. I still didn't feel right.

"Do you know Eiji?" I started off with something simple, I needed to be sure he knew who he was. He didn't answer straight away, he seemed to ponder about it.

"I..I think so." He paused. "He's the one with the beard, no?"

I smiled.

"Yeah, him." There was practically no one else within the confines of this compound that was growing a beard that large, if at all.

"Do you know where he lives?"

While that may have sounded less than suspicious in my mind, it surely didn't when I said it out loud. Kagami's suspicions grew, boy, he never missed a thing, did he? Before he even had time to think on whatever assumptions his mind was taking, I needed to shut them down.

"You see, I have something that belongs to him and I just want to give it back."

Well, I wasn't lying. I did have something to give back.

"Uhm...well our shinobi have a place of their own, there's a small housing for them that's right next to this house."

_Huh, interesting._

"Would you like me to show you where it is?" He offered but I couldn't accept, I just couldn't drag him further into something like this. It wasn't fair to him.

"No, no it's okay. I'm sure I'll find it. I just need you to stay here."

And now the poor child was confused. This was awful.

"Alright, well if you want to know, you could just go from outside. And walk left until you reach the beginnings of a forest. There's a small lodging place there." He pointed to the window and into the west-ward direction where the supposed homestead of some of the shinobi stood.

"Okay, thank you Kagami." I gave him a soft peck on the cheeks and thanked him. Before I stood and left, I said;

"I really appreciate it. And if you can, please don't tell anyone, especially Madara-sama."

_He'll kill me if he knew._

* * *

_**Tobirama's POV** _

There was something odd about this particular memory. Otherwise, why would it keep him awake at this time of night? Or day. He couldn't tell, Tobirama had shut the curtains closed.

_**[...]** _

"...Yes, but I want you,  _in person,_  to do it. No one else is up for this." His aniki was this close from blowing his fuse.

"With good reason! And you're willing to waste  _my time_  and  _my abilities_  on something as ridiculous as this?" He turned to face his brother.

"My wedding is not ridiculous." Hashirama spoke solemnly. "I had thought this would be a show of good faith and that you would at least like to know how Izuna was doing." Tobirama was about to interject but the elder Senju raised a finger, signaling him to keep quiet.

"Yes I know, it has been a while since that battle but they still harbor a grudge against you for killing Izuna. Or attempting to. Also, probably for your open and hostile antagonism towards them but that's not my issue right now, hm. If you are  _that_  against going there then I'm sure I could find someone else." Hashirama began to walk away, in the opposite direction of the younger brother's room.

...

_And this was how I found myself carrying yet another invitation to the Uchiha._

Guilt-tripping. That was new. Hashirama had only begun doing that recently, so Tobirama couldn't develop an immunity to it just yet. But he chose to take this situation to be a very-well taught lesson to learn from.

_Never, never let him get the upper hand._

Touka, his cousin, and him were nearing in on the compound. When he informed Hashirama that he decided to go,  _reluctantly_ , the clan leader beamed of joy. He even knocked down the chair he was sitting on when he shot up and went to hug Tobirama. He dodged it thankfully. He wasn't in the mood to be strangled by the 6'6 man. Apparently, Hashirama had already assigned Touka for that task before he told him of his decision but he certainly didn't object to having one more to go. He must have been rejoiced that his new persuasive method worked this time. On Tobirama nonetheless. Everyone in the house must have heard the news because Touka couldn't hold herself back from pointing it out.

"He managed to convince  _you_  out of all people? I can't believe it." Her laugh really got to him this time. He himself couldn't understand how he could fall to Hashirama's trick. It was inconceivable in his mind. Tobirama had long since began regretting this decision. They were leaping from tree to tree in matters of seconds, bouncing off their branches one instant only to land on others the moment after. They were going at full speed, meaning they could reach there in approximately five hours if they didn't stop for a break. And they didn't.

He liked Touka. She was smart. And like him. She understood him better than anyone else, aside from his brother of course. People often compared her to a hyena due to her angular chin and her overall appearance. But Tobirama couldn't find a fault in her. She certainly would have had no trouble landing a man, however it was her choice not to. Not at the moment anyways, or so she said. She preferred to be on the battlefield, next to her cousins and comrades. Tobirama was grateful such a woman existed because in times of war, they needed all the help they could get.

"Boy, if you fell for that, then what chances do we others have?!" She was still laughing at Tobirama's expense. He didn't like it but he wouldn't want to pick a fight with her. She was still a woman and had her ways of taking her revenge. He had seen it in action before and well, he would rather  _not_  see it firsthand.

"I got it. I messed up. I will get back at him, do not worry about that." He finally replied after having stayed silent most of the journey.

"Come on, we're almost there." They lunged down and landed on the soft ground. It was wet. It had been raining a lot recently. But there was sun today. Tobirama looked up and stared at the sky. He saw a flock of birds flying together in an ordered pattern, towards the southbound direction. It would be winter soon enough, it was time for them to find a warm climate.

They started walking down the pathway, taking their time after having ran most of the way here. It would take around thirty minutes to arrive there with the pace they were going at.  _We should arrive on time. Unannounced that is._  The Uchiha had no idea that they were coming, so he didn't know what to expect.  _Hopefully, not the worst._

"So, how do you envision this would end?" She asked him, her voice a bit raspy. It seemed that she too was pondering the same consequences.

"It's hard to say."

"You think he'll try to set you on fire again?" She was referring to the time Izuna did precisely that.

"Maybe." He couldn't predict what Izuna could do this time. "Maybe he'll burn his clan to the ground this time." He added.

She chuckled. They continued walking into the forest in silence. As they were getting closer, Tobirama could hear a voice in the distance. He sensed a good amount of chakra coming from that direction. Touka must have sensed it too since she also stopped in her tracks. He brought a finger up to his lips and made the signal to scatter. They retreated up to the trees and each of them followed the trail of chakra from opposite directions. Tobirama saw that he was being led to a clearing in the center of the forest.

_A river?_

As he got nearer he heard a beautiful voice. It was appealing and vibrant.  _Fruity?_ Delicate just like the echoes of silver bells. She was singing. He was mesmerized at how melodious it sounded. Tobirama could finally see who the owner of that voice was as he stood above them.

_That woman._

And it looked like she was carrying a small child over her shoulders. They were walking towards that river.

"... _Ain't no mountain high, ain't no valley low, ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you baby._

_If you need me, call me. No matter where you are. No matter how far. Don't worry baby. Just call my name, I'll be there in a hurry, you don't have to worry..."_

He now stood facing them. The smiles they both had were now gone and replaced by astonishment at the sudden appearance of two ninjas before them. This was the woman he saw before, the one with no chakra. That means the chakra he sensed earlier must have been from  _the boy? That amount?_  Sure, it wasn't a great deal but it was still too much for someone his age.  _He couldn't be more than what...five, six?_

 _"_ Hi there." The woman began and smiled politely. They were now near the clearing. That seemed to be their destination after all. She was still holding onto the kid more tightly now as he had wrapped his legs around her shoulders. She held him the same way his father once had him and his siblings over his shoulders, playing. The only good memory he had before he started sending them off to war, one by one. She had that maternal instinct to try and protect the child from strangers. _Was he hers?_

They looked nothing alike. She had beautiful brown curly locks framing her face while his was short and tousled, the color of midnight. Her hair had grown longer since the last time he saw her. Her wide and caramel eyes were round and decorated with heavy eyelashes. While the boy's was almond shaped and equally as dark as his hair. He was definitely Uchiha. Just by the looks of it and not the crest on the back of his high collared dark shirt.  _Was he really hers though?_

**_[...]_ **

Yes, it was odd. Very odd. Then again, everything that happened afterwards eclipsed this moment in terms of..well, oddity. That first-  _second_ \- interaction was simply the beginning of a long line of events that would have his head running around in circles. It paled in comparison. A chain of events, really. Did he welcome it? No. Did it still happen regardless of what he wanted? Most definitely.

He sighed.

Tobirama laid on his bed, unable to nap for the fifth time that week. He shut his eyes, hoping that sleep would come to him once he stopped chasing it. Not a moment had passed before-

_No. It doesn't seem like it's coming._

He opened them and contemplated aimlessly in the dark room.

It seemed so empty, yet was completed with furniture and schemes, his armors and weapons. There was this solitude attached to it that the albino had always rejoiced in, but now...it looked like that solitude was turning its back on him. It was lonely. Empty. Quiet. Certainly not as welcoming.

_What an awkward thought._

He never thought he would be betrayed by his own thoughts, or sentiments for that matter. Well, it was too late to stop it now. He heard a knock at his door and the sound of a woman. A housemaid calling out for him. He shook his head violently, driving those thoughts and memories away until they were no more than fleeting bits of images.

"I'm coming." He replied hoarsely. He straightened his toned body and flexed his muscles as he stood up. Grabbing the nearest yukata in sight, he headed straight for the doors.

"Yes?" He answered curtly, welcoming this unannounced interruption more than he liked or cared to admit. The young Senju woman bowed to him respectfully.

"Stand." Tobirama ordered her, wanting to see more of the same brown curls that graced her head. He looked down at her as he waited for her message. She never kept eye-contact, not now and never before. He doubted she'll ever do it anyways.

"Hashirama-sama summons you. He's holding a meeting regarding the states of the Uzumaki residing here." She informed him in the most monotonous voice he had ever heard. There was a second of delay as if she awaited his response. It took him even less to realize it.

"I see. Tell him I'll be there." He told her, silently dismissing her. She nodded and bowed slightly before leaving.

He slid the doors closed and stepped back into his room. Just when he thought things were settling down...

* * *

_**Mina's POV** _

The crystalline ice melts just a little in my open palms, enough for my fingers and hands to be wet. It was deep though, there was no way I can get through it that way. Already, my skin felt as chilled as it does when I rearrange the freezer back at home.

I clenched and unclenched repeatedly to get the blood flowing again and hid them under the cloak- that I had unfortunately borrowed from Kagami- to warm up. I took a step back. I was back at the same place, the same place where Madara had found me no more than a week ago, the little clearing with the bloody camellias and the perfectly white snow. It was as if that scene had been preserved in time for nothing has changed. It was just as beautiful, just as mesmerizing as when I was last here.

I hummed as I stood my ground, wandering aimlessly. I didn't want to go back just yet, even if they were beginning to suspect my absence. I just wanted to breathe, I wanted to be out, not cooped up in a little nest Madara thought will protect me from god knows what. It was already past noon, surely they had better things to do than monitor me. Right?

I didn't believe it, I didn't have to. I just didn't want to think about anything. At all.

It was a longer way around the woods to get there, but I arrived in one piece, so that much I was glad for. Sometimes, it was better to just watch and feel mother nature rather than having to think why she does what she does. I felt the wintry winds as a numbness and that to which they taught me to stay warm inside. I felt the sharp rocks as a whisper to which they taught me to walk lightly. And for those distant times the clouds showered me with their lukewarm rain, I let it remind me of the many tears I held back by walking these ways, whether in this world or the next... It made me move all the move faster. To always head forward and to never look back, no matter how hard it was not to.

_Right, head forward. Always forward._

And here I was, isolated. Unable to tolerate my own thoughts. Was this what fate had in store for me? Because it genuinely sucked. But above all, it hurt. It hurt so much.

"I guess this is it, hmm." I said to no one in particular, the tired tone of my voice came echoing back at me from deep within the obscure forest.

At this point, I saw nothing more than fitting than to give up. Just like I did back at the library, when my eyes burned and my migraine tore me down.

All I could recall was that center-piece. The one with Kaguya. Or the Rabbit Goddess, more colloquially.

_At the center, she sat, the creases of her robe smoothed by the artist's brush, the wrinkles of her violet-cuffed sleeves non-existent by their creator's hands. Her pose, reminiscent of a Buddha statue, spoke of great nobility, of magnanimity and altruism, of self-imposed aristocracy. The tips of my fingers couldn't help but dare to touch the surface of the rough parchment, immediately pulling away once it touched her image. I couldn't, I couldn't do it._

_Her eyes. They were translucent, milky against the sheet yet fading into the shades of her flawless skin. She looked...beautiful. Strangely alluring, like the temptations of a forbidden fruit. I was in awe, deeply so. The outlines of her round eyebrows were barely visible but were enough so as to one distinguish it from her forehead._

_At its heart laid a third eye, red like the blood of man, of mortals. It opened wide, oh-so wide, engulfing everything that dared lay its sight on it. Tomoes beyond count tainted the scarlet orb. The same tomoes were reflected upon the surface of the moon she held in her arms, in her embrace, like a blossoming lotus. Her darkened lips were taut, just as the horns that graced her head. Sprouting from the mop of sheer white hair were two wooden horns, curved it its top while her strands fell to the infinite abyss beneath her._

_Four pairs of hands extended from her back, rotating and forming a large halo, like that of the sun. The eight arms, each and single one held a piece of shining stone, each one running into a hypnotic circle. My eyes couldn't keep up, I leaned down and squinted my eyes to take a better look at the stones in her hands. There were eight, while the ones that held the moon in their grasp were devoid of any stones._

Yes, the eight stones.

Just like the one I hung over Eiji's knob, I do not usually return presents but I couldn't resist with this one. There were eight in total. All of which could have come straight from the Chakra Fruit she had bitten from. However, I still couldn't know. All I knew was that she had never eaten the fruit wholly, what happened to the rest wasn't explicitly known, not to me at the very least.

_Fuck._

I promised myself that I wouldn't think, yet unwittingly, I found my mind revolving around the white-haired beauty. That was what she was, she was beautiful. Though, certainly deadly from what it seemed.

_Urgh._

This snow wasn't helping my thoughts. I looked up one last time and saw a gloomy and saddened sky, ready to burst once again. I felt sad for it, I would weep if I could, weep with the rain. To become one with it, for nothing more than comfort, like a warm blanket swaddling a young child. I exhaled deeply, watched as my breaths took form before vanishing in thin air.

This was my cue to leave. And leave I did. As I made my way around, I was immediately stopped dead in my tracks.

_"I see you didn't enjoy my gift."_

_..._

_You_ -

I turned to look up at a condescending Eiji sitting high up in a tree.

If I hadn't already blown most of my anger gradually within the last few days, I would have certainly had it in me to blow it now. It would have been searing hot, in fact it still was. If it could, it would melt the snow beneath me. How dare he show his face? Wasn't it a little too soon? I kept my mouth shut, waiting for the man to speak. I could only glare at him, yet I was more fascinated with his lack of concern at the moment. And his eyes. I looked up at him, at them, at their grandeur. But they were pitch black unlike before, and yet they seemed absolutely different while exuding the same menace. Something was off and I knew what it was. The intensity in his stare was overwhelming, insufferable. To think that he would do that to his own father, it made me sick to the core.

"The silent treatment, is it?" He quirked a brow before adding playfully, "Has no one ever taught you that returning a gift is quite rude?"

If Madara could sense him, well- I wouldn't want to imagine what would happen. As far as I knew, Madara was a bit more than furious and was looking forward to a great talk with Eiji. Or so I have heard. Then again, Eiji was never the stupid kind, so he knew Madara must not be able to sense him from this distance. Or whatever excuse he can come up with.

"Has anyone ever taught you that stabbing a person and stranding them in a ditch is quite ruder?"

"No." He answered casually.

"Is that so?" I retorted with as much disgust as I could. I had no idea that he had gotten back so soon, I didn't even want to know what he had done to the pendant.

He stepped down with a single soundless leap, his footstep imprinting perfectly into the blank snow covered ground. Now would be the perfect time to leave, I had learned enough that I shouldn't be around this man in a confined space, alone, for more than a minute, if only for the sake of my safety. Firmly, I turned back and headed straight to the house. Partly out of fear, but mostly so I could alert someone though the fat chances of Eiji not running away until then were quite slim.

"Do you have nothing else to say?" He taunted. I wanted nothing more than to shout back at him but I reigned myself in.

_Keep walking forward, remember?_

I could feel the rage spiking within me, slowly creeping up my neck as my blood simmered.

"Of all the moments you choose to walk away from, I must admit you often make poor choices-"

 _"What do you want from me?!"_ I snapped, all the bitterness and rage and frustrations finally coming to the surface. That was all I needed to continue. "Was it not enough for you when you ruined my life?!"

He was stone cold, expressionless as he replied.

"I would think Madara would be best suited for holding that title." His snarky remark drove me over the edge. A lot of people have ruined my life, Madara had made the list a few times, but he was nothing compared to this retched of a man right now. I could feel my brows twitch involuntarily.

"You disgusting waste of a human being." I spat back. He didn't seem fazed, not one bit.

"You're no better, Mrs. Mina." He answered, smirking. He shifted and started heading into the other direction. I couldn't believe it, he was leaving. Was he not just reprimanding me for walking out? All of a sudden, he could do it without a sitch? How the hell had the tables turned so quickly?

"You're a hypocrite, you know that?!" I shouted after him, though that didn't stop him as he began to fuse with the darkness. Although, that was okay, it was better if he had left anyways. However, I still had a few scathing words for him.

"You think you have it all now? That because you have your father's eyes, that you're powerful? They're useless, Eiji!"

Everything was useless. I stepped forward, shouting as he got farther. I thought I caught a chuckle out of him. I didn't think he knew exactly what he was getting himself into. For someone with an Eternal Mangekyou, he was awfully blind even to the most obvious of things.

"You have no idea what it is capable of, it will  _destroy_  you! Y-"

_"My, my, thank you for the introduction."_

_..._

_That voice._

It was as if all the air had been knocked out of me, my brain swiped clean and my words, robbed. I couldn't move. But neither could Eiji. A new sense of cold washed over me and it wasn't due to the weather. Real fear had begun to seep in as I only began to understand how trapped I was. I couldn't dare to move my head, I couldn't tell where it was. But its voice, its inhuman voice came reverberating from within this entire forest. I could feel my eyes widen and my own sounds slipping through the cracks.

I gulped.

I saw Eiji turn around slowly and face me, a look I had never seen on his face told me what I didn't want to know. I couldn't tell if it was fear or anger, or perhaps a mix of both. His hands instantly went to the sheath of his katana as panic began to override my brain. Any logical thoughts were thrown out the window as the only primitive sentiment was left to tug at my heart.

I had to run.

I swiveled around at once, darting towards the household and out of this clearing.

Not a mere step later and I was falling to the ground, face directly hitting the carpet of icy snow. I didn't waste a second, I got up. Or tried to. Although something was pulling me down, strapped around my ankle. Against my better judgement, I looked down hoping to break the twig that I had tripped on. Except, it wasn't a twig.

It was  _black._

My eyes bulged as I felt a tingle creep up my legs, the slime overtaking the skirt and engulfing the left side of my body.

 _Fuck_.

I began to crawl, tooth and nail, into the snow as I tried to get away from the mass of black glob. My body was weighing me down, my arms were growing useless. I attempted to stand up but the black matter had already passed my knees and took control of my hips.

 _"No."_  I whimpered, as I tried to take back hold of my body but was increasingly losing control to Black Zetsu. I writhed pathetically against the soft and wet floor, snow filling my mouth and stinging my eyes. I tried to rip it off, and off and off, but to no avail.

_No, no, no!_

It stuck to my fingers. I wiped it in the snow, yet it remained firm as it spread painfully across my palm.

The world suddenly became narrower and I could no longer see past the clearing, as if the trees were closing in on us, locking us all within this space, where no one could reach me. Where no one could help me. Where Madara couldn't hear me.

I howled as a sharp pain sprung up my back, nearly paralyzing me. I felt as though my bones were crushed mercilessly with a hammer. Over and over.

I couldn't scream for help, even if I wanted to.

In less than a minute, I had lost control of my arms too. My left shoulder was nothing but black mass, as the entire left side of my body. I became motionless, unable to move, physically paralyzed. Yet, the pain wouldn't stop. Couldn't stop while it etched its way up my neck, burning every inch of skin there was as it wrapped around my head, taking half of my face. My jaws were set shut, forcing me to swallow all my screams, all the pain as my body was torn inside out.

 _"Urgh-fg"_ My words came out as incomprehensible jabber and my dried tears renewed.

My body seized for a moment right before it stood up. Alone. I felt as though I had been flung into the air. With no order from me, my back straightened and my left limbs stood as my right hung listlessly. I could hardly believe it, it felt as though I was attached to another person, one who was in complete control of it.

And I was, except it was no person.

I tried to glance sideways, but I saw nothing left of my figure. It had been erased. I was now a prisoner of my own body, a puppet under the vile creature's command. If I could have, I would have skinned myself and crawled out the moment a yellow orb caught my gaze.

 _"Hi."_  It said.

My stomach lurched with its cheer, adrenaline pumped inside my veins and I wanted to scream to let out all the fear that had been building inside me for so long. The darkness enveloped me with its cold embrace and I cringed away from its icy touch, though it drew me in tighter with every movement. Everything and nothing folded into my being, Black Zetsu constricted my lungs until I was gasping with dizziness and was overwhelmed with an urge to vomit. I heard the sound my neck snap instantly, the bones of my spine twisting as I was forced to look forward at an unsettled Eiji. Saliva began to drool out of the right side of my mouth while water clouded my eyes.

_"Hello Eiji. It has been a while."_

It was my voice, but darker, deeper, more wicked. But it wasn't me. All I heard was Zetsu yet it was my jaws that had moved. There was a monster right inside of me and I couldn't get it out. My eyes widened in horror as I stared at Eiji. The countless horrors those mere words brought was crippling. The man remained silent. In these desolate woods, there was not a sound, not a whisper, not a breath. I was encapsulated inside a cocoon of despair and hopelessness, my body; crippled and useless.

 _"Your parents would be proud of you, had they still been alive."_ It tormented him, with each word a sharp knife cutting deep into an open wound.

_"But, as you see, I killed them."_

The words hurt, my muscles hurt, my face hurt as my mouth stretched from ear to ear all the while Black Zetsu grinned.

I could notice Eiji losing control ever so slightly, his hands slowly unsheathing the sword. With each passing second, with each torment, the provocation only seemed to grow.

_"Now, Eiji, tell me where the pendant is, and I promise, I won't kill this one. Yesss?"_

Its voice oozed with venom as its promise was delivered with full intent.

 _Oh God please no._ Tears began to flow out of my right eye, drenching my cheek. My lips were parted in a hideous smirk as teeth bit mercilessly into my flesh.

_"You don't want that, do you? Madara would certainly be disappointed.."_

_Come on Eiji, don't do this._

With each step, he came closer. With each step, I was losing my mind. I was silently pleading with a ghost as I did everything to get my body to move backwards. My heart halted the moment he did.

_"Do you want to hurt her, Eiji?"_

The next thing I knew, a figure flashed before my eyes as he lunged forward.

_No!_

* * *

 


	58. The End of The Beginning: Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Slight gore in this chapter

_"White Zetsu: He, him, his..."_

_"Black Zetsu: it, its..."_

_Inner monologue or thoughts._

* * *

 

**_Eiji's POV_ **

Blood stained the snow.

Drop by drop, the bright crimson liquid pecked the white sheet, slowly soaking deeper into the ground. Against the pristine snow, the blood trail was starkly clear. Droplets oozed into the tiniest of ever growing puddles. One after the other, it was interminable. Tumbling and spreading, her blood seeped slowly from her chest and unto the sharpened blade of his katana. His eyes couldn't wander from the sight of her heart, the way the trail flowed from the narrow slit and down the sword, dripping slantly to the floor before reaching the hilt to which he gripped tightly.

The contrast between what was once a pure, untouched snow now tainted with her lifeblood was almost a palpable one.

He could feel her heart beating. It was strong, pumping ferociously as blood gushed out. Spurts everywhere as it splattered with a force. He had hit an artery, but managed to spare her heart. It had never been his intention, he wanted  _it_ , not her. However, it seemed like it had other plans and let her take his hit instead. Eiji should have known, simply from its taunting.

But now...

Now, with his sword pierced through her body and the blade running through her back, he really  _should have_  known better.

It was too late now. He could hear her gurgling, specks of blood escaping her mouth. Right before he heard the sound of his sword pierce her delicate flesh, the creature had let go of its grasp on her, quickly disappearing almost as abruptly as it had appeared and leaving her open and vulnerable. She had no time to take back control of her body, no time to dodge his swing, no time to even think. Until it had already happened.

He momentarily cursed his inattentiveness, but realized soon enough there was nothing he could do now.

The blood didn't gush in a constant flow, but in time with the beating of Mina's heart. At first, it came thick and strong, flowing down through his firm fingers as they clasped the handle. He felt the blood move over his hand, the murky and sluggish fluid no warmer or cooler than his own pale skin. After a few moments, more of the blood was still leaving her rapidly paling flesh, but the pulses were slower, weaker. He could feel her heart struggling to beat, grappling to pump the blood that was slowly flooding her insides.

He looked down at her and could barely recognize the same woman that was chastising him a few moments ago.

Her short brown hair was plastered to her face, tumbling over her eyes as the sweat drenched her livid skin, all color was drained from her look. Her trembling hands clutched the blade that had passed through her, embracing it in her arms, unable to let it go. Each dark strand was sleeked down, dampened with her own sweat as she stood gaunt. Her eyes; wide and confused. Fire stung her eyes in the form of water, glistening their surface and her thick lashes. Things he could have never seen before, were all clear to him now. From the minuscule drops of water settling on a single dark lash, to the imperceptible blood vessel that fed her doe-eyes. He could even see his reflection in the big, umber irises that stared at him in fear, in panic and in turmoil.

Everything was so clear to him now.

He watched as her lips barely formed the letters.

If she could, she would have asked him why, yet she had lost her voice. Her brows quirked as far as her muscles would allow her to move, she couldn't understand what has happened, why he did what he did, despite never intending to put his sword right through her. She was muddled as the honed blade slit into her palms the tighter she gripped onto it.

Eiji was confused, if merely for a second before he noticed, it was too late for her now. If she survived, he would come back for her. Until then...

He placed his firm hand over her right shoulder and held her in place roughly while his left began pulling the sword out gradually. He returned her stare with a blank one of his own. Even if he had wanted to, he couldn't change it, it was something he was simply used to, his fixed demeanor. With each inch of tarnished blade he withdrew, the blood seemed to pour out, spurting in slow motion before erupting in a jet of laggard red stream. The only thing that had been blocking her from completely draining her of blood was this sword. The more he pulled, the wider the wound seemed to grow.

She whimpered as the tip of the sword cut through her back on its way out. She had no energy, no voice to scream away the pain. He noticed. In fact, she wasn't even holding him back, her fingers- clasped tightly around the steel- laid bare as they dragged it out. Her sobs were cracked, never lending fully to her aches as she looked down, with each cough came a spurt of blood, tainting her lips as drops fell to her bland hands.

_Anymore and she might choke on her own blood first before she loses it._

Eiji couldn't help but think. He must have hit something big, a major artery if she was losing this much blood.

Pure terror surged through her veins, icy daggers straight to the heart. A heart that he was damn near piercing. By no means was he trying to make this any more painful for her as he took his sweet time pulling it out, he was simply trying to avoid doing any more damage than he had already done. He had barely gotten the sword out when Mina gave out an excruciatingly agonizing screech.

He stepped back.

She could barely stand on her two feet. She raised her bloodied hands to the hole in her chest, trying to keep in as much blood as she could inside her body.

He could only watch as she failed.

He lowered his sword, the cold tip dripping with her blood. She gazed at him, but he knew she couldn't see. Her eyes were hazed over. She took a step back, disoriented. Her balance was off. Her breathing was shallow, labored.

She turned round, swinging to the side.

Another step. Then another.

Before she fell. Face first to the soft ground, her body splayed listlessly across pink carpets of snow. Her hair pooled around her, her limbs laid at her sides.

Well, neither was he bode to live much longer anyways. He would be joining her soon enough. His fist gripped the hilt of his katana strictly, blood stained his long collared shirt. This wasn't good, he had no idea how much time she had left, how long her heart could still take her, how-

_"I must admit, you're quite a ruthless fellow."_

The creature's voice came back to haunt him. Eiji's head turned to face it at once, only to find nothing. Yet, its voice was loud and clear, as if it spoke directly into his ears.

_"Madara would be proud."_

_Where was it?_  He turned frantically, round and round until he found himself walking in circles, like a madman. And maybe he just was. He came to a stop, realizing how ridiculous this was. His mind was in a frenzy, unable to think about anything other than getting to face it head on. Perhaps the most stupidest and illogical thing he had ever done in his miserable life, but it was his right to.

His right to throw his life away if it meant he got a chance- however small it may be- to prove that his father's existence wasn't merely a forgotten one. He wasn't just a sad old man who met his end that he was bound to at anytime. Neither was his mother's, who met her own end far too soon and that was never bound to her. It wasn't supposed to. Not back then, not now.  _It_  had no right to take them away from him.

_"Or maybe not."_

Eiji narrowed his dark eyes into the direction of where it finally was. There, in all its glory, it stood near her body. Right above her head, it stood at over eight feet tall, hunched like a deformed piece of animal whose only existence was never supposed to happen. Its words weren't nearly as vile as its appearance. Though, despite that, it spoke the truth.

Madara was going to kill him.

He knew that,  _it_  knew that. If there was anyone more ruthless than him in this world, it was his clan leader. This wasn't a question of pride, but it certainly didn't shy away from pointing it out. His stomach churned at the sight of it, it made him sick, disgusted. And he didn't bother to shy away from his own revulsion, he made it very clear. Though, it did anything but bother it, not in the slightest. It raised a misshapen black limb- of what must have been a foot- and tapped her head, gently.

 _"She really is out of it."_  It commented.  _"Madara is not going to appreciate that."_

What did it want? Of course Eiji knew, what he couldn't grasp was why it was trying to communicate with him. It must have known how much hate he reserved especially for it, and perhaps, that was what it was playing on. It wanted him to hate it even more, it wanted him to find his rage, to acknowledge it. Years' worth of it finally surfacing. Without fully conscious of it, he was already falling into its trap. Falling deep and he wasn't sure if he could get out of this one alive.

It shifted its look from the lifeless woman on the ground up to him. It grinned hideously.

_"But I certainly do."_

His graying brows furrowed, his repugnance slowly finding itself on the tip of his tongue, in his words.

"You abhorrent creature, you sicken me." If he could pronounce them with every ounce of venom he could muster, he would, but he figured however much loathing he put into those words, it wouldn't do a single bat to the entity. Not quite an entity but a beast, a heinous beast. A nauseating one, depraved and vicious right down to its bones, if it even had them. He doubted it.

It wasn't human. It wasn't even an animal, that much Eiji knew.

Its talons were the size of his forearms, its teeth, serrated like the jaws of those sea creatures. It smirked, giving him the quality view of them, but above all, the intensity of its sordid thoughts.

_"I wouldn't be so quick to judge, you were just called one not that long ago, yes?"_

That was right. He was called- more accurately- 'a disgusting waste of a human being'. So what if he was? He didn't care, being a disgusting waste of a human being was infinitely better than being anywhere near that thing, whatever the hell it was. Its grin, spanning from ear to ear- widened, as its yellow orbs for eyes lit with mischief.

"I am nowhere near as vile as you." He spat back. His knuckles, white from gripping his katana with such force, he could feel the blisters eating away at his skin.

_"We will just have to see."_

Oh they will, Eiji would make sure of it.

Without another second of waiting, the ground beneath them began to tremble. Its smirk, not an inch. It was no longer cloaked in darkness, no longer did an invisible shroud envelop it. It was out here, visible, seen, heard, a walking entity in the form of a reprehensible beast. Eiji knew not how to go about dealing with it nor how to get it to act first. He didn't need to, he had something valuable within him, and that was all that he had wanted.

As if a curtain had been drawn in the middle of a set, everything had turned to black, momentarily if nothing more.

When he opened his eyes once again, he found himself standing in a clearing under the chill of a mist that was slowly developing. Her body was fusing with the haze until even the outline of her figure was anything but defined. The obscurity of things weren't nearly bothering him as it should have, because despite it, he was still able to see perfectly clear.

It wasn't there anymore. The trembling had stopped. There wasn't a single sound in this place, it was empty of movement, of noise, as if everything had stopped in that single moment. It had disappeared in the blink of an eye but Eiji's eyes were far from behind, he instantly noted the over-sized clawed footsteps scraping across the snow, embedding the pink trail, all the way to where he stood. The last step stopping just before his feet. The second he looked down, he knew he had to move. Move fast.

Leaping into the air, he had narrowly escaped the clutching grip that came bursting forth from the ground. He barely had any time to register before dodging a second attempt from behind. Eiji was a second too early, a moment later and he might have found himself in the grasp of whatever the fuck that was. Settling on a branch up above, he took a good look at the two copies beneath him. It wasn't the creature, they were something else. A perpetual smile plastered across their faces and in contrast to the blackness of it, their bodies were pure white. Clay-like and malleable from the looks of it. Wooden projections spiked out of their sides, half of which were already nonexistent. He narrowed his eyes, trying to make them out. He could stay there all day and he still wouldn't be able to figure out what in the actual hell they were.

Their gazes met his and he knew whatever they were, they were its mere puppets, those yellow orbs never left his mind. Which only meant one thing; that he would cut them down like the thorns they were.

In a flash, he had already jumped down and dragged his sword through their corpses. He had speed and agility on his side, however, they had numbers on theirs. The moment their bodies hit the ground, another one of them erupted from beneath. Like weeds, they kept sprouting up. He tried not to let it get to his mind, but he couldn't help it. Yet again, unlike Black Zetsu- as she so colloquially called it- these puppets seemed more... _human_. Disturbingly so. Their features were reminiscent of actual people, the shaggy green hair, the mouth, the ear, the eye, everything was almost perfect. Except for the half missing face. Every single one was identical. And every single one, he would easily strike through with a swing of his sword.

And for each one, came another. Rapidly.

 _" Get him."_ They said in unison. Their raspy voices echoing off into the dead of the forest.  _"Don't let him go, she gave him the pendant!"_

_Five? Seven? Ten? Eleven?_

Eiji had no idea how they came to be- or how they even knew she had placed the pendant on his doorknob-, but he could have sworn there had only been two a few moments ago. He had no time to ponder that thought any further, before he found himself circled with a group of them coming charging at him. He mentally scolded himself as he warded off the first of them with a punch of his elbow. The next two came lunging, their mouths open wide as if to eat him. He wasn't exactly sure what they were capable of, and he didn't want to know either.

With a sway of his katana, he swiftly sliced through the white globs, but the second they hit the floor, the halves of each body found its counterpart and began to fuse once again.

_What? They could merge?! What the—_

He couldn't think about them a moment longer, as he tried to dodge the next pair. He did so with ease, from the looks of it, Eiji had surmised they weren't created for combat. Nonetheless, he had to keep an eye out for them, and Black Zetsu, who had mysteriously vanished.

"Fuck." He groaned as he fought off these white Zetsus. There had to be a way to get them to die. Sweat beads formed at the top of his forehead, rolling down the side of his face as he air-kicked the fifth clone into another. By the time both of their bodies collided, he was already evading a blow to his right side, only to swivel back around and run straight into him. Getting close enough, Eiji dealt a punch to his abdomen, knocking him back a few feet and into the fray along with his other monstrous peers. Almost immediately, the Uchiha ninja put considerable distance between him and the Zetsu clones. In less than a second, he performed the required hand signs. And in a moment of beauty, an explosion was sparked. Sounds of agonizing screams filled the air, only were they eclipsed by the sound of the bomb, bits of white glob went flying into the air.

He had tagged that last opponent with an explosive bomb, and ticked the paper when he was in close range to the others. If he couldn't slice them down, he'd blow them to pieces, simple.

_Seven down, four to go._

When he turned his attention to the remaining opponent, they had already been distracted by the explosion to even notice him. In complete awe and horror, they had forgotten that Eiji had withdrawn into the background. He couldn't help but notice how slow they were; not just mentally, but their reactions were horribly timed. He would have liked to study them further, but this was no time to squander what few chances he had left.

He charged at the two to the left in a swift motion. Creeping up behind the furthest, he beheaded the white clone and went on to plow through the other, who had little time to defend himself. After planting the second explosive, he pushed the white Zetsu into his companion and went straight for the others. In breakneck speed, he pushed his sword through one of them, only for it to pass right through him and lodge into the ground.

 _Huh?_ He furrowed his brows, puzzled.

The White Zetsu only looked down at the hole in his belly, he giggled.

" _Hehehe, nice try."_

It came charging forward, fists ready to pummel into Eiji; however, the shinobi was faster. It didn't matter how fast the clone came running at him, Eiji was always ten folds quicker; he could predict his every move with ease. Ready to parry his right fist, he halted it with a back-handed knock of his own and grabbed his white fist in a deadly clutch. As he was ready to pummel it back into his face, he realized something off. The fourth one had disappeared, and only in the last second did Eiji sense him emerging from underground, right beneath their feet. Seizing the opportunity, he never let go of the fist, instead he used it propel himself into the air, deliberately shoving his opponent into the course of the other one.

Quickly leaping to the ground, he thanked his lucky stars he was able to flee at the last moment, otherwise, it would be his limp body hanging from the wooden stake, impaled just like the one before him.

" _Dammit." _ The fourth clone cursed, his wooden projections spearing his friend.

_So that's what they were for._

With no time to waste, Eiji ran straight for his sword, gripping the hilt as he performed the hand signs once more. Only this time around, he would synchronize the second and third explosives so as to ignite together. He darted towards the trees for cover before the last clone was able to remove his companion who was tagged at the fist.

Once he was in the clear, he set them off. Two simultaneous explosions ripped through the heart of the woods, sounding off to alert anyone in the vicinity. Though, Eiji doubted anyone in the compound would hear them, this forest was unusually thick, almost as if it was particularly created for this purpose, to contain  _anything_  and  _everything_  within it. It didn't matter now. Taking shield behind the tree, he used the momentary advantage to gain his step. Steadying his breathing and analysing the situation, he figured the blasts should have occurred just within approximate distance. These tags were specifically designed not to have such a wide blast radius, in fact, it was pretty narrow.  _Considering_. However, he sincerely hoped she was well out of that radius, even if her body was hit, at best, she would only suffer superficial burns.

Turning around, he took a peak at the sight of the detonation. The surrounding area was covered in ash, embers and residues filled the air and obscuring his view. However, he couldn't sense them, he wasn't even sure if they emitted chakra but whatever they were, he was still able to sense them. With his new sharingans, he was able to sense things he was never able to before, his perceptions have become astute to a point. And it was because of that, he was able to detect a movement in the shadows. He snapped his head around in the direction of the figure, but he saw nothing. All that was splayed in front of him were acres of woodland, vacant and desolate. But in between those steep trees, he locked contact with those yellow eyes.

_Found you._

Lunging headfirst into the darkness- with no second thoughts- Eiji stormed after  _it_. The speed he was renowned for had finally come in handy, as in a mere second later, he was pouncing over it, though it had dodged him and leapt for the highest trees. It looked down on him as it climbed up, its long talons distended and its arms stretched, it swung from one branch to another. So effortlessly, too _. Like a monkey or a gorilla,_  Eiji thought. Not much longer, he, too, was following its tail. It never ceased to smile, or smirk, or grin, whatever that thing was. But he didn't care, he had it in his grasps now. He was so close too, so close. That was all that mattered.

Determined to finally take act on his father's behalf, the Uchiha ninja stoked up all the will he could muster and leapt onto the next bough. He swiveled to the right and put space in between them, he could fully see it now. The same beast-  _over eight feet tall, hunched like a deformed piece of animal whose only existence was never supposed to happen-_ towered over him yet continued on, climbing higher and higher while it sprung from one tree to another.

Avoiding the snow covered branches as much as he could, Eiji aimed for the thickest and used it for support as he propelled himself forward against the harsh winds. He had to make a move, he couldn't outrun it forever. But the closed and narrow spaces of these forest paths would give him a disadvantage. It wasn't suitable for his fighting range. Unlike the creature, he couldn't maneuver easily through every crack and pit in these woods, his body wasn't as flexible, nor as malleable. Eiji would stand no chance in a close range like this. Not to mention his lack of knowledge on this Black Zetsu thing, his abilities are even more of a mystery. He couldn't gauge him merely from a simple encounter.

Hell, he didn't even know how he would beat it, though there was only one way to find out.

He'd have to pierce his sword through its body.

" _Aren't you tired, Eiji?"_ It jibed.

Paying no heed to its words, Eiji changed his course and leaped down a few branches and swung to the left, until he was directly beneath it.

" _I must commend you for your skills, a bit impressive."_  Its voice echoed loudly, its jeer and mockery resounding within the impenetrable walls of this forest.  _"Then again, they were only dummies, they didn't quite put up a fight as I expected."_

_Dummies?_

They were clones as far as he could tell, dummies too apparently. If they were anything, they were but an extension of this  _thing_ , or something of the sort. How they resembled humans, must have been nothing more than a cruel twist on its part. Had to be. Though what had been bothering him since the start was how they managed to know she had given him the pendant. It wasn't from overhearing them, that was for sure. They must have been spying on her.

The question was…

_For how long?_

These white extensions must have been planted there. How could it be?

So immersed in his thoughts, Eiji nearly forgot that they were approaching another clearing, he needed to act quickly. Reaching for the back pocketed pouch, his hands sought out the tools he had prepared. Eyes never wandering far from his target nor its path, he counted down the number of more steps it took before he could drag it down.

_Five…_

They were nearing the clearing.

_Four…_

Fast.

 _Three_.

He hooked his fingers into five kunai.

_Two…_

_Come on…_

_One!_

He flung each kunai to a branch in front. A total of five boughs- including the one it dangled from, all hit with kunai laced with paper bombs. In a blink of an eye, it looked down at him, intrigued by his abrupt halt. Eiji glared at it, snake seal performed with his left hand, right before he ignited them one after another. Bomb after bomb, the trees collapsed. As his luck would have it, it saw straight through his technique and leapt down.

But he knew a few simple explosive tags wouldn't get it the way it did its white clones. Attached to the kunai were metal strings, all connecting back to his ring finger. With one movement, he pulled them out of the smoke and directed them at it right before it took another jump. Having caught one of the kunai to its leg, Eiji pulled with all his might- groaning as his voice rose- and dragged it through the clouds of debris and hurled it towards the clearing. The crash of its body impacting the ground reverberated all around him. It didn't matter if he had missed, this whole place was rigged. He had taken time beforehand to devise a strategy- if any. He had planned to lure it here, but it seemed that it had beat him to it.

Hurdling himself through the newfound ashes, he found his footing on the floor once more. All the smoke laid above their heads in thick wisps of clouds, but down here, down here they could see each other. Just as his foot touched the white ground, Eiji watched it as it rose up, patting the dirt off its hunched shoulders. It didn't seem in a slightest bit fazed, nothing. It had lost its balance, taken by surprise, it hit to the ground, its body twitched, but it was still disconcerted.

Ten feet separated them apart.

" _Hmm, that was a nice one, I really should have seen it coming."_ It applauded him, Cheshire grin splitting ear to ear.  _"Very wise of you to plant all these explosives, plan on dying together, are we?"_

_So it has noticed._

To his east, west, north and south were a total of two hundred paper bombs, all attached by thin threads of wires and hidden behind leaves, barks and snow. At their bases were kunai, ready to be dispatched if he solely desired it. With one finger, he could rain down hell upon them, detonating both the bombs and unleashing the hundred kunai above their heads. If he was going down, he would at least take it with him. However, he really hoped it wouldn't have to come to that.

Eiij stood tough. Tall and lean, his body had never felt stronger, his eyes; never more seeing.  _Was this truly wise?_  He wasn't exactly sure, but he came this far, the least he could do was see it to the end. But before that…

"I have but one question; what does the pendant mean to you?" He might as well ask. This whole thing was only happening over a stupid little necklace, what could it possibly be for it to have to go through all this trouble for?

It smirked.

" _What does it mean to me? Well…nothing really."_ It dipped its head to the side, trying to reach down to Eiji's height but failing.

 _Nothing?_ He found it odd. A meaningless object should not be worth this much bother. If this answer had a double meaning, the Uchiha couldn't see it. If it was meant to be perplexing, he still couldn't understand it.

" _If you mean to ask why I want the pendant, perhaps I could tell you, hmm."_  It taunted. He didn't appreciate this, being toyed with was not in any of his interests. He detested games, and this was conceivably the wickedest of them all.

" _You're going to die anyway, so I might as well."_  Black Zetsu spoke, the venom dripping from his very real threat, his very real intention to kill this human man. Eiji didn't doubt it.

" _Well, Uchiha Eiji, I plan on reviving my mother and returning her rightful powers that were stolen from her. That's all."_ It shrugged dismissively, raising its shoulders as if to emulate an actual individual. It raised its hands in scorn.

Revive its mother?

_This thing had a…mother? What kind of sick joke was this?_

Sensing that he was still being played with, anger took hold of Eiji's mindset. He couldn't wait any longer, and so he charged forth. Red glow tailed him with each reckless step. Making a headlong dash right through, a normal eye wouldn't have seen him coming, but those yellow ones weren't normal. It dodged Eiji's swing with no difficulty, in that frozen second right between stand off and fighting, he saw its eyes flick from him to his surroundings. Its face was unreadable, no fear, no invitational smirk at last, nothing. It was making a mockery out of him.

There was stillness on both sides. If hatred was visible, the air would have been scarlet. Then all of a sudden, movement, so much force in every blow, in every hit.

For the first time, Eiji's face contorted into one of fury, raging. His brows furrowed in irritation, his mouth settling into a scowl. When it came to this fight, there was no honour, no code. All that mattered to him was the win and taking nothing for granted, that was his only rule.

He threw up his forearms like an offensive lineman blocking a defensive back, but Eiji quickly slipped to the side, narrowly avoiding the first attack the creature threw at him. It came fast, so much so he barely had time to slip underneath and strike with his sword. With the tip of the katana hardly scrapping the black surface of its thighs. Jumping back to avoid further damage, Black Zetsu retreated.

Eiji realized that his agility was meaningless when fighting an enemy like this. He didn't make a habit of fighting one who was nearly four times his size.

Never taking a moment to collect himself, he sprung forth once again, going in without a thought. Though this time, Zetsu did nothing to parry his moves. Instead, much to his surprise, it met him on headfirst, blocking each of his sword's sway with its arm. Clangs of metal resounded within the air, sparks ignited as friction of metal against metal grew intense. He had only just realized how this creature wasn't just able of molding his body to any shape, but it could harden it too. Unlike before, his sword couldn't pierce through, it clashed against something harder than metal, denser than bone.

His breathing had become labored as sweat drenched him. The creature was advancing, forcing him to take each step back, and back, until he knew it had taken the upper advantage.  _Great._

His katana was useless too.

Frustrated and full of revulsion, Eiji threw his sword to the side. Momentarily taking it by surprise, he lunged forward and pushed its elbow down and away. Using it as a swing, he propelled himself to its rear side and upwards into the air, his feet using the back of its body as support. He ran until he caught its head. Mustering all the strength he possessed fueled by his hate for the monster, he rolled it onto the floor as he attempted to snap its neck in vain.

The eight foot creature lost its footing and fell to the ground, Eiji broke his grip right before he fell along with it and landed on his feet. Third of a second after contact was made, Black Zetsu was on its talons, watching the Uchiha man rush toward him in slow motion, ready to stab his sword into its body. It stood still and when Eiji came into close range, it suddenly moved, smashing its pointed elbow into his temples and knocking him several feet back.

The blow had caused a massive dent into his skull, as of it had been rammed in violently. No normal human would have survived a hit like that. But Eiji was still breathing and it sensed it. Approaching him wearily, Zetsu watched as he tried to get up. Several times. Though, he never stopped and just when he was about to fail, he channeled most of his chakra to the centers of his palms and feet, launching himself at it at a speed he hadn't used before. In a blink of an eye, he was staring straight into its dark abdomen, his fist clenched into a tight ball.

However, his fists never got to make it.

His body was suddenly halted to a stop with an overpowering force, shattering his world.

Eiji's body hung mid-air, his own abdomen disembowelled as blood gushed out in a sudden and forceful stream. His eyes widened in horror as he realized what had happened. A pointed black projection had impaled him, hanging him into the air like a piece of raw meat, his innards and gut spilled onto the ground in a revolted burst. His eyesight began to diminish as he stared into a pool of his own blood.

He couldn't breathe and soon, his body had begun to liquidate, turn into water.

Black Zetsu observed in astonishment as the shinobi dangling from his right arm slowly transformed into nothing but clear water. It took him a second until it dawned on him.

" _A water clone?"_  It had barely gotten the words out when a man lunged at him from above. It turned its head up skywards, and saw Eiji coming at him, both his hands striking his katana through it. The glimmering tip of the sword shone as it collided with its head.

_Got you._

Eiji knew he had it. In less than a moment's notice, he was on the ground and retreating as fast as he could while the bomb went off, causing a blast in the middle of the clearing. He felt it had escaped within the last second, but he knew he had done damage. Real damage this time. Watching as the smoke cleared, Eiji's red eyes made out a deformed shadow on the other side of the glade. Using his index, he had managed to entrap it with threads that were attached to the paper bomb at the tip of his blade. He could feel the metallic threads move, indicating that it was still alive.

Moving forward, the shadow did too. Almost as if it was imitating his every movement. They kept on walking until both came into view.

" _Well done."_ It congratulated him, as it came into sight. Eiji could see it was missing half of its head and the bigger part of its upper left quadrant. Its left leg was distorted too. He had used a clone as a distraction while he analysed its abilities. He learned a few things, though they didn't seem to help him much in anything. All he knew was nothing he did worked on it. All Eiji had on his side was the element of surprise, and he planned to create openings for that as much as he can.

Back to his impassive self, he gripped the tip of his katana with force, his eternal mangekyou sprung to life, revolving in an ever-swirling wheel. His face hardened to each edge, a pitch perfect copy of his father at that age. That mental image didn't escape Zetsu's notice. It grinned.

" _You are truly a wonder."_

This creature, who ran its talons right through his mother's heart, his father's heart, put them six feet into the ground; stood before him, appraising him as if he was some sort of trophy. Its words were a poison to him, it hurt him just to hear them, its voice scarred him, slashing right through his own heart. What had become of him? What had he done to arrive at this place, this special place in his own personal hell?

He looked up at the sky, looked up and saw right through the smoke, the thick canopy, the snow; only for a gray sky to welcome him. It rained down upon him, weeping for him. He found himself soaked in a matter of moments, melancholy and misery accompanying him. He turned his focus back to the creature who hadn't moved an inch, as though it cannot make the first move. In fact, it had always let him take the first attack, giving him a stepping stone and advantage despite the fact it could have torn his head apart at any moment if it wanted to.

_Was it trying to make it just?_

He had to wonder. As soon as that thought made its way into his mind, he dismissed it just as immediately. No way would it just be that giving, he concluded. Then again…

" _Let's make this fair, shall we?"_

_Huh?_

The Uchiha was taken aback when he saw it began molding itself anew. Its whole body shape was distorted into a big mess of black entity, moving as if each particle had exploded into thousands of smaller atoms. He instantly noticed how it was shrinking as it did so, its body decreasing in size, getting shorter and more grounded. Its left limb began to regenerate, the missing half of its head started to fill up; it was using all the extra black mass to heal and replace the missing parts, at the cost of it shrinking. Not by much as it appeared, as it was now his own height, if not slightly taller.

Fear tugged at Eiji's bones as he saw it mutate so easily in front of his wide eyes.

It was…

It was a monster. The muscles in his face tensed, his whole body went rigid when a new pair of yellow eyes stared back at him.

" _Now, that's better."_ It uttered through its serrated teeth, its claws flexing as it adapted to its new body.

 _Don't be afraid. Don't be afraid,_  he repeated to himself. This was it, this was what he had come for, no? Or had he unintentionally asked for more than what he had bargained? Now that it was that much smaller, that much decrease in mass would be substituted by the same increase in speed and agility. It was all the more menacing. He gulped.

_This was it._

Each didn't just want the other dead, they wanted each other smashed, obliterated with nothing left to bury. The animosity on Eiji's side was far greater, the hate much stronger, the intent; much deadlier.

Perhaps it was those ill feelings- that rage, that sense of avenging- that he had harbored for so long, only for them to come out and push him to his death. To his end, only he wouldn't come to realize it then, but much later. They fueled him, they made him lunge right into the heart of darkness, a darkness that smiled at him with its sharp teeth and its glowing golden eyes. It welcomed him with its claws, its talons and embraced him into a void.

A nightmare.

For he would come to see things he would later regret, things that would make him wish he had died at its hands earlier and things that would make what little sanity he had left vanish into its grasp.

Until that one moment-  _that fleeting, precious moment_  when everything finally became clear to him- until then, he would remain ignorant. Strength surged within him.

" _Arrrrghhhh!"_  He screamed, he shouted, he howled his anger as he leapt forwards, arms and sword raised-  _right into its grinning trap._

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

_Where the hell was she?_

This couldn't be happening. Not again. Did she never learn? That wasn't the point now, because it had happened. Again.

_Goddammit._

Madara didn't know who to blame this time. At some point, he had to give her credit for the number of times she had slipped through his grasp, successfully duping his shinobi and slighting him in the process. However, he was far too angry right now to even acknowledge how impressive her attempts had been. He was quite eager to get his hands on her. Though he was struggling to find out how to do that at this moment. She never listened to reason, it was foolish of him to think that she would do so this time. What was it that she had said before? That if one did the same action repeatedly yet expected different results every time, well- wouldn't that make him insane?

Insane he was.

And she drove him to it.

If he didn't know better, he would say that she enjoyed it. As far as he was concerned, this didn't matter now.

Sounds of scraping woods echoed across the hall, his hands crushing the boards that built the walls of the corridors. The intensity of his grip tore through sturdy planks with ease, his chakra flaring along with his rage. Did they really think he wouldn't have caught wind of this? Nothing in this house went down without his notice, nothing. Not even a pin drop in the middle of a hustling crowd. Well, maybe except for her. As if that wasn't infuriating enough, having her do this- on several occasions- while knowing his explicit command not do so, was like a personal slap to the face. Not once, not twice, not thrice- to be fair, he had completely lost count how many times she had done this. Nevertheless, it was still quite a painful slap to his ego. To have his orders undermined with such care-freeness and recklessness in front of his shinobi no less, well- the Uchiha clan head wasn't particularly too happy with that.

What else wasn't he happy with?

The shinobi barely made the effort to dodge Madara's grab. By the collar of his shirt, the young shinobi was dragged up by force to meet Madara head on, at eye level.

 _This man._  He was most certainly not happy with.

Madara's glare was enough to flare a fire of its own. Yet, the man knew better then to look away. He knew well enough how his leader hated when people couldn't look him straight on when he was speaking to them- it was a sign of weakness. Madara hated weakness. Still, that didn't mean Jiro was any less scared of him. The poor nineteen year old couldn't hold a candle light to the shinobi holding him by the collar like some hapless dog. He gulped down loudly as he prepared to take the hounding he was about to receive.

" _You—"_

The atmosphere was a tad suffocating, which may have been a bit of an understatement. It was in fact-  _very_  suffocating. Madara's chakra was well known to hold that kind of effect when he oh so desired. It was overwhelming. No one besides the five of them present in this corridor, dared to come an inch within the vicinity. The track that he had left behind spanning back from his study, violently gutting the walls at every countless turn served a clear warning for anyone who pondered about following him to where they stood; right in front of his bed chambers. Izuna wasn't around to hold him off. Asides from the puny man in his clutch, another three shinobi stood behind him, kneeling.

"I-"Jiro had hardly gotten a word out when a loud thunder broke through the atmosphere. The weather outside was worsening by the second, analogous to Madara's own rage. And just like the storm brewing outside, his unhindered approach was tantamount to the explosive temper he had kept under control for oh so long. Though he knew it was far from reaching its peak, until then-

" _Just how many times have you let her escape?"_  Despite the evident lack of patience he exuded, Madara's voice was all the same calm and collected, laced with an icy edge that would have only sounded more sinister had his tone taken on a darker turn. Instead, it was just as deep as the sun in a midnight sky. A pitch lower and it might have rumbled across the hall, though he didn't need to. He knew his words were heard, loud and clear. The young shinobi swallowed his pride before he stuttered.

"I _—_  I didn't l-let her go…"

"I asked  _how_  many times." He repeated through clenched teeth, his knuckles white as snow from the tightness of his hold. Although, one wouldn't be able to see it beneath the dark fabric of his gloves.

" _Twice, Madara-sama!"_ The kid nearly shouted in response, making sure that his elder heard him. Feet levitating off the ground, Jiro tried not to think about how strong Madara had to have been to support his body for so long, and if he would use that strength to bash his head into the ground. Strangely enough, that same thought had just passed through Madara's mind.

"What kind of  _incompetent fool_  would you have to be to let a feeble woman like that run out of your sight?!"

The swirling darkness of his presence was frightening. It was as if curled tendrils beckoned them- not just Jiro, but his companions as well- unknowing into the realm that was Madara's private chaos, and it happened to be their unfortunate happenstance that it descended upon them. That and menace, madness and a whole ton of confusion.

"I- she's not a feeble woman, sir." Jiro stuttered, sweat beads beginning to roll down the sides of his face. In a split second, he shut his eyes tightly and looked away from the towering man's red glare.

"Beg your pardon?"

Everyone else turned their head to the ground, as though they were bowing, but really, they wanted no part in whatever genjutsu Madara had in store for them. They did everything to avoid the glaring daggers of his sharingans. In truth, Madara hadn't particularly thought of that kind of retribution, not yet.

"Madara-sama, she—I, I underestimated her and, and she has no chakra, sir!" He shouted again, reciting the words as if his life depended on it. No different than a general drilling penance into his soldiers, the Uchiha clan leader was just a little closer to taking it a little too far. He had no idea why he was acting as such, what he did know, however, was this was bad. Madara was having a really bad feeling about any of this. It wasn't just the foreboding weather, this…this whole set of events was gnawing at his nerves, he was filled with an ill sense of premonition, which he didn't want to accept consciously. Something was going on, something he wasn't sure if he would get to it in time to help, if he was even able to, at all. For one, they still haven't found Eiji. And now she's missing.

His patience had been stretched thin throughout the past few days.

How much worse could this get? He wasn't too fond of asking that question out loud, for almost always, things always did get worse, somehow, someway. And as instantaneously as that thought had appeared, it faded from his mind. Instead, Madara focused his attention on the young shinobi hanging by his garb.

" _And?"_

The poor guy's face was turning red, his airways were slowly being blocked by Madara's firm grip. Still unable to look him in the eyes, one of the other shinobis finally came to his rescue.

"It's much more difficult to keep track of someone like her, we cannot sense any chakra signatures emitting from her, even if she was to stand behind us." One courageously muttered.

Madara dropped Jiro to the ground, the sound of the impact was loud enough to make anyone with half a brain wonder if the man just broke his legs. He didn't waste the opportunity to join his other comrades, kneeling and bowing by their sides. Regardless of his efforts, he was still sweating, that alone hinted off to Madara.

" _Excuses!"_ He reprimanded.

 _Bullshit excuses._  That was what they were.

"Look at me." He commanded them, and they all obeyed. Even Jiro, who was still having a hard time composing himself and catching his breath. All pairs of eyes didn't hesitate, because they knew even the slight notice of hesitation dealt a fate quite possibly worse than the probability of falling under Madara's genjutsu.

But, there was no genjutsu awaiting. The moment they all realized so, the fear of being trapped in a horror show courtesy of their leader's mind, quickly dissipated. Though, in spite of that, Madara's sharingans never deactivated.

" _You idiots thought you would search for her within the walls of this house and reckoned I wouldn't find out about it?"_

_What on earth were they thinking?_

That was one thing Madara just couldn't get it. What was going through Jiro's mind when he sought them out for help instead of coming to him straight away, like he did the last time around?  _No matter_. He couldn't ponder that thought any longer. He struck the doors with his clenched fist, knocking them down in a single glide. As he expected, the room was empty. Of course it was empty, she had fucking left. His eyes swiftly looked across the corners of the room, taking in every detail of every inch. It was clean as a slate.

"How in the hell did she leave the house and no one noticed?!" His voice took a louder tone, his anger now already bubbling over. He turned around and saw them standing around the rubble and debris of the crushed woods. No one moved, that was enough to cause the last crack of the twig to snap.

" _Are all of you deaf or blind?!"_  He had finally blew the lid, Madara couldn't believe how hopeless they all were. A blue aura emanating from him had flared out of control. They flinched at his poignant words, how drastic the tone of his voice changed in such a short amount of time. His mere presence in this state was the only thing unsettling at the moment, no one understood why he was in such a haste nor the urgency behind his actions. To them, this incident equated to nothing more than their clan matriarch going out on a little stroll. In this weather. Then again, she was never really the sane type, or so they thought.

"Get your useless asses out of here and find me someone who saw her leave!  _Is that clear!?_  " He barked his orders, hoping that it finally made it through their thick skulls.

"Yes, Madara-sama." They said in unison before bowing down.

_Wait._

In that moment, something had struck his mind. Someone had to have seen her leave, in fact, Madara would go as far as to say- whoever that person was- had also helped her sneak out. It must have been that, however, as far as he could tell, no maid or guard had seen her pass by. If they did, no one had come forward as of yet. The mere thought that someone would do that, going against his blunt demands no less, was a narky one.  _Who would be stupid enough to actually do that?_ He wondered. Some audacity, they had.

A weak voice came bursting forth into the thick of the fray, just as the shinobi were leaving.

" _Madara-sensei?"_

" _What!–-"_ Madara turned around instantly, ready to eat, whoever it was that was calling him, alive. Teeth clenched, jaws shut taut, he glared at the-

For a second, he thought he had imagined it, until a part of him was caught by surprise. There, beneath him, stood a young boy so small, Madara couldn't have seen him from first glance. The others had stopped midway, slightly shocked at the sight.

Kagami, as oblivious as he was, stood toe to toe with his mentor. In the face of it all, both looked eerily alike. Then again, weren't they all related? The child stood, unflinching and resolute, calm and collected, not a mess like his previous stand-ins. He wasn't an adult, he didn't fear the consequences of his actions because he wasn't fully aware of them. Still as stone, the Uchiha child held his ground, a stark contrast painted against the nineteen year old who was in his place not long ago, though under completely different circumstances. An unnatural hush descended in the house.

He stood silent as a mouse, until he knew he caught Madara's attention.

" _What do you want, kid?"_ He asked, impatience seeping into his voice.

Kagami had tousled dark hair, which was thick and lustrous whereas Madara's mane was long and untamed. His eyes were a deep onyx shade, identical to Kagami's own, flecks of silvery light casting a flickering glow. His face was strong and defined, his features molded from granite, in contrast to the kid's boyish features, the smooth and pale skin, the bubbly cheeks and the wide, almond shaped eyes. He had dark eye brows, which sloped downwards in a serious expression. Kagami's usually playful smile had drawn into a hard line across his face.

And despite everything about him, there was still one thing he couldn't do.

Just like his older peers, he couldn't look Madara in the eyes. And the clan leader instantly picked up on that, except this was different. The boy couldn't look at him because of fear- it wasn't about fear-, he couldn't look at him because he had something to hide. His eyes were cast down in a mournful gaze.

"I— I let her out, Madara-sama. I'm sorry."

He… _what?_

His confession didn't go unnoticed, every pair of sleeping ears perked up once those words were muttered.

He couldn't understand, why would he do something like that? Madara knew the both of them were close- somewhat- but he couldn't believe that Kagami would directly disobey his words in favor of her. While it only added to the storm of rage building within him, it instantly dissipated once he recognized the look he gave him. Finally able to stare him in the eyes, Kagami looked up at Madara, concern filling his orbs.

"I helped her leave the house because she had asked me to. She said she wouldn't be long, but she hasn't come back yet and I-"

He trailed off, but Madara felt as though he was being pulled by earstrings. The sight of Kagami twiddling with his fingers behind his back, the uneasiness oozing from his voice and the constant hesitation, were already tell-tale signs. His shoulders were slumped and his mouth now set in a semi-pout. More signs. But he had to hear it straight out of his mouth. Madara's brows furrowed in frustration.

_Come on, out with it brat!_

Before he could snap at the kid one more time, he was stopped midway through his thoughts.

"I'm scared something bad might have happened."

* * *

And this was how he found himself standing outside in the cold, where she had been just a few hours prior.

Outside the windows to Kagami's room, Madara stood silently. His feet indenting deep into the snow-covered ground. He looked up at the gray sky and momentarily wondered why was this always happening to him. Why was he even here? If he had to think of very choice he took, every decision he made, that led him to this place, to this moment in time, where he was facing what he was facing- he would have to spend the rest of his life counting each ridiculous outcome to his very last dying breath.

He sighed and closed his eyes.

He felt the chill not only on his skin, but in his blood, coldness bringing the synapses of his brain to a stand-still. Part of it was a pain, yet one he could have endured, one he could have slept through night after night without the anaesthesia of false hope.

This was his winter; and for the very first time in a long time, he awaited the spring and the chattering of the birds.

He began walking into the direction she took.

_How could she be so reckless?_

Wasn't it bad enough what had happened, why would she go purposely out of her way to find Eiji?

According to Kagami, she had wanted to return something to him, but for the love of everything that mattered to this earth, Madara couldn't figure what the hell that may be. For the most part of it, he figured she had simply told him that so he wouldn't ask any more questions, that whatever her reason was, it wasn't  _that._

Or maybe it was and he just too blind to see it.

Sighing once more, he opened his eyes and clung to the cloak covering him.

It was a windy day.

It was a gloomy day.

And if his gut feelings were right, it was also going to be a very bad one.

He stepped forward, her own footsteps couldn't be seen; however, he was still able to discern indents in the tracks, which were slowly being filled with falling snow anew. Again. There was no way that she could have found him at the housing, it was the first place Izuna had checked. Two days ago, that is. If Eiji had returned, he wouldn't have known. There was no one there at the moment, that place was about to be abandoned soon anyways. All the more reason to hide in it, but Eiji wasn't dumb enough to seek refuge in a place so close to the main household.

He grumbled as he followed the path to the shinobis housing. He left his own footsteps behind as he got closer. And closer and closer…

Madara's eyes and ears were on high alert as the house-stead finally came into view. The nearer he got, the wetter the sleet became, rain overtaking the snow. It was soft at first, translucent as the snow melted in between, leaving behind shells of iced crystals, then water, wet rain. But even that couldn't hold for much longer, downpour was soon upon him. He hadn't even made it five hundred feet within the vicinity of the housing and he was already drenched. The heavy drops stuck to his cloak like daggers.

Madara stopped in his tracks and looked up once again at the sky. It hadn't changed. Gray as always, save for a shade darker. It looked angry, mad, raging. And strangely those feelings had left him, leaving him simply…wondering. He was unnaturally calm, his mind was calm, he didn't know where the anger had gone, but it was gone. He was alright with that. Although, Kagami might be in for a scolding later, he was just glad nothing had happened to him.

Large drops slickered down his face, rounding the hardened edges of his peaceful gaze. It soaked his hair, it chilled his bones, it made him wish he had used another cloak, but above all, it synched with that sound, that harmony playing somewhere in the background. Not so much the background, as much as it was the back of his mind.

_That hymn._

Each drop was like a tap, like clockwork, gently drumming along with each swing of the wind chimes. And there it was. Subtly enough, he found his feet taking him into another direction. He hadn't realized it, he couldn't fight it, and he just knew that was where he should be going. Madara didn't care to explain it, he was too focused on catching the melody, wherever it was. There was something melancholic about it. Unknowingly, he was walking straight into the dark forest, eerily quiet and secluded. The chimes echoed louder the nearer he got. Enraptured by the peaceful sounds, Madara fell trap to his own mind as it guided him to the entrance of the woods.

It wasn't until a twig had snapped in half, that he was pulled back to reality. For a moment, he had wondered how he came to be here, but his thoughts were instantly dislodged. The hymn was gone, the wind chimes reverberations were gone and there wasn't a single sound left but the loud thud of the wooden stick. But even that wasn't meant to last long. Madara's senses immediately sparked when he felt Izuna's chakra nearby. The signatures only became stronger as he closed in. In fact, Madara could have guessed that he was running.

_But why?_

The chakra signatures were coming from the west.  _Could it be that Izuna was already back?_

He had just left that early morning, still ongoing with his search for Eiji. Either he found him, or he didn't. But why wouldn't his younger brother head straight for the house? Why was he running right into the heart of the forest?

There were many questions that he planned to find answers to, but for the moment, Madara's interests laid elsewhere. He may not know why he was led here, or even how, but there was something clearly going on. Madara gazed straight ahead and found a forest flooded in darkness, the bare branches spiked into the dampened sky- no sign of life to be found anywhere. It was so dark, he was barely able to see where he were going, and the outlines of the hundred-foot tall trees were distinctively blurred. There were but only small sounds of rustling bushes and the howls of the wind. He didn't know what laid in the dark land, all he knew was that it wasn't going to be a peaceful journey. Yet despite that, a part of him was sure to find the answers he sought just a little further ahead. This wasn't comforting.

The path at his feet led into the obscurity of the woods, where even the rain was hardly able to penetrate the thick canopy.

He took the first step forward.

Madara could feel the darkness drawing closer to him and pressing down, suffocating him slowly as he stepped carefully through the thick maze of woodland. The densely packed trees loomed high above, but remained still despite the icy breeze that continued to flow around him. The silvery shadows of the approaching moonlight was slowed to a trickle by the full branches, and Madara had to squint, narrowing his eyes only to see a path of gloom and uncertainty ahead.

The forest was unquestionably dark and foreboding, but regardless of the weather, there was peace in its sullen ambiance. His eyes flickered over the thick, brown trunks of the trees that rose steadily into the sky, its boughs interlocking with its adjacents like giant's arms linked together protecting their little home. The trees were densely packed together, leaving just enough space to allow someone of his size to maneuver through.

He came to a stop, a chill running down his spine. He pressed his palm against a rough bark, and breathed in the scent of the forest. The musty scent of leaves after rainfall, the warm soil packed against the earth by scurrying animals long gone, the scent of things in different stages of blooming and growth, of death and decay. The forest was teeming with it.  _Death._ His jaws clenched as his intuitions only got worse.

_What is this?_

He took his next footings cautiously, leaving behind a trail of his footsteps deep into the murky snow. Hand never leaving the bark of the trees, he walked along, until something caught his eye.

Something blazing.

He didn't need another second to figure it out, his eyes widened in horror as he pooled chakra into his palm, tearing through the bark into thousands of shattered splints and lunging himself up into the branches. At breakneck speed, he leapt over several boughs at a time. The deeper he found himself, the more panicked he became. The black flames appeared more and more often, not only engulfing random scattered branches, but taking entire trees down, eating away at their charred cores until they were nothing but ashes. Even then, they still kindled brightly. It was never enough. They weren't normal flames, not even water could extinguish it. Madara knew that.

He jumped through recklessly, avoiding the burning ground as much as he could. Everything was soon buried in an inferno of dark flames.

_This is bad._

This was really bad.

As he continued on, he crushed the branches beneath his feet with his weight as though they were mere twigs. Despite having covered nearly half of the forest, this path seemed interminable. But he wasn't alone, he could sense Izuna trailing right behind him, coming up with nearly the same speed.

Yet, these flames couldn't measure up to an ounce of the burn of what he was feeling, nor to the fire was running rampant through his mind. His sharingans were activated, swiftly registering every single detail as he rushed through, looking out for everything but a dead corpse.

"No, no…" He pleaded soundlessly.

Amaterasu wasn't a technique one could just easily whip out with no consequences.

His nerves were frayed to the quick. In his mounting anxiety, he managed to construct elaborate rationalizations for why everything would turn out alright, why it couldn't possibly have anything to do with her once he reached the end of this forest,- but still, the nagging voice in the back of his mind spoke of nothing but doom ahead.

"Come on. " He voiced, his impatience tugging at him from all directions.

He just kept on going, running and running and running…His feet pounded the trees with all the grace of a sack of wet concrete, the springing graceful steps of five miles earlier had long since disappeared. His rasping throat was as parched as a dead lizard in the desert sun despite how drenched he felt. The bellowing wind howled in his ears, deafening him. His head bobbed loosely from side to side with each footfall and his eyes felt heavy in their sockets. He bolted as if nothing could stop him, he quickened his grueling pace with every leap; his eyes were open, yet they were no longer seeing. All he could do now was focus on the path forged ahead of him. If anything blocked his way, he would cut it to pieces. If the wind threatened to tear him down, he would only get back up. If the friction of going against the strong gusts toppled him, he would gallop through it.

Madara could only focus. Concentrate. Aim. So much so that he hadn't seen the entry to the clearing at his footsteps. The light had come out of nowhere, it blinded him, if only for a moment. Shielding his eyes from the intense brightness, he never slowed down. Relentless as he was, before he could even think of stopping, he had already found himself thrusted into the light at whirlwind speed.

In that one, transient and painful moment, everything had stopped once his feet brushed the ground.

Never before had he noticed how time was so much like water; that it can pass slowly- a drop at a time, even freeze- or rush by in a blink of an eye, like the drop of a waterfall. The clock always said it was measured and constant, tick-tock-tick-tock, in an endless loop of a not so orderly world; well, the clock lied.

Madara's eyes widened as the sight dawned on him.

The past three days had passed like hundreds of image frames per second, shown one at a time. In this slow time-bubble, the empty birdsongs were louder, coldness was colder and colours were brighter. All the while his insides felt as if there was nothing there, nothing to need feeding and nothing to have need of anything at all.

All those colors were now gone, drained into an abyss, an oblivion.  _They were…gone_.

The clock was lying again, Madara could feel it in his heart, the way it tugged at it- it had to be lying. The way his lungs stopped momentarily, to ponder what it was that it had been breathing for. The air caught in his chest, trapped in a frenzy. His body was a cage, reigning in everything, it was rigid and tense, hardened and tough. It was made of stone, and it seemed that the stone was finally beginning to crack.

It wasn't the light that he had leapt into. It was snow.

Snow dyed in blood, so much of it.

Death, death, death. It was everywhere.

His feet were swamped in a pool of cold blood. He moved a leg forward, daring to inch closer. Daring to shatter those frames. Another step, another frame broken. Another step, another lie. Another and another, and-

_No!_

_**End of PART ONE** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part Two begins next chapter.


	59. A Sky Full of Stars, A Night Full of Moons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! Let me just take a moment to say something, Part 1 is finally over! Woohoo, never thought I'd finish it, but here I am, already pumping out Part 2. Aren't you guys lucky? Haha. But to be honest, when I started this fic, I never really put much effort into the beginning of part 1, and as a result, it is a mess and it is horribly written, I will be revising it, don't worry. I need to give it the attention it deserves, but I'll also try to work on moving on with part two.
> 
> Speaking of which, this is the start of Part 2, and I only have one thing to say, give this chapter a chance. I know it's long, I know everything may seem off, even the characters, but PLEASE, I beg you, please don't give up on it. Do not halt after the first paragraph, everything will be confusing, but believe me, just read until the end and everything will be explained by then. This chapter is quite important later on.
> 
> Thank you.

**_Part Two_**

 

 

 

 

 

**_Madara's POV_ **

It was peaceful.

It was beautiful.

It was vivid.

Madara looked up at the never-ending blue sky, enjoying the nothing that was…everything. Somewhere above this so-called translucent sky, born of the colour of spring mint, swirled galaxies upon galaxies of brilliant stars. Painted in thousands of different shades, from cold sapphires to blazing azures, it spanned forever, even far across a horizon where a human like him could only dream of reaching.

It was ethereal.

He laid there- no, he floated there. He couldn't tell, he didn't really sense anything. He didn't know anything, he didn't even know who he was or where he was. All he knew was that one uninterrupted blue canvas that stretched endlessly across his field of vision. And that was enough for him, all he had to do was never stray his eyes from it ever again, for he didn't know if it would leave him, alone and empty in this strange place.

_What was…this place, anyways?_

In a brief moment of time, he was taken aback by the voice in his mind, his own thoughts seemed to elude him, even now.

He still couldn't decipher this place, he couldn't put a name to it, yet he could… _feel it._

Forever unfettered, never entombed and never shackled. That was what it was.

Both heartbreaking and inspiring in a way, something so tender. And alive, beating vigorously like a rugged heart.

A place where life was full and death afar, where there was no meaning to peace as there was never a need for war. There didn't have to be worries other than one's own, no rules other than the ones oneself governed, no pain other than the grief one placed upon their own shoulders. Wonders beyond his comprehension, skies waiting to be admired, wilderness waiting to be explored, fears waiting to be faced, kingdoms waiting to be conquered, lands waiting to be protected. Contentment in living and pain in surviving. What more could one ask of Mother Nature?

It was a hidden world never bound to be silenced.

Still, it was his hidden world, they were his own worries, his own rules, his own pain and his own griefs.

But... _what exactly were they?_

He knew something was missing, perhaps the answers were his key to unlocking the treasures of this place. He wondered, what was it that truly attracted him to this little spot? What had his jet-black eyes following every small wisps of clouds fluttering across the ocean above? Wherever the wind wished them to go, they followed unquestioningly and so did Madara. He rested his back on the soft grass, letting his eyes gaze upwards.

_Maybe there wasn't a need to overthink so much._

Sometimes, things were just as they were. Simple. A sky was a sky, a moon was a moon and the air was…well, air. As for him?

He was…he was Madara.

_That's right._

The memories came flooding back, the feeling of being conscious of his surroundings, the missing pieces to the puzzle; they all came back one after another. Someone once told him;  _don't blink_ , that he was always guaranteed to miss something. His eyes fluttered open at the beck and call, his mind awoke and his heart beating the evermore louder; Madara finally took the first step; he touched the ground. His rough hands brushed past soft blades, lean and thin leaves. Gripping a handful, he brought it up to where he laid, to his eye-level.

_Grass_.

When he finally felt that his body could take another movement without spasming, he focused all his energy in lifting himself up. It turned out, he was mistakenly wrong. Using the relatively levelled ground to steady himself as his back was hoisted up. He sat up while his legs remained splayed in front of him, he simply didn't have enough energy left to move them so soon.

_What the hell has happened to me?_  He groaned in pain, the muscles of his lower back cramped. When had he turned into such an old geezer? The thought troubled him and made him groan his irritation louder.

"Pfft…" He grumbled, determined to prove to himself that he wasn't a stupid elderly man just yet. Going against his body's warnings, Madara forced himself to stand up. The sounds of his kneecaps cracking sent jolts of pain up his spine, or worse, the noise of each tensed muscle at last giving out and stiffening- he ignored them all until he found himself standing proudly on his own two feet- well, somewhat. He was still hunched forward, unable to move, not even an inch. This was not the time for his back to give up. He mentally cursed himself.

Trying to rise up, he was still unable to pass that invisible barrier that seemed to tether his spine in twists.

"Fuck." He growled, everything hurt now. Every damn thing. As if a stake was being hammered through his spine. Why was his body betraying him like this? Tired of seeing the green grass- also tired of feeling as if he was about to churn up the entirety of his guts-, he bit back his tongue and winced as he broke that barrier- and probably a few bones too. He ultimately got what he wanted, to stand on his two feet, in exchange of throbbing pain in his back, a crushing break in his legs and a pair of numb arms.

_Great_.

To say that he was grumpy was borderline offensive, for he wasn't just grumpy, he was currently functioning on a short fuse. The more intense the pain was, the shorter the fuse got. Madara shut his eyes and concentrated on straightening his posture, fighting through it as though he was battling with himself as to who owned this body. If this was how old people got up from bed every morning, then he would rather die than suffer through the same wrecked routine, he would drive himself mad.

Yet, despite the pain, Madara found that the stretching was well worth it. A few moments of excruciating spasms and cramps were nothing compared to the gradual relief of his stiffened muscles. Sighing as he numbed out the pain at last, he rubbed his lower back, the one that got quite literally the worst of it. While the pain hadn't fully disappeared, Madara was beginning to feel relaxed.

Unwinding his arms at his sides, he had to wonder what the hell just happened.

He wasn't old, was he?

He plucked out a single long strand of hair from the bangs that framed his face. It was definitely black. Still… There wasn't just a mirror casually laying around for him to scrutinize his own looks. He stood there, contemplating his hands, his skin was pulled taut, rigid but somehow smooth, free of any wrinkles. He flexed his fingers- albeit with some difficulty, they still seemed to look just fine. The skin of the palm of his hands, the back of his wrists, his whole forearm, looked as though it was brand new. He couldn't see a single crease anywhere, he could see nothing but old scars littered across every other bare inch.

_Wait…_

Why was he able to see his forearms? Madara took a second glance at what he was wearing and was quite surprised with what he found.

An old outfit he hadn't worn in ages. When he wasn't in his battle gear, he was able to enjoy the weightless feeling of being untethered to pounds of metal and armors. But now…he had clearly outgrown it. By quite a lot. His pants barely passed his calves by an inch, the black sash of the golden-tinted robe was the only thing holding the piece together. Madara looked down at his muscled legs, his bare feet….

_Crap_.

He was also barefoot. All these new sensations only coming to light now began to overwhelm him. If he had a mirror, he would…

Except, there wasn't a mirror around.

"Huh?"

An unsettling awareness crept over him. The very real sensation of being stranded had dawned on him, froze him to place; though it did anything but panic his mind. He wasn't being paranoid, he swore that he wasn't. His hands fell to his sides as he turned around, glanced at the infinite fields that were stretched almost as far as the skies did, eventually meeting at a single point, a point so far his own troubled eyes couldn't even see. The more he looked, the deeper the hopelessness reigned. Unable to hold the panic back any longer, he turned and turned, until the mere images before him became nothing more than a haze.

Maybe when they cleared, he would be back home, home with his family.

He came to a stand-still.

_Right, they were dead._

He didn't have a family, what was he thinking? The mere thought of them still being alive was foolish, he had no idea why he just came to assume that. He was confused, that must have been it. It was nothing more than wishful thinking on his part. Madara's memories may have returned, but there was still so much that was missing. He may have known who he was, where his home was once, where he himself belonged; but he couldn't figure out what it was that was taken from him. The Uchiha clan leader felt as though he had been robbed of something, something he cared for, and now it was just…gone. His mind couldn't comprehend it, it just knew it, there was no explanation for it and Madara couldn't care to have one. All that he could think of is gaining that thing- whatever it was- back.

He looked back up at the sky and brushed his hands through his thick locks.

"Where am I?" He asked, not really expecting someone to come bursting through the clouds and handing him the answer to a question that now carried a more sinister weight.

The heavens wouldn't be so generous to just tell him, would they?

He felt lost.

He couldn't even remember the faint slumber nor the heavy drowsiness that accompanied it. All that came to mind was the first thing he was aware of; the coolness of the air and its loamy fragrance. He couldn't even recall waking up. The ground was lumpy beneath his back as if he had laid on a bed of earth and rocks. In a sense, he had been. His clothes billowed despite looking as if they had been sewn to his skin. He half wondered if he was still dreaming, but he quickly dismissed it. This was too vivid, too lucid, too  _real_  to be nothing more than some dream.

Now that he was awake, perhaps more fully awake and conscious than he had ever been. There were no paths around him and definitely no sign of another person. As far as he could tell, he was alone. Alone in this vast open space. Where the green extended far beyond his eyesight and where the blue never once cracked. It was worse though than it first appeared, usually after this point in waking he would know  _how_  he got to where he was, but he didn't. He couldn't think of another name that belonged to him other than Madara, nor any other names to any of the people he knew, besides his brother and—

Any face his subconscious tried to throw at him had as much resonance as that of a total and complete stranger. Heck, he wouldn't even know his own mother if she walked right past him right now, if he had one that is.

_Wait, what? Of course I had one, what the hell is wrong with me?_

He groaned in frustration, his thoughts were all over the place. Everything was jumbled together, he didn't know what was real anymore or what was fake. He rubbed his temples and rested his eyes, hoping that would clear things up, if only just a bit.

Madara had been hoping for too much, as when he opened them again, nothing had changed. He still felt lost, and confused. He, for the first time- felt a loneliness he had never experienced before.

The wind greeted him, its rippling soft blows were moving in waves only leaves understood. The brisk spring breeze swayed and swayed, carrying with it his spirit. Unconsciously, he found himself closing his eyes, letting his guards down as he felt himself sway along. His peculiarly long hair whipped gently against the soft currents, his face hid behind fluttering strands as they were tousled. If he could, he would have fallen asleep. There was something in the air- maybe it was the freshness of it- that sparked the drowsiness within him, as if the kind whispers of the winds hushed softly to him, pegged him to sleep and let his exhausted body finally rest.

Oh how he wished for it.

How he wished for time to stop, long enough for him to be able to take a good, long and deep breath. Long enough for him to learn how he could turn time backwards, so far back to the day he met her, to that day so he could tell his past self to ignore that pest in the woods, to keep marching forwards as if he had heard nothing. Madara would have never had to meet her.

_Mina._

That single thought jolted him back to reality, where he now stood alone in an empty field. He was surprised to see that in the distance- far or near, he couldn't tell- a thick area of trees of all sizes and shapes. Just ahead, far past the velvety grass and the pearl clouds, was a wide patch of woods, birch, fir, oak; all of which were tress that encompassed that forest. Even from this distance, he was still able to notice the bulky trunks, the ebony woods of the barks; the sturdiness of their structures was just that apparent. Madara couldn't help but wonder how they could have found the strength to keep standing throughout centuries upon centuries upon…it never ended, did it?

In a way, Madara was just like those trees, except he wasn't poised to live as long. His body wasn't immortal, in fact, it was already beginning to deteriorate and his eyesight was starting to vanish ever so slowly, torturously so. Scars riddled his figure, from head to toe. Though it took one with keen observation to really point out the hidden ones.

But the real scars that he bared weren't the ones one could see with their eyes. They were much deeper. And much more painful.

And yet, he stood. Just like those trees, he stood strong in the face of adversity. He was still alive despite the many grueling battles he had to endure, despite being thrown into the mess without his consent, despite being stubborn as a mule and despite being his own disparager; he was, above all else, standing. When many of his other peers and family were probably laying somewhere in the dirt, their carcasses left out to dry.

So, yes. Madara was strong. He was a winner, a victor, a shinobi who had stepped on others to get to what he wanted, when he wanted and couldn't possibly care less about it.

But even the strong had their weaknesses.

The light breeze touched the leaves, pegging them to dance, so they did. They danced and fluttered, they shook and they quivered; they followed the winds every demand, creating a beautiful array of greens. Color had never held so much meaning in Madara's life, but just because he was blind to most inane of things didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it when it really mattered. The soft susurration of the leaves overhead made him-

_"So, you're finally awake, huh?"_

Madara's eyes widened. His heart, he could have sworn it had skipped a beat. That voice, he knew that voice like he knew the back of his hands. Somewhere deep inside, a part of him was afraid of turning, that same part of him warned his mind against it. He didn't listen, he couldn't listen. The beatings of his heart deafened him, it nearly pained him even as he felt his chest swell up. But that didn't matter now, because she was here.

She had become a silhouette to him, drifting sleeplessly between the shadows of everyday life. Now, that silhouette beamed with life. At first glance, he couldn't tell much, all he could have said was that she was finally here. Someone,  _anyone_ , was here. And she was that one person.

"Min-" He cut himself off when he took a second look at her. She stepped closer, right under the sunlight. It was that time of day again, when the sun dowsed everything beneath it in gold. Including her.

_It can't be her._

Madara was convinced that his mind was playing tricks on him, again, for the woman standing in front of him couldn't have been his wife once upon a time.

She was taller- just slightly- and her body stood lean and firm, even with each curve, there was something off. Despite wearing a black yukata, he could still tell each inch of her apart. Even if it was unnoticeable at first, Madara could tell she was thinner, her face too, had lost its roundness. Where there used to be fleshy cheeks, were now slender skin. The smoothness was gone, replaced with taut features. Even her hair. The long, wavy honey-brown strands that he had memorized almost as well as his name used to fall in curtains, brushing her round shoulders and passing her pale neck; it was all gone. In its stead, hung a mop of short cropped curls, almost like a bob, something more commonly worn by men. This…this new disheveled and disorganized hair barely passed the base of her neck and her dark bangs were brushed to either sides of her head.

Madara grew wary, he stepped back and raised his guards once more.

"Who are you?" He asked sternly, cautious of this new stranger. He didn't have anything to protect him- not an armor, not even a weapon-, he would still be able to take her down using brute force but seeing that his body wasn't exactly responding currently the way he wanted, he really couldn't rely on it alone.

Her eyes lit up, a puzzled expression apparent. Then a smirk _._ A smirk.

_Why…is she smiling?_

He couldn't understand, why had her features- cold as steel had they been less than a moment ago- softened by leaps and bounds into something warmer, something more inviting? Just who was she? She crossed her arms and pouted, playfully.

"Why, you've just practically said my name."

"Who the hell are you?!" He demanded, more forcefully this time. He wasn't up for jokes. Madara had no idea why she thought any of this was funny, why she thought it was appropriate for her to impersonate his wife. His teeth gritted against each other, his jaws squinched reflexively; he was irritated, and his glare showed that. But that didn't seem to faze her a bit. In fact, it only egged her on. Raising her head and tipping it to the side as if to lecture him;

"You really don't remember me?" Her left brow raised quizzically as she caught him by surprise.

When she knew she wasn't going to get another answer out of the Uchiha man, she dropped the act. Along with her arms. Straightening up, she seemed to be gathering her thoughts as she stepped forward, attempting to get close to him. But Madara wasn't having any of it.

"Don't move."

At his command, she halted. Almost immediately. Despite the harshness of his tone, she remained resolute.

A moment of silence stretched between them.

He could almost see the wind, for it seemed to move everything slightly, like it was in control over the whole earth. He watched as her auburn hair flew in wild directions, the air grazing her cheeks. She reached up and tucked the untamed strands behind her ear and kept walking, laughing it off as the sound of her voice was carried by the wind, reaching his ears; he knew that he had been wrong. He had heard that laugh before.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten me, Madara."

She said it so casually as she smiled at him, but he couldn't help but notice something so small, something so peculiar- something he would have never noticed had he never spent the past year with her- that, underneath the laughter and the smirking, there lurked a hint of sadness in her tone, in her words, as if the thought of him forgetting her was somewhat tragic. What was truly tragic however—

"Why do you look like that?" Madara scoffed, crossing his own arms, refusing to admit defeat. But it was like she knew him, because she never pressed the issue. Instead, she took his words as a sign that it was okay for her to move in just a little closer. Locking her arms behind her, she swayed as she made her way to him. Carefree. That was one word he could have used to describe her at the moment, but even that one word wasn't enough. There were never enough words to describe her, that no matter how much he tried, Madara couldn't invent enough characters to illustrate her.

"Hmm, you mean this?" She asked mischievously, pointing straight to her hair. There was but half an inch separating them, and even with her new height, she still wasn't tall enough to reach him. So, she resorted to something else. Mina stood on the tip of her toes, peering up at him as her forehead bumped into his chin. She never left him enough time to answer.

_"Well, this is how I have always looked like before I met you, silly."_  She grinned. He was taken a bit by surprise when she gave him the widest, teeth-bearing smile she could render. He had never seen her smile so freely before, never so brightly. Basking under the glowing rays of the sun, she seemed to radiate, a smile like that- one he had only ever seen on children- shone even brighter, not nearly as blinding as the sunlight, but just bright enough for him. He had to think…

_What the hell has gotten into her?_

Stepping down, Mina retracted her finger and gave him some of his space back so as either of them can breathe, not that this place was about to run out of it anytime soon.

"Okay, so it's mostly the hair." She admitted confidently. "Though my body…"

_Her body?_  He didn't see anything remarkably wrong with it, it was just…different. She hadn't aged either, save for the few wrinkles and black lines under her eyes. But that wasn't it.

It was the way she had uttered the last phrase, intending to leave it unfinished as she whispered it. Hoping that he wouldn't hear it. Her eyes darted away from him, they wouldn't meet him straight on. Madara could only do so much, he simply watched as that glow diminished while the shadows of the rays danced across her face. Her pupils were fixated on an imaginary spot just to his right, somewhere on the field of grass.

"Time changes things." She spoke in a hushed tone.

_Time changes things._

He didn't know what possessed him to do it, but he did it. He, under no influence other than his impulsiveness, grabbed Mina by her shoulders and dragged her to his arms. In that second, that vast area he suddenly found himself flung to, was no longer there, he couldn't see it, he couldn't feel it. It was only them now, only him and her. Leaning in gently and closing the gap that was between them, Madara brushed his lips against hers. Their foreheads touched. He looked into her eyes, the same eyes he had grown fond of, the same eyes that had seemingly left him as of late; he looked into the familiar eyes, eyes that sparkled with the light making them look alive. Their light brown color was soft, the exact shade of cinnamon. A ring of gold hung inside her iris, hiding the specks of hazel and adding another layer of depth to her already beautiful eyes.

_Found you._

Before he could be the one to steal a kiss, she beat him to it. Unabashedly, she locked her lips to his, cupping his face in the palms of her warm hands.

Mina's kiss stole the words he couldn't bear to say and in that silent moment, there wasn't really a need for him to say anything anymore. Instead, he let himself be carried along, capturing her lips in his own, letting that same warmth radiate through the rest of his body. His lips were firm against hers, but the kiss remained soft, gentle,  _slow_. They held it for a few seconds, before their lips began to move in perfect sync, unhurriedly and cautiously. He exhaled through his nose, not ready to let go just yet. Madara moved his hand, grazing her cheeks as he made its way to the back of her head where his fingers tangled in her short, dark chocolate hair, lightly pulling her into him and adding more pressure to their lips. Anything to deepen the kiss. Their eyes were closed, their noses collided and their hair dishevelled. Their tongues rolled and fought, entangled and entwined until the warmth became unbearable.

Her eyes closed fearlessly, as did his, but the closure didn't let him see darkness, rather it had created colours of fondness. His tense nerves soon began to relax, his troubles and his pain began to melt away and the surroundings began to truly disappear leaving only him; him and Mina.

This.

This felt… _good_. Almost too good to be true.

He could feel her smile against him as her tongue began to draw away, her hands reaching down to his chest before finding their way up to his neck, snaking them gently around him. Her lips pulled away from his slowly, leaving behind a trail of her scent. He could still taste where her tongue was seconds ago, the wetness of the kiss did nothing to stave him off. Looking down at her, at where they were connected so passionately- he found himself eager for more. His hands slid down to her waist and gripped her tightly.

Mina looked up at him questioningly, that same gaze that told him that she was about to prove him wrong once again. It was the look that screamed 'I already caught you', no matter—she smirked smugly as she said;

"Hmm, so you do remember me after all."

He pursed his lips, giving her a petulant look. He figured it was better to just admit it than hide it. The hands on her waist pushed her away, forcing her to take a step back.

_"As if I could ever forget you, idiot."_

"Ow." She yelped jokingly when one of his palms jabbed her forehead. "Well, I must have been an extraordinary idiot if you can still remember me."

Madara couldn't deny it. "I really don't think that's a compliment"

She only laughed, it was amazing how she could never take anything seriously. While it was true that his pet names for her were often  _mildly_  derogatory; being called an idiot or a fool never seemed to bother her, quite the opposite actually, Madara was starting to believe she rather enjoyed it.

"You think?" She giggled, dropping her arms to her sides. Madara looked down at the woman, trying to figure her out, something he has been trying to do since he had met her.

"So, where are we, anyways?" He finally asked. If he didn't know the answer, maybe she did. She must have saw him long before he came to, otherwise, how would she know he was asleep? She had asked if he was finally awake- rather mockingly- though the rhetorical question didn't seem really all that serious.

"I— I actually don't know." She answered, seemingly genuine. Madara turned around and took another peek at his surroundings, the nearly perfect picturesque scene could only have come out of a dream, how most would have imagined what a heaven on earth would have looked like- but this wasn't a dream, nor was it paradise on earth. Were they abducted? Madara wasn't sure, certainly he would have known if someone tried to ambush him or Mina, then again, he could recall very few things.

The crispy and chilly air blew past them, twirling with the winds as they made their way eastwards.

_Odd_.

He had this odd sense of familiarity that the wind normally blew in the opposite direction back home-

She walked up to him, standing at his side and never saying a single word. Madara couldn't help but feel that recurring sensation returning, the sense of being lost. But, now that she was here, it was less palpable then before. Still, he didn't hesitate. Grabbing her gently by the arms, he began leading her into the direction of the west.

"Wait, where are we going, Madara?" She asked, slightly curious to what he was doing.

"We're going home." He said.

Of course they were going home, where else would they be going? There was no one around- no one he can sense at least. So, for the moment, they weren't in any danger, they needed to use this chance to get as far away as they could. Though the sunset was illuminating the horizon, at a side glance, Madara saw the woodland pathway was still dark. The trees stood as if charcoal was slapped restlessly against the light blue sky. The only flash of color was the orange pouring across the skyline like molten lead from a burning furnace, shadowing the viridiscent leaves as they fluttered against the air. Madara slung the eerie vibes he was feeling to the back of his mind and kept walking, not looking at the beauty ahead nor behind, but only at the green path that was treacherous with lumpy soil. Never once stopping to ask if she wanted to.

He didn't need to do it, because she had done it for him.

"Home?" Mina echoed softly, as if the word was foreign to her ears. She slanted her head sideways and slipped her arm away from him prompting him to stop in his tracks. The twenty-eight year old Uchiha turned around, confused. But it turned out, she, too seemed dazed.

"Why would you want to go home, Madara?"

_Huh?_  He was caught off guard by her response.

"What kind of question is that?" He retorted.

"I mean, why would you want to go back when you have this beauty right here? I mean, look around you, this place is just so…" She trailed off, swirling and pointing to everything in her surroundings.

"… _peaceful_."

He followed her gaze only to be met by an endless field, an endless sky and an infinite amount of trees. The air was fresh, the sun was bright and the winds howled; it was a perfect day. But deep down, he knew for a fact that perfection didn't exist, not in his world- all of this was but an imagery lasting only for oh-so long before he figured what the secret behind this place was. Because he was bound to, right? He had to.

"We need to go." He repeated.

"Fine." She shrugged, but she wasn't just about to give up. "So, do you know where home is?" Mina asked.

…

For a moment, he had no idea how to answer that. In fact, he still didn't know how to. Madara never expected that question to pop in her mind as it never did his. She waited and waited, however; he gave no sign of answering her question.

"Alright, uhm-" She quirked a brow. "You were just going to storm off somewhere with no knowledge whatsoever of where you're going?"

"How else are we supposed to get out of this place?" He countered, growing irritated. They had to start somewhere, anywhere.

"Who said we have to go anywhere?" She pointed out, "Why not enjoy this while we're here?" She exclaimed rather cheerfully, a bit too cheerful if you asked him. An inkling suspicion had already planted its roots in his mind, and it was too late to ignore it. He stood quiet, still trying to grasp the meaning of her actions, which had always seemed to elude him. She had never been straight-forward, her words had always held a different meaning, a hidden one, he would always have to pay close attention just to catch whatever she was hinting at. Though right now- despite being fixating at every syllable- Madara couldn't come up with a clear intention, nothing came to mind.

"Hey, I know!" She leapt forward, jumping him in the process and took his arm hostage. Like a child gawking at the sight of freshly baked sweets, Mina clung to his arm with excessive force as if to trap him. "We can go take a stroll in those woods over there, can you imagine the amount of-"

"Stop it." He demanded. Looking down at her, he didn't know what to believe; this fake façade that she was portraying or the fact that she thought he was stupid enough to fall for it. Unlatching her forcefully from him, he pushed her a few steps back gently, a warning that she should keep her distance from now on.

A sincere look of confusion dawned on her. Whereas his returned to their normal stoic self, Madara's features were hardened, impassive and hard to read as if distancing himself was the answer to his problems.

"I have no idea why you're acting like this, but you need to drop it no-"

"I just wanted to spend the day with you, is that so wrong?" She interrupted him, unknowingly angering him even more. Her words-  _those_  words- would have never come out of Mina's mouth. Not once would he have thought she would utter them, not once did he believe her capable of doing it.

Spend the day with him?

Because in truth, he knew she had no reason to. He never gave her the time of day, and if he could guess- and he was sure he was pretty accurate on this one- Madara would say he was probably one of the greatest reasons for making her life miserable at this point. She never wanted anything to do with him, yet he found himself forcing her into a marriage in which she had no say in.

As if that was the cue for the flashbacks to begin, he soon found himself overwhelmed with memories and emotions of those days. How could he have forgotten? How his own marriage was built on nothing more than sheer insincerity and feigned partiality, the mendaciousness of it all made him sick to his stomach. Not that he ever expected that he would actually end up marrying on the basis of mutual liking or whatever it was that drew people together- no, Madara didn't really believe in that.

And yet he found himself growing the ever-more angry. At her. How did she have the guts to stand here and tell him something as outrageous as that- and so happily too- as if she actually cared? Who was she really lying to; him or herself? Because he sure as hell wasn't fooled by her act of compassion.

"Madara? Are you alright?"

He opened his eyes, unconscious of when he had closed them. He felt as though his head was being split in half, the migraine had him going mad. If he could, he would have rather split his own head then let this thing take him down gradually. Memories after memories, they all hounded him, never letting him forget anything. He rubbed his temples, silently wishing for the headache to go away. She had placed her palms over his forehead, feeling for something. Her other rested on her shoulders, when he came out of that little hellish daydream, he saw Mina's concerned face, her brows furrowed in worry and her lips pursed in stillness.

As if he would forget.

He slapped her hands away, hoping that she would get the clue.

More importantly, he wished that he could get his thoughts into one piece. He felt as though the right side of his brain was currently at war with the left, none of them able to come to a conclusion, to a decision in which both agreed. And thus, he was left wondering what the hell he was doing. Wasn't this the same woman he had shared a passionate kiss with a few minutes ago? Why the hell was he acting so hostile?

Her eyes only softened more, as if she pitied him, felt sorry for him; his jaws stiffened, his fists tightened.

She sighed, maintaining her distance as she did so.

Her wrinkles were so much more apparent now. Under the setting sun, he could tell more clearly now, she had aged. She wasn't the same eighteen-year old he had first met, Mina looked much older. Not elderly, not at all, but he could tell; he could tell how mature she had gotten. It confused him even more.

Standing face to face, miles away in an unknown field on an unknown land, in the middle of nowhere; they stood face to face, after a very long time. The air having calmed down, grazed their cheeks as it dashed past them, blowing strands of brown and black hair along.

"Madara." Her voice was firmer, deeper and raspier, it commanded him to turn his attention to her, yet it never lost its soft undertone.

"I know my actions probably seem strange and insincere to you, I know and I think it's unfair to you." She continued, much to his surprise.  _Where is she going with this?_

"But I need you to listen to me, because I don't think I have much time left."

_What?_

The subtlety of the urgency in her words were what caught him, he didn't understand but he had a bad hunch about it. Time slowed down once more as he came up with one hundred and one different meanings to those words, he tried to interpret them in so many ways, eventually coming to convince himself that she had probably meant something else altogether, it was the only way he could rationalize it without having the worst thoughts come to mind.

"What do you mean you don't-"

"Hear me out." She pleaded, and it was even now more apparent than ever, that sadness he had caught hint of earlier on came surfacing, not in sadness itself but in obstinacy, and gravity as if a heavy boulder weighed on her shoulders.

"I wanted to tell you a few things I never got to tell you before."

He could only stand motionless, listening as she carried on. His ears may have been hearing her as she spoke, but all the while his mind refused to make sense of them. He might as well have been a dummy.

"I-" Mina stuttered, broke eye contact with him as she tried to find the words that were caught somewhere deep in her throat.

"Please don't belittle anything of what I said or did, I meant every single word, everything." She confessed. "I really do care and that may sound odd to you right now, but I think you'll come to understand why."

"Okay, that's it." He stomped forward to grab her arm. He had had enough. "We're going home." Madara made his decision and  _they_  were going to follow it through, the talking could come later. As he reached out for her hands, she stepped back.

"What? You don't believe me?"

She must have taken his words as a challenge, which- in some weird and distorted way- was. Unintentional, that is.

"Well, just so you know, Madara-" She began, her voice rising ecstatically as if she was about to lecture him. "Back then, when I would always get myself in trouble, your name was always the first one to pop into my mind."

_Back then?_  It was fair to say Madara was more than just confused, if he had dug his own grave with his bare hands, it would have still made much more sense to him than any of this was.

"What the hell are you talking about? You  _still_  get yourself in trouble." He didn't waste a chance to point that out, kami- she was so reckless. Even a mere child wouldn't be nearly as dense as she was. She wasn't even dense! It was as if she personally went out and sought for some sort of disaster, and if she couldn't find it, she would create one of her own. It kind of reminded him of a  _certain_ someone, and the sheer absurdity of the resemblances between the two of them had him shuddering to the core. How could he have been so blind to it before?

Her sullen appearance was immediately overturned by her sudden outburst of laughter. Wriggling herself out of his grasp, the taller-than-she-was-shorter brunette couldn't dismiss his jab.

"Good point there." She said between giggles. "But that doesn't make it any less true. I'd always call out for you, and you'd always come. Madara, you've protected me more times than I could count."

_Protect her?_

The earnestness of her words was just the last stab that he could take straight to his heart.

He failed at that more times than he could count. Was she delusional? She had to be. He couldn't look her right in the eyes as she proclaimed something as false as that. He couldn't meet those brown orbs straight on and agree with what she had said, because the truth was; he really hadn't protected her. If Madara had, she wouldn't have met Zetsu in the first place. Had he kept her safe, he wouldn't have had to step in her blood just to reach her dead corpse splayed somewhere far in the snow, in the heart of a blazing forest. He wouldn't have had to carry her cold body back to his house, he wouldn't have had to know that her heart was cut by a sword belonging to one of his own shinobi. A lot of things wouldn't have happened had he been honest to her since the start, or that if he had paid closer attention. But he didn't, and more memories of the affair with Eiji haunted his mind.

The sight of those moments replayed incessantly in his mind after having blocked them for such a long time.

The more he talked to her, the more memories came swinging right back, threatening to knock him out once again.

True to her nature as she was, Mina instantly noticed the black cloud that seemed to hover over his head. The dissociate personality that was growing within him, the death that seemed to follow him everywhere. The aura he emitted in that moment was damn near palpable, so intense one could have tasted it on their tongue. His fists hardened into a tight ball, blue veins protruding underneath his skin as his teeth grinded against one another.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Madara, no one is perfect." She said softly.

_No one is perfect. Huh…_

He had definitely heard that one before.

"You know something, my thoughts were always a strange ocean to you."

Well, at least she knew that. Madara peeked at her and saw her twiddling with her fingers.

_Guess she hasn't gotten rid of that habit yet._

He knew that look, the look of nervousness. Where her own eyes were glued to her feet as she stood straight, arms locked behind her back- though he still knew she was playing with her fingers. Lips pursed, then bit to keep the words from escaping, but they still managed to find their way out. He knew that look by the book, she only ever did it when she was finally about to be honest. A part of him wasn't ready for that kind of honesty yet, not now, not right here where his surroundings started to take on a dark turn. The whisperings of the wind didn't sound as cheerful anymore, but rather tormenting. The leaves stopped dancing and were now just nothing more than empty leaves waiting to die. The glass blades beneath his bare feet weren't as soft, but sharpened to the tip where they threatened to prick his feet apart. Even the lovely sky, that too was turning the ever dimmer.

"Should I speak of them, I see the wandering begin in your eyes, your desire to flee a conversation written all over your face. Clear as this sky." She began again, her voice no louder than a low hush. "You think the churnings of my mind are nothing but petty words full of empty meanings. But your thoughts, well- you guard them, hardly ever letting an unconsidered word escape your lips- and you think of this as self-control. I guess, in a way it is..."

She was dissecting him, his every thought, his every choice; he never knew she caught on that much. He could feel his heartbeats begin to pound in unsteady pulses as her words got closer to the truth. And when she finally locked eyes with him, he thought he would have lost it.

"But the effect always left me on the outside, Madara, rarely granting me a glimpse of where your emotions really laid. I was almost always left to guess." With each phrase, she stepped forward, nearing the ever more.

"I don't know who caused you to hide, or even if it's just in your nature, but I need you to open that door for me more often. Just let me in every once in a while." She was so close he thought that for the first time- she would actually hear his own heart rattling against his chest. She grabbed his big and calloused hands in her own small ones, cupping them in her palms as she lent him some of her warmth.

_"Even if you haven't the patience to get to know who I am, perhaps I could at least get to know you better."_

He really couldn't hear anything but his heartbeats, he wasn't even aware that he was still breathing. All Madara could do was silently pray to whoever sent him here to have pity on him and let his heart go, to let the chains unshackle- but no one was listening.

Get to know him better? How could she now, when he had let that chance be taken away from her?

And just when he thought that he couldn't take it anymore, something came tumbling behind him, knocking him into Mina. She stood her ground and put all her strength in holding him upright so as neither of them could fall down.

_What the-_

Immediately regaining his composure, the Uchiha leader turned around to face the commotion, partly grateful that it gave him a break as he had absolutely no rebuttal to her words, he was left speechless and even if he could come up with a response, it would only end up making things worse. As usual.

Turning around, he wasn't sure what to expect, but he certainly wasn't anticipating two kids wrestling on the ground, each trying to mark the other.

_Humph?_

He was…well, if not confused, then he didn't know.

_What the hell were they doing and where did they come from?_

So randomly too, out of nowhere. He was dubious. He wasn't one to turn down a fight, or stop one for the sake of just stopping it, but this was ridiculous. One kid was clearly outmatching the other, and surprisingly, it wasn't the taller one. The older one- as it seemed- was getting tackled to the muddy ground, his feet rendered useless as the other one sat on them, incapacitating him. Both went head to head, arm to arm as they struggled to maintain stance. Despite the roughness of them all, both boys were actually…

_Laughing?_

He wore a puzzled expression.

He couldn't see their faces, but each had a mop of messy black hair. The older one wore his in a ponytail, the sides were swept by pins, the younger one- barely more than six or seven- had his all over the place, shaggy and untamed, spiky just like Madara's, except it was much shorter. They wore simple shirts and ragged pants, reminding him of the many kids left stranded without proper clothes, food or shelters in the midst of war. Their skins were pale and shone brightly in the sun.

Something was off about them, Madara was getting uneasy and she could sense it.

"I wonder what they're doing." She called out from behind, but Madara couldn't hear Mina anymore, all that he was focused on was the pair of children in front of him, until even her presence was drowned by the loud laughter and screeching.

"Ow, ow, stop brother!" The older one screeched as the one toppling him pulled on his hair. But the latter didn't listen and Madara recognized that sadistic grin plastered on the young boy's face, he laughed at his older brother's pain.

"Should have listened to mom when she told you to cut your hair! Ha!"

However, his brother wasn't having any of it, and pummeled his little fists into his abdomen.

"That's it you two." When Madara's ominous warning went straight over their heads, he stepped forward and was about to untangle the pair of idiots. Only, he couldn't. A third and unforeseen little gimp joined in on the action, knocking Madara to the side and jumping over the pair.

He was by far, the youngest of the group. His little and emaciated body was weak and malnourished, the same inky black hair graced his head. There was a scar on his left cheek, it was linear and incise, no doubt from a blade. The same porcelain- clear skin, the same clothes….the same eyes.

_Wait..._

They were all related. They were all brothers.

They all laughed and Madara could only sit there and hear them laugh, and laugh and- He couldn't have mistaken that tough brotherly love anywhere.

All of their black eyes- eyes that were darker than midnight, deeper than an abyss- lit with glee, grinning wider than their smiles.

"I can join too!" The young one shrieked, rolling them all over the ground as he pushed his way through.

_No._

This wasn't real.

He knew where this was going. Standing up, he vowed to never turn his eyes on them ever again, this was wrong, oh so very terribly wrong.

_No._

Not even when the Uchiha clan insignia was woven seamlessly into the back of their shirts, he was still willing to turn a blind eye. Anyone but them. His pace started picking up as he tried to run towards her, but he couldn't find her anywhere.

"Come on elder brother, aren't you going to play with us?!" One of the boys shouted eagerly. He knew which one, he could never forget his voice.

"Madara-kun is probably too busy doing father's bidding. Again." Another one budded in, taunting. Madara knew him too, he could never forget how he doted on Izuna as much as he did.

_Not this again. Goddammit._

He was full on running now, but that didn't seem to work. This place, which was once a vast and boundless open field was now nothing more than a birdcage, trapping him in with his demons. It didn't matter how fast he ran, they were faster. His heart had collapsed, ripped out of his chest as his body had broken down, his feet were shackled; all by a lone five year old. His youngest brother caught him by his legs and snaked his arm around his knees.

_"Why are you running, nii-san?"_  He asked.

In that moment of loss, his world had crumbled. The grief surged with every expelled breath, always reaching higher peaks, never sufficiently soothed by his long intakes of the damp spring air. The pain that flowed from him was as tangible as the frigid fall wind, his hands trembled as if though an earthquake was rippling within him, slowly, gradually growing restless by the second. For all he knew, it could have been there all along.

_They aren't real._ He tried to convince himself, but Madara had very little faith left in his mind. Maybe it was playing tricks on him.

_That must be it._

It had to be it.

Then why was this kid still clinging to him? Why wasn't it leaving him alone? Against his better judgement, Madara peeked back at the small child latching onto his knees. The second youngest of his five brothers, there he was, in flesh and blood hanging onto the oldest brother who had vowed to protect him.

And failed.

Four times over, Madara had failed to protect any of his brothers. He had failed to keep them safe. He had failed to keep that stupid Senju away from him, back in the forest all those years ago, he failed in keeping him from slicing his brother's neck open. And now, here he was staring down at that same scar, rounding his neck in all its butchered glory. Deeper than the one on his cheek.

Or how about the one who entrapped his second eldest of his siblings? Or the one who set his third brother on fire along with the rest of the squad? Where was Madara when any of that happened?

Nowhere near them, as it seemed.

He had finally given up, his eyes never straying from the innocent face looking up at him in admiration. He was an absolute failure, the nausea swirled unrestrained in his empty stomach while his head swarmed with never-ending regrets. His heartache was one encased in a glove of ice, encompassing his heart as a cage would a tropical bird. It stayed locked up in its frozen prison for a very, very long time, he had been afraid to pick the lock or try to break the cold bars. It was better that way, but he was soon finding himself unwittingly opening it, or rather- it wasn't him.

That beaming face wouldn't stop smiling at him.

_Why?_

The full and bubbly cheeks, the long lashes, the baby skin that never fully disappeared; he was still his baby brother after all this time.

_"I'm sorry."_

The words barely came out of his parched lips, it was almost a whisper, where no one but him could hear it.

"Huh?" The young boy seemed puzzled by Madara's reaction.

"Hey, why's big brother apologizing?" A second cheery voice chipped in.

"I don't know, but he's probably old. Old people forget why they say stuff."

_Where did they all come from?_

One moment he was running, the next, he was surrounded by three brats. One of which was now trying to climb his back. He felt a painful tug at his hair, inadvertently pulling him backwards, Madara bit his tongue before he lashed out.

"Brothers! Look, nii-san's hair is even longer than yours!" The kid laughed as he roughly pulled at Madara's shaggy mane, making his way up to his shoulders.

"Stop this!" He shouted, grabbing the little rascal by the collar and setting him on the ground next to the rest of his brothers. He felt a jab to his thigh, diverting his attention to the third one, currently enamoured by his anatomy apparently. He swapped his prodding fingers away. He was ambushed by the three little devils.

"You little-" He was about to chastise them, but the oldest of the triplet wasn't really listening.

_"Ooh, Madara-kun's mad!"_ He goaded, mischief hanging from every word. He wasn't fooled by Madara's intimidating persona. He hunched down and met him head on, the young one did the same until the bridges of their noses met.

"Want to say that to my face, kid?" Madara uttered angrily. But he was far from it actually, in fact, he was mostly amused, trying to bury that sorrow back where it belonged. The eleven year old stood akimbo- hands on hips and returning the Uchiha leader's glare with one of his own. He wasn't just amused, he was amazed too.

"I just did, you  _old and grumpy man_."

The other two broke out in laughter as their ring leader tore the indestructible Madara down. Never had he felt so conscious about his looks. He may have felt old, he just didn't know that he also looked like it. Besides, he had never been  _that_  grumpy. Others would beg to differ.

"Father would be proud." The second one snickered, his untamed hair a mirror of Madara's own at that age.

"Who cares what father thinks?" Madara retorted, the mention of Tajima suddenly souring his mood- a mood that was finally beginning to lift in some failed attempt to make himself forget.

"Oi, you're a rebel too, huh?  _Blech_." The gutsy one facing him teased, pulling an equally sour face as he mocked the eldest of the family. Despite that, he didn't feel at all insulted. And for the first time, Madara's lips curved up just slightly, almost imperceptible, but she was the only one able to see it. If anyone here could be labelled that, it would be the one who always had the most guts of them all, the one Madara was currently arguing with. It was never him, but his brother. The boy had a mouth of him that always rubbed father the wrong way, and clearly, Madara too, but he was fine with it. Anything that would get him to see them one last time.

As he lost himself in thought, he failed to see the kick aimed to his groin. Only when he felt an excruciating pain did he finally snap out of it. Madara's hand went instantly to cover the pained region, he groaned.

_"That's for always hogging Izuna, you jerk!"_

Before he was able to get his hands on him, the boy skidded out of Madara's reach and snickered.

"You're too old to play tag anyways." He shouted back at him as all three of them darted in the opposite direction.

"Hey, wait up!" He screamed but no one listened, they all ran off towards the horizon, laughing as they crossed the field. He wasn't going to hurt them, he just wanted to… _talk_. He just wanted to talk with them a little longer, that was all. But as he saw how much they were enjoying their game, how care-free and unafraid they all were; he couldn't bother to stop that. Instead, he let himself fall into the background, content with just watching from afar, seeing them as they played under the sun's rays, their smiles illuminated ten times fold.

Even the pain in his groin had eventually numbed out as he found himself forgetting all those bad thoughts. Madara couldn't find the energy to replay all the horrible events one after another, maybe when he was alone, he would find the time to mope around, but this…this was one time he couldn't miss out on.

"Well, that was an interesting family reunion." Mina sounded.

She walked up to his side, giggling and clearly having the time of her life as he was left to question his sanity. When he looked at her and gave no response, she continued;

"They give an excellent impression of your father, you know."

Of course he knew, he was the one who taught them it, obviously. Still, he didn't have it in him to reply to her skittish remarks. He simply gave her a sideways glance before returning his attention to the three boys, he would never run from them again, he vowed that. On his life, he would never turn his back on them, that was a promise he had burdened himself with long ago. He could only watch while they wrestled in the grass as they desperately tried to tag one another, laughing when two of them ganged up on the third.

"Are we dead?" He finally asked. When he did, Madara sounded far from enthusiastic. He was apathetic, his couldn't even deliver his question half-heartedly. He was simply…inert, there was something lethargic about it. In its wake, his characteristically deep voice was nothing but that…deep. It was just empty. But what caught her by surprise wasn't his lukewarm attitude, it was rather the content of the question. It was almost laughable.

" _What!?_  What makes you think-" She was going to burst out in a fit of laughter when she realized how serious he was. He wasn't joking.

"No, Madara, we're  _not_  dead." She reassured him, though he found it hard to believe. If they weren't dead, then how-

"What kind of hell is this?" He asked.

That question was even more of a surprise to her. This was hell, wasn't it? To drag him through the mud, the torment that was his childhood and make him face his failures straight in the eyes, wasn't that hellish enough? To have him relive those nightmarish moments all over again, forever and ever- That did sound  _just_  about right. It wasn't a genjutsu either, he couldn't feel any other chakra than his own flowing through his body, and she didn't have chakra.

"Why did you bring me here?" He confronted her. His body facing hers, he just had to know. Something had been bothering him since the moment he waked up. One; how he couldn't even remember the near past, anything that had happened recently, everything was gone. The only memories he regained were the ones he remembered periodically, they came to him soon after he heard a trigger. Two; how he doesn't remember exactly how he got here, or when he had fallen asleep yet she knew, and waited for him to wake up. Three; how she didn't actually want to go back. She gave him but excuses, it was as if…as if she wanted him to stay here.

"I didn't bring you here."

…

_"Madara, you did."_

I _-?_

He brought himself here? He didn't believe her, he just couldn't. What kind of game was this? She didn't just stop there;

"In fact, I think you brought someone along with you." His gaze shifted as it followed her arm, right in the direction of where Mina was pointing.

Madara's eyes widened.

His brain had stuttered for a moment as his thoughts tried to catch up.

There, at the far corner, just on the other sides of his brothers, stood Izuna. But he didn't seem to recognize Madara's own presence. In fact, he couldn't sense anyone, as if his chakra was suppressed, or just didn't exist. Where did they all come from and why hadn't he noticed them earlier? What the hell was going on?

"Izuna-" As he called out for him, a hand was placed on his shoulders.

"It's no use, he can't hear you." Mina insisted, but he didn't listen. He walked over, his long strides getting him closer to his only living brother, but even as he did so, Izuna only seemed to be getting farther. Except, he wasn't alone. Holding his hand, was a little girl. Much smaller than the rest. Her little frame was so small, he didn't have a chance at noticing her from this distance. Both of them didn't seem to catch sight of him as he approached.

"Izuna!" He called out again, but the man was still transfixed on something, some strange spectre in a haze full of them. She, however, heard him loud and clear. She turned her head in Madara's direction at the sound of his impending voice. The sudden haunting movement halted him in his steps, the look she gave him-

He- didn't know what to make of it. No one has ever looked at him like that before; full of wary and fearlessness, full of curiosity concealed by doubt, she-

She let go of Izuna's hand and began sprinting. Towards him. In the meanwhile, it was as if Izuna felt nothing, he hadn't moved an inch, never even looked at her as she left. He was no more than an illusion.

He wasn't prepared, Madara didn't know what it was he was about to face. How a little girl was suddenly throwing him off his feet was absurd, he was stunned. But as she got closer, the clearer she got, the more nervous he became, until- until

She scuttled right past him, the wind following her at her trail, leaving Madara standing dumbstruck. As if in slow motion, the image of her flying past him and right into Mina's arms would plague him for days to come. When he turned around, he found the little girl in Mina's embrace, smiling as she hugged her tightly.

His world was falling apart, wasn't it? This was what happened when things spiralled out of control, and right now, nothing was spiralling more out of control than his mind. Why was this so familiar to him? Why was any of this so familiar to him? As he desperately tried to connect the dots, Madara was left with even more questions, never noticing how Mina egged her on, how she pushed her to go meet him.

Until the girl was already standing right in front of him.

She might as well have been another creature and he still wouldn't be able to decipher her.

She couldn't be more than five years old, though with her little frame one would judge her younger. She was so short, she couldn't even come up to his knees. He didn't notice until now, but she had been holding a small puppet, a doll woven of wool and thread wrapped around ragged cloths. Almost identical to the white gown she was wearing. Madara tilted his head, figuring that maybe if he looked at her in a different light, maybe he would understand what she was. But the girl mimicked him, tilting her head to the sides too. Almost a copy-cat. Even her pale round face, it stared back at him blankly.

Her raven black hair hung in waves, reaching her petite shoulders. Waves he had only seen on one other person before. But unlike that person, her eyes were black. He figured he would know if he had had a sister, but she wasn't his sister, was she?

Much to his surprise, she lifted her arm to him, spreading her hand for him to see. She waited and waited until it finally dawned on him, she was waiting for him to kiss it. Even more confused, Madara couldn't tell if she was joking or if she was serious. But judging by her small pout, he guessed the latter. An action only befitting of an empress. She sure acted like one.

He heard her humph. Impatience got the better of her, he could tell. Crouching down, so he could meet her head on, Madara was surprised to see, that up close, her skin was flawless. White as porcelain, save for the beauty spot beneath her big-doed eye. Curious to see her reaction, he played along and took the tiniest hands he'd ever met into his own, and the contrast shocked him.

How could something so fragile… _exist?_

Her body was an abstract sculpture of bones, thinly wrapped in parchment skin, so often torn and tapered to the ends that one could have made out the seams sewn along her deathly pale flesh. Her palm was beyond cold in his hands, that it seeped his own warmth away from him.

Longingly, he devoured her face with his eyes, wishing with all his being that he could reach out and brush his fingers against her perfectly shaped cheekbones, or under the feathers of her thick, dark lashes. But he refrained from doing so, and continued to succumb to the endless torture of watching her without being able to touch. She was like an ornament, delicate and liable to break at one's touch- and it seemed that even the gentlest caress would shatter her frail form. Her breath toppled out of her soft lips like a ball of tumble weed softly blowing through the sky.

_"Wow, you're slow, arent'chou?"_  In what must have been a moment's notice, she broke out in a burst of sweet laugher, her lisp apparent in the way she talked, even her accent was perceptible to him. But her laugh was so contagious, he found it difficult to keep from smiling, though his wonder far outweighed his amusement.

"Who is she?" He found himself wondering out loud before a pair of hands settled on his shoulders.

She gazed into his soul; her eyes of liquid coal scrutinizing things inside of which he could only dream of seeing in himself. She was a mystery. A hauntingly beautiful mystery, and he was already ensnared in it. There was something sad about her, something he couldn't quite put his fingers on other than something doleful and harrowing. But she surprised him.

"Don't worry about it, you'll meet her soon." Mina's soft voice spoke to him but she was nowhere near his sight, all he could see in front of him was the girl with no name. Madara couldn't even process her words, he had just learned to take them as they were.

She continued to smile coyly, but that shyness was slowly dissipating as the smile grew wider and wider, until she gave him one of the toothiest grins he had seen, almost identical to-

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" Mina said, crouching down just beside him as they huddled around the girl.

He couldn't disagree, but there was something really off about her.

"Come on, we have to go now!" Izuna's voice pulled them out of their reverie as he shouted for the little girl to join him, and at those words, she snapped her hand from Madara's grasp, much to his dismay. It was as if it was her beck and call, she slipped right through the crack between him and his wife, running straight into his brother's arms. Looking back at her, he felt as though she had taken something from him along with her, running with it forever and never to return. Madara didn't know exactly what it was.

He stood slowly, watching as the nameless little girl pounced into Izuna's embrace, laughing and never once looking back at him, though his mind called out for her.

"You should be careful around that one. Treat her right or she might just leave a gaping hole in your heart, eh?" She warned him teasingly, giggling at the prospect while she leaned on him.

"Where are they going?" He asked. Was he...was he just abandoned? Because it sure felt like it.

"Home."

_Home?_

Mina smiled up at him, as if to reassure him but he wasn't falling for it. He still had her doll in his hand, Madara had to give it back.

"Wait, come back." He called out to them but they continued to walk off in the distance, neither his brother nor the girl paid any attention to him. When he started to walk after them, he was held back. Her fingers intertwining with his, Mina pulled him back to her.

"I think she would want you to have it."

_Why?_

Why would she want him to have this old, torn doll? It was hanging limply like a dead squirrel from his hands. It had buttons for eyes, well- one of them, the other one was missing and the thin threads that were used to sow it were still visible. The greyish fabric that encompassed its body was dirtied with mud and worn out. There was nothing special about it, it was just…a doll.

When he looked up again, he caught one last glimpse of them as their figures slowly dissipated under the setting sun. They were becoming mere silhouettes, then ghosts, whose bodies were gradually fading into a haze. The last thing the Uchiha head saw was the soft smile on her face as she looked up at his brother, holding her hands as they-

Disappeared. They were just…gone.

It was as though their presence had never existed, even his younger siblings didn't seem to notice as they watched them earlier on, and even now, they haven't even took note as they left.

_Wait-_

Panic gripped at his heart when he couldn't see his brothers anywhere. For a split of a second, he thought they were gone too-

"We're right behind you, you idiot!"

He turned around to meet that annoying voice only to find that the three had ganged up on him, with the taller being in the middle.

"Tag, you're it!" A small hand stretched out and tagged his legs, a signal that all three would leave him. He didn't understand what was going on as the abruptness of it had his mind still juggling the events that had just happened. Everything was moving too fast for him, and for the first time in his life, Madara felt helpless to do anything about it. Nothing was ever constant, nothing ever stayed the same here for a full minute; this place, this world, it was strangely out of his control.  _They_  were out of his control, everything he thought he could mold with a single finger was gone. He was stripped of his powers, of his abilities, and he felt naked. Vulnerable in a sort.

"Come on slow poke! You'll never catch us that way."

The words were no more than a whisper, spoken from a distance so far he wouldn't have guessed it, but they had already reached the woods. Standing fearlessly at the foot of its entrance, his three brothers leaned against the barks, waiting for him to move. The oldest of them brought his hands to his mouth and cupped them, shouting as to make his voice heard.

_"We're going to be late Madara! Mother's going to worry if you don't move your ugly ass!"_

His last words to him before he charged into the darkness of the forest, head on and unthinking. The other two followed in his footsteps, but not before waving at a startled Madara.

His eyes were opened wide, his mind still trying to churn those words into something comprehensible.

_Mother's going to get worried-_

His mother, she was probably worried sick about them. And as though there was an invisible thread tugging him along, Madara found his feet moving along their own volition, following the footpath straight into the woods. Mindlessly, he walked on. Not even thinking where it was he was going, he just wanted to see if his brothers were alright. To see if someone else was waiting for him on the other side, someone he hasn't seen in a while, someone he still had trouble putting a face to.

But she wasn't letting him, she blocked his path.

He tried walking past her, however, Mina still hindered him.

"I'm sorry Madara, but they have a home too. Their mother is waiting for them." She placed both hands on his heavy chest, looking straight into his eyes, offering nothing but sympathy and pity. "You need to let them go."

_Let them go?_

Breathy gasps reverberated through them. Pain stung his eyes, his heart felt butchered, his sanity taken away bit by bit until he was left with nothing but the desire to follow his brothers into whatever hell hole this was. The waves of helplessness and anxiousness that hit him have caught him unaware. They must have been silently building up and gaining momentum while he was recalling the string of heartbreaking memories.

_How could she say that?_

And just like that, with a snap of the fingers, Madara turned everything he felt into pure rage. The build-up was just about ready to explode. As if his mind had cracked in half, it contorted every hapless feeling into angry ones, fury and deep seeded resentment took hold of him. Everything towards her. Without a warning, he grabbed her roughly by the collar of her yukata, raising her with the mere strength of his arms. The doll splayed at their feet.

_"Let them go?"_  He breathed, with each word dripping with menace, a menace that was very real. He couldn't contain the anger from his voice, a new anger he had never felt before.

"You want me to  _let them go?"_

"Madara-" She tried to reason with him, hands pleading with his clenched fists, his white knuckles. But he couldn't hear her above the thumping of his own heart.

_"Do you even have a shred of decency to comprehend what you've just dragged me through? Was that not enough for you?!"_  He shouted, nothing made sense anymore. Not even his behavior. All that he knew was it took just a small cinder to light the engulfing flames that were tearing him apart. She brought them here, only to take them away from him, as if dangling something precious in front of a hungry dog only to snap it away at a moment's notice because she can, because she had the power to make him beg for it, because he was…well, weak.

But even in the worst of his times, she wasn't scared. She never backed down, never turned her head away, she faced him head on. Back then and even now, she still hadn't changed. Her big, round eyes looked up at him, waiting patiently for the anger to release its clutch on him. Little did she know, it was far from done.

"All because you wanted to  _spend a day with me_ , what kind of sick joke is this?!" He tossed her to the sides and marched on,  _"Get the hell out of my way!"_  He warned her.

"No!" She defied him, using all the power she had to pull at his arm and swinging him back right into her, facing him away from the woods that devoured his brothers.

"Listen to me Madara, they're dead!" Mina scowled, pouring every ounce of stinging truth into her words. Though, when she noticed the turmoil in his eyes, the agitation and the hurt, the desperation and the pain, her demeanor instantly dropped.

_They're dead._

It echoed in his mind ceaselessly.

"Of course they're dead." He echoed back. Realizations dawned on him until the truth became apparent to him. "Their mother is dead too. Everyone is dead. Even you! Who gave you the right to do any of this?!" He barked, bearing his teeth.

Even she had died. His confession came out no more meaningful than empty words, but he couldn't feel the heavy weight that they carried. Everyone had died, and Madara was the only one left standing. They had abandoned him, or rather, he had abandoned them, was it not all the same at the end? Did it really matter anyways?

Still wrapping her arms around him, Mina didn't let go. There was the hug of gentle arms that still gave the space to breathe; then there was the hug of strong arms that told him everything that she was - body, heart and soul - that she was with him. That she wasn't about to let him go, not just yet.

The yellow ball of fire changed to hues of orange, casting no longer a golden shade but a fiery one, a burning, hot red hue tainting the clouds brightly. Hell, the trees could have caught fire and he wouldn't have noticed it, the grass beneath his feet could have burst into flames, and Madara would still not feel it. At first, he thought it was his mind. Then it was the sky, the ground, the trees, the leaves, the wind, even her voice—

Everything was beginning to fade away, but not before cracking first.

_"Madara-"_  She whimpered, voice muffled by his clothes.

Burying her face in his chest, it took everything in her power not to cry. This despair was a heady blackness; the ways forward he had thought possible have vanished to black, not blocked, but as if they had never been there at all. There was no promise of peace, no village, no saving children from war. The notion of hope had become meaningless, if his mind lingered on such ideas, they started to feel like cruel tricks, as cruel as any desert mirage. As cruel as she was.

The same desperation oozed from her voice, the same thoughts were never that far from her mind. And it was due to that, that he couldn't bring himself to look at the thatch of tousled chest-nut hair right under him, he couldn't look past the bridge of his nose.

"This had never been my intentions, to break you apart."

The guilt sat not on her chest but inside her brain, eating at it slowly like some bug. What she had done she could not un-do. She could make amends in subtle ways, but Madara still wouldn't see it for what it was. Backing away from him, she decided she couldn't hide away from it anymore. There wasn't much time left.

"Even when I did, I wasn't able to pick up the pieces again. I'm so sorry."

He could feel her heartfelt apology, but he couldn't understand it. Beneath all the despair and the foreboding sense of farewell, Madara's mind was working on meager scraps, scraps he had barely put together just then.

_"Stop."_  He whispered.

"I'm so sorry, I hope you can forgive me." She begged.

_Stop talking._

Once again his emotions turned jagged and his insides tight, he knew what was coming. Oh yes he did, because this had happened before. No wonder this whole mess was familiar to him. Madara knew how this was going to end, for the seventh time. The ache was a dull one, sitting deep in his chest, just beneath his left shoulder. The spontaneity of this was the worst of it all, so powerful it was, it had him throbbing ferociously. He was on the very brink of knowing all it was possible to know, but the barrier of impending doom held him at bay. For the briefest of moments, he knew precisely what was to occur, yet could never be certain of it until it actually happened.

He could do nothing but stand there, silent and watchful as his world collapsed. Again and again. He couldn't stop it. He watched as she talked and talked, but he couldn't hear her. He watched as her face contorted in sadness and sorrow, running through hundreds of different emotions as she tried pleading with him. But he knew the truth, the truth of it all; that Mina wasn't pleading with him, she was trying to fight the time.

_"_ _You're going to leave me, aren't you?"_

The words were like a dagger to his heart. Though he was the one to say it, he couldn't hold them back anymore. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't stop himself from interfering.  _Again_. This was how it was supposed to happen. She couldn't reply back, how could she? They both knew he was right, and her silence was the answer he had regretted to hear.

There wasn't much he could do besides staring at her, at her teary eyes, at their redness, at the heaviness of her wrinkles, at the wavy brown hair that tried to hide her crestfallen face.

That was all the answer he needed.

"You're just going to leave, is that it…"

He wasn't sure if he was still even talking to her anymore or to himself.

He stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

" _You're just going to go and leave me wondering-"_

Wondering about how he seemed to be losing it, why his thoughts weren't making sense to him, why everything was a mess of her creations. Keep him wondering about who that little girl could have been- why the vagueness of her presence resonated in something deeper within him. To keep him wondering about his younger brothers, or the many 'what ifs', the countless 'buts', the interminable possibilities of what could have been life as he knew it had they been alive.

One more step.

To keep him wondering why the only sibling he had left couldn't even recognize him because he was no more than a hallucinatory figure that probably didn't exist as more than a mere image conjured up by his mind.

Just one more.

To keep him wondering why she was so hell bent on asking for his forgiveness for things she hasn't done yet, for things he hasn't lived long enough to see.

One last step.

To keep him wondering why the seemingly painful memories he had gladly thrown behind him, came back to haunt him, having him relive them all over again. And then-

" _I didn't bring you back to life so you could leave as you wish!"_

His shout came as a roar, a clap of thunder crashing through the air. It was deep, to describe it one would have said it belonged to a tyrant and maybe that was fair. It was a voice that would make even adults quake when they heard it, and had done so in the past but now- it was no more than a yell, a cry at desperation where he still tried to hold on something that was no longer in his hands. Madara's anger was a sort impetuousness, because, when it came to her, he was reckless.

He held her head in the palm of his hand as he looked down on her, the sharp tips of his bangs grazing her saddened face. Yet, she didn't cry, not as his hold on her tightened.

" _You aren't leaving, is that understood?"_ Each word laced with as much venom as he could muster. It still hadn't thwarted her.

Too many have left him today already.

Her eyes returned his gaze, but softer, kinder, gentler- never once holding the same animosity as he was at the moment. Not once did she glare at him, not once did she rebuke him. The shadows danced across her face, yellow and blue, they painted her in different shades of night and day.

"I know there are so many questions going through your mind right now, I really do." She finally spoke, and when she did, her voice was a tone so gentle, one would only ever hear it when a mother cradled her newborn.

_"_ _Madara, there are things I couldn't even answer you, sometimes you just have to wait, time will tell everything."_

It was happening. It was already happening.

Her body was disappearing.

_No_.

"All things have to come to an end." She said, smiling. "Especially good things, otherwise, we wouldn't really understand how precious they actually are, isn't that right?" Mina's giggles weren't beaming with cheer, not that kind –no, it was the other one, when one was about to say goodbye.

_No_.

"Stop this." He ordered her, as he strained his grip, his thumbs rubbed her soft and red skin. But that wasn't enough, her feet were already gone, vanishing as golden bubbles floated into the air.

"I'm afraid I can't."

"Why the hell not!?" He snapped back.

Madara was running out of time.

"Because, this is how things are supposed to end."

" _Bullshit!"_

He groaned as his eyes watched her knees dissipated. They left a yellow glow behind, more of those bubbles rose to the air.

" _It's a beautiful moon, isn't it?"_

_Moon_?

Her words caught his gaze, trailing them up to a dark sky. A night sky, a black sky filled with tranquility and a never-ending supply of shining stars. Stars that were so far yet so close, stars that leered down at him, laughing, mocking him as he lost everything he had and they gained it. At their center, rested a moon so big Madara couldn't believe how he had missed the sun as it was swallowed. He had never seen it ascend into nightfall, but there it was, the moonlight splashed down its watery silver glow onto the plain field, bathing them, illuminating them. And in the distance, the trees were silhouetted against the deep velvety sky.

It was beautiful.

It was haunting.

It was dreadful.

_How could she?_

How could she trick him like this? Tell him to look away as the rest of her body faded into thin air. For when he returned his mourning gaze at her, there was nothing left but her upper body, her arms had already started to evanesce.

She laughed, tousling her hair.

"Sorry about that."

Though, he knew, it wasn't a real laugh.

"Don't leave me here-"

_Alone_.

But no matter how much, how hard; try as he may, he couldn't stop her.

Mina stayed rooted to the spot, the breeze moving her hair softly away from the cheekbones that had become so much more prominent over the last year. Her features buckled just slightly before she spoke, the only betrayal of her grief.

"Please believe me, I really never meant to leave you."

" _Then_   _don't leave."_  He repeated, a part of him kept breaking, the pieces becoming glass shards.

The hair that was swaying a mere second ago turned to yellow, it shattered, just like him, but her shards were yellow and warm, giving away everything she was to the air and leaving him empty handed, though he deserved more than that.

_"There is one last thing I do want to tell you."_  Her voice was beginning to fade, the quietness no longer a trait of her character but a result of her own vanishing.

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rise and the bite of the wind had left its mark in the form of small bumps that were tingling on his muscled arms, but its bite was more than flesh deep. His blood ran cold through his veins and his bones were chilled. Madara felt lost in the very own lies he created, lies that promised him peace. The only thing that was there after searching for so long was betrayal. It slowly seeped in how much of a fool he had been, living in his own dream world. He floated away from the fake promises and the harsh reality until he found himself all by his lonesome.

" _Don't_." Was all that he could repeat. But his words were far too late, he could barely make out her face anymore, the same brown eyes that he had grown fond of were drowning in an ocean of golden glints. Yet, in the midst of her fading look, he was still able to see her smile one last time. A genuine smile, one she had never given him before.

" _Thank you, Madara. Thank you for everything."_

The state of raw abandonment swallowed him, his sanity, whole; dawn by dusk he felt his reason slipping through his frozen fingers. Puffs of warm breath threading out of his cold lips. He'd do anything to feel her radiating heat again. Eyelids fluttering shut, Madara refused to watch as the rest of her body simply vanished, he refused to believe it. In its stead came a nice thought, one that crossed his mind. Maybe he would be joining the others soon, maybe if he just waited a little longer. Maybe _._

He shot his eyes open, expecting to see her.

"Come back, Mina."

_This isn't funny. Where would she disappear off to?_

He looked around him, but she wasn't there. He looked again, and again and-

" _Mina_." Madara called, but not a single whisper replied back. Even the winds had stopped howling, leaving the silence of the night stretching far beyond the skies. But his eyes were no match, his jet black eyes couldn't keep up with the deep indigo, the shaded violets, the glittering of the speckled stars. And yet, it was as if she wanted him to find her, a small amber glow appeared in between them. Somewhere far away, somewhere he couldn't reach, she said to him her goodbyes as she flashed brightly before becoming one with the moonlight spark.

It didn't matter if he chased her, he would have never reached her.

He wouldn't have gotten to her in time.

_Why would you do this?_

He had so many questions, so many burning emotions, and she had just left him…empty. Why? Why did she take them with her?

The desolation he felt was all consuming. His mind became an icy wasteland, the wind howled in his soul and wrapped its cold tendrils around his heart so tightly it almost stopped beating. There was nothing left for him to feel, nothing left to say either, nothing left but the void that enveloped his mind in swirling blackness.

Until it wasn't just in his mind anymore.

The moon had cracked, split apart by a fissure.

The sky had melted and the stars extinguished, leaving behind nothing but a black canvas.

The earth began trembling, rupturing as it opened its jaws to claim Madara.

Everything was beginning to crack, until the false reality he had created was no more. Until he himself was no more.

* * *

Madara's eyes shot open.

Frantically.

In what must have been a strange lapse of time, they remained open, even if he couldn't see. He woke to the sound of a heart pounding, to the sound of loud heaving; a heart that didn't belong to him, a breathing that wasn't his. And even so, it was his muscle that pumped so intensely, it was his lungs that gasped for air. His eyes had flung so wide, he tried to catch whatever rays of light he could find in this dark room.

For a moment, his mind was empty. He couldn't remember a thing.

Then it all came back to him, all of it.

" _Dammit_." He cursed _. Not this again_.

He clenched his jaw tight as he reigned in his seething rage. His body was teeming in cold, despite being drenched in sweat. Grabbing a handful of spiky hair that had stuck to his forehead, Madara wiped them away, spreading the strands apart. His head felt as though it had been smashed violently into a brick wall repeatedly, his muscles tensed and ached. His stomach was in knots. Again.

The same goddamn nightmare for the seventh day in a row. Everything had been on repeat for one straight week. Every time he would wake up in the same disheveled mess, cursing and pounding his fists into the bed. Every night was the same, nothing was changing and he was beginning to believe that he was trapped in a never-ending cycle. He might as well have created his own personal hell, one he couldn't get out of. In reality, it was merely a dream disguised in a godawful nightmare. He would only figure that part out at the end, when everything was too late.

The sound of his knuckles cracked loudly, echoing off the walls of his bedchamber, the grinding of his teeth was even louder.

He didn't even need his eyes to scan his dim-lit surroundings, he already knew where he was.

Interrupting his thoughts was a hand, creeping up behind his back and landing on his shoulders, he felt the cold touch of a skeleton.

_No_.

Not a skeleton.

Her gnarly fingers were as cold as ice.

"Madara?" She called out his name and he snapped.

" _What?!"_

It had been four months since the incident, and here she was; alive. Sitting upright next to him on the bed, Mina watched him every night as he dreamt through the same torture. She had also gotten used to his snappish attitude, which would explain why she hadn't flinched at the sound of his scowl, at his condescending tone. She retreated her hands when she saw that he had calmed down.

"Another one?" She asked.

_Of course it was another one._

When was it not? He directed his gaze away and threw the covers to the side. He knew she had been awake for sometimes, she rarely slept nowadays, rather preferring to spend her nights keeping watch, occasionally looking out the window.

He had no problem with it, if she didn't want to catch an ounce of rest, who was he to stop her? As long as she was still alive and kicking, and right under his nose, he couldn't really care less.

Madara had come to the conclusion that something was quite possibly- and  _very seriously_ \- wrong with him.

"Are you al-"

"I'm fine." He replied curtly, cutting her off mid-sentence. He knew the question by heart at this point, there was no need for feigning, no need for a performance. When all was said and done, she was merely his wife by force, having to put up a caring and compassionate act wasn't required of her. The thought left a sour taste in his mouth, and as if he didn't already feel disgusted enough by his own half naked body soaked in sweat, he certainly was now. Tossing away the rest of the sheets, he stood up and looked away, he didn't want to see the look on her face and he sure as hell didn't want to know if there was any truth behind his words.

Instead, he made his way to the bathroom. He navigated the room with ease, even in the darkness. His steps were light as a feather, the floorboards barely cracking beneath his footing.

"Hey, wait up-" He heard her call out after him, but all he did was slam the door in her face. Slammed it with a bang, though not half as loud as the sound of clapping thunder outside. The boom rolled across the lands, the rain came down in heavy downpours. Black clouds sprawled across the dusk sky.

They were the sounds of early spring coming.

The storm would come to pass, and carve way for a new path, a new season and a different Madara.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there it is. You might be wondering what exactly happened in that time skip.
> 
> Don't worry, I'll be writing some of it out and expanding on it from different POVs, (other than Madara's) in the next chapters.


	60. A Good Man's Unpunished Deeds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd appreciate any kind of feedback really, thanks!

* * *

 

_**Tobirama's POV** _

" _You idiots! What the hell have you done?!"_

Tobirama stood there, shocked and in utter disbelief at the amount of debris that had resulted from the fall.

The commotion had died down, though the sound of crashing rubble continued to rip through the atmosphere, one that was now covered in dust and plumes of grime particles. This wasn't supposed to happen, not at all.

There was currently a giant hole in the walls that were supposedly bordering the perimeters of this village. Surrounding the site of wreckage were the same people who were meant to finish the final touches to the barriers.

A whole slew of other shinobi came rushing at the sound of what could have been a giant explosive igniting at the southern border of the settlement. Except, it wasn't a giant explosive, it was a goddamn boulder. A boulder the size of his room. Tobirama's claret-red eyes followed the path to which it came tumbling down and eventually found himself staring up at the mountainside that laid the background to this village- or rather, the protrusion of its cliff. Residing deep within this vast forest, was the settlement, the near complete village was now on the brink of standing on its own two feet.

All it took was; months of hard labor through the extremes of weather, the occasional- or rather often- scuffles between both clan members, the persistent onslaught of annoying little pigs who came in the form of the same goddamn shinobi, and who could forget the random outbursts Hashirama would tag along every time he suddenly made an appearance. For a while, Tobirama had forgotten the worries of laying down the construction plan for the site during the short, cruel months of winter. It turned out, those months weren't nearly as long enough.

" _Would someone care to explain this?! Now!"_ He shouted, waiting for the half dozen ninjas who were already surrounding the disastrous scene. Tobirama was going to go mad if he wasn't offered a logical, well-reasoned and sound argument that could have warranted them to do any of this.

After the dust had settled and the pale ash permeating the air had nearly vanished, one of the Uchiha men stepped forward. Sternly, he confronted the Senju's second-in-command.

"There was a problem regarding one of the pipes set through this route, Tobirama-sama."

That was right, according to the blueprint, one major pipeline passed through here, and straight up to a water source close by. Sprouting forth the map that he had memorized within the deep crevasses of his mind, Tobirama followed to where the pipe lead beneath ground. He may not possess the byakugan, however he didn't need one to know where the metal channels took from their source; draining away from the main loch around five miles up north, and trailing it back here through the center of the settlement, bypassing the-

_The administration building._

Tobirama's gaze shifted to the heart of the encampment, where a bright red building stood erect.

_The Hokage's tower, huh._

Or so she called it. The main pipeline that fed the settlement branched from that point onward. This wasn't an overtly complex system, however, it wasn't an easy one to construct either. So, to have the main conduit blocked from this far out would certainly hamper the rest of the flow, if not already damaged. He had to see it for himself. Taking the initiative, he strode forward towards the site of the collapse.

"Upon finishing the woodwork for the walls on this side, we encountered a problem." The Uchiha ninja went on to explain. Tobirama's ears were all open, though it may have seemed otherwise as he crouched down and began shuffling through the rubble and wooden panels. Tossing the large planks to the side as well as the fragmented rocks, he searched through for the underground line.

Strangely enough, Hikaku wasn't present, when this was the only job he was supposed to supervising. What was even odder, was how frequently absent he was as of late, often returning to the Uchiha base every couple days only to return a week after. Tobirama had noted this behavior for quite some time. Nevertheless, the man he left in charge was more than capable.

"We couldn't get the woodwork to hold because the foundation wasn't stable enough. When we attempted to see what the blockage was-"

 _"-the pipe wasn't in the right trajectory."_  He continued for him.

"Yes." The man concurred.

Tobirama could tell the metal cylinder that they had inserted was tilted just slightly to the right, not straight, as it should have been. As a result, it was hoisted upwards at an unsteady angle, causing the foundations to weaken. After having cleared enough of the debris, he saw the damaged pipe.

"What I don't get is why it is  _now in shambles, indented at every angle and practically crushed?_ " He stood up as he wondered aloud, glaring at the Uchiha clansmen. Despite the growing tension in these moments, the latter remained firm and unwavering, only maintaining a respectable pose for his higher commanding subordinate. Impassively, he went on to clarify the situation.

"When we investigated what could have been causing the pipe to be inclined in such a manner, we found that a boulder had been obstructing the way, not only from surface level but beneath as well."

The tall white-haired man turned around to face the large cliff once more. Showered in sunlight, the immense earthly structure seemed to glow in radiance. But he couldn't help but notice that one splitting fissure.

The pebbled rocks on the ground that he stepped on must have once been part of said boulder, and if that boulder had been occluding the pipeline's route from beneath, then it would have no doubt been still attached to the base of the cliff's bedrock. That would explain the large crack appearing on the sideways of the immeasurable rock, which would have only occurred if they had actually did use-

"We used explosives to try and dissuade the boulder, however-" The man continued to explain monotonously, but all Tobirama could think of was how could they have been so reckless. Both his men and the Uchiha, no exceptions.

_So it was explosives, after all._

"That  _boulder_  was part of the cliff." He pointed out jarringly.

"Yes, we had not known it at the time." He said, hands still behind his back.

Tobirama gritted his teeth, he knew he couldn't particularly blame them if it came down to that. What he could do, however,-

_It's no good._

He couldn't waste his time on chastising them for something potentially disastrous like this. He sighed and took a deep breath. The gates to this village was set to open in a few weeks' time, sitting around and thinking of clever punishments for these shinobi wasn't going to cut it.

The yellow cliffs rose sheer from the thick forests. Towering palisades of hard stone glinted lividly with tints of dull orange under the mid-noon sun, and carved way to east through west, hovering above the waving emerald seas of fronds and leaves. It looked devastatingly insurmountable, that giant rampart with its sheer curtains of solid rocks in which bits of minerals twinkled dazzlingly in the sunlight.

Ruining the picturesque scenery was that horrifying crack.

In the grand scheme of things, that crack was  _relatively_  small. Even if this whole partition was to fall, the whole structure wouldn't be affected that much. Or so he had come to surmise as he walked forward. Placing his right hand over the surface of the rough rocks, Tobirama felt the sandy surface brushing against his pale palm. This cliff was over eighty feet tall, towering above the village beneath it, lying in its shade, in its protection.

_Still, the mere fact that even if this part was to suddenly collapse, it would still create damage in this area, consequently blocking the main pipe regardless._

He couldn't risk it. They had to prevent it somehow, even if temporarily. Until then-

He turned around to face them, regaining his calm composure as he addressed them, stoic as ever. There was no longer a hint of disdain in his voice, just sheer command and authority.

"First, we need to fill in the gap made by that boulder."

Which could easily be done by any earth-style user, if there had been one among them right now.

_Great._

"What about the pipeline?" One of his ninja asked meekly from the background.

"However,  _before_  you do fill the gap-" He was about to continue had he not been interrupted impatiently, "We need to remove the pipe, it's too damaged and wouldn't serve its purpose." He answered.

"Yes, but what about the walls?" The Uchiha shinobi asked, referring to the twenty foot barricaded borders. Each wall was over twenty foot in height and ten in width. Two of them had already been destroyed by the blast, rendering them just as useless. The blistered woods couldn't be reused as they were hashed to pieces.

"Start by removing the upmost pair, then go ahead with recasting the pipe." He ordered.

Tobirama had a rough outline of the plan already sketched in his mind, even so, there were still too many factors to consider. He rubbed his temple while he ticked each one off with a mental nod.

First, they had to do something about that looming catastrophe. They can't have this side of the cliff threatening to fall right now, not when they were this close. The only thing he could think of that could possibly support the leaning rocks were large pillars.  _Extremely_  long and sturdy pillars. Much like Hashirama's wooden ones. If he could have Hashirama's wood-style techniques to erect a few deep-seated columns that wold serve as pilasters from the rocky walls and root them straight into the ground. But alas, his brother wasn't here, out of all the times in which he could have been of use.

This had to be shelved on the side for now.

Immersed in thought, no one dared to interrupt Tobirama, instead, they rather preferred staying quiet awaiting their orders. If anyone could mend this mess, it was surely the one who designed it.

"For now, the only thing we can do is fill the space the boulder left until we find a way to support the structure from falling. Until then, put all your focus on restoring the already damaged framework-"

He trailed off, bringing himself to the second point; the materials were currently scarce. He didn't have a clue as to how much they had already consumed. All that he could be sure of was his underestimation of how much retrials they had performed. So much unforeseen factors had come into play, he couldn't count them all. However, it was fair to say- considering the amount of rebuilding they had done- that the sources and their raw materials were nearly finished. The pipes were the hardest to come by, much less, create.

And it seemed that he wasn't the only one who arrived to that particular scenario.

"What if the materials are insufficient?" One of them asked.

Worst case scenario, they would also have to rely on Hashirama to construct the rest of the walls. As for the metal alloys they would need to yield- well, it would be much tougher.

But first-

"We can't be sure, if there are any excess sources left, they should be stored in the inventory." There wasn't even a moment to breathe between Tobirama's last words and the next shinobi who was eager to get the renovation back on track.

Abruptly bowing down and impatient to run; one of the Senju nins announced hastily.

"I'll go and check immediately, Tobirama-sama."

 _"No."_ He ordered. "I'll do it."

The shinobi stood still, still processing his new command. No one else bothered to rebuke, they were fine with it. Tobirama had already been planning on going soon, he might as well drop by with a new mission in mind.

"You'll stay and begin disassembling with whatever is left of the walls, and clear this place up."

He turned on his heels, leaving them behind with a slew of tasks. It was a lot but they needed to get this repaired as soon as possible, no sense in delaying something that was inevitable, nor increasing the risk by simply doing nothing about it.

"And don't try to blast anything else while you're at it. It is not a solution." He advised- or rather, warned under the guise of guidance- them right before leaping back into the heart of the settlement.

Then again, if they hadn't been refining some of the framework nor had they not exploded the boulder, they would have never discovered the problem with the pipeline.

So, perhaps it wasn't all bad.

 _"What was I thinking-"_  He exhaled, his head was pounding and he couldn't do a thing about it. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Who knew laying the out-plans and supervising the constructions of a village could be so- well,  _damn_   _hard_. And unpredictable. Tobirama hated unpredictable.

_It's pointless to complain about it now._

But deep down, he knew he was right in taking his brother's preposition. This village was the embodiment of his older sibling's dream, the living, beating heart of everything he has worked for all these years. Everything  _both of them_  had to sacrifice to get to this point. He would have to die first before he could let someone else take on this job, it was his and his alone; and that was why Tobirama was so hell bent on making everything perfect. He wanted it flawless, without imperfections, because that was what dreams were made of. They were meant to be perfect, he would make sure of it.

He walked his way through to the warehouse, one they also had to reconstruct in order to maintain the flow of incoming supplies at the start of the construction. In the grueling months of winter, they had it under lock down, with the occasional guards taking shifts. Truth was, very few people decided to stay during that harsh season, however; it was necessary to maintain the semblance of protection and establishment. Except, they might as well have been naked and vulnerable to attack in those weeks. It was a gamble, but it paid off as winter did not only affect them, but the majority of people. It did help lessen the risk for the fact that the vast lands that did surround this area were either ones that were under Senju territory, or belonging to allies of his clan. Either ways, the risk was minimal, yet it was still a risk. There was no denying it, not in his perceptive eyes.

But those months were over now, and he had to think about what laid ahead, what turbulent year awaited every single one of them.

The corrugated wooden roof of the warehouse was domed some twenty-five feet above him, its ridges and grooves were lined with iron casting to add to its rigidity and strength. It was quite a spacious area, originally planned to serve temporarily, but now Tobirama couldn't see why they shouldn't keep it.

There was an entry to it through the back, though one would have to bypass the administration building first. Just as he was doing currently.

It was a sunlit day of early spring, and the sky held a soft blue hue. How things have changed in just a few short weeks. The lazy breezes pushed against the unruly grass like a child sending a dandelion seeds on their way: one o'clock, two o'clock, three, four, twelve. Above the white wisps, clouds trailed and the noon spring sun brought a welcoming warmth that coated him just as sweetly as honey over an apple harvest.

It was easy to lose oneself in a weather like this.

And he was almost caught in it had it not been for a very intriguing conversation that caught his attention. Tobirama's ears perked up at the sound of two indistinct voices just up the alleyway.

He halted in his tracks and stood motionlessly.

 _"Hikaku's still not back, is he?"_  One of them asked, though judging from the sound of his deep voice, it already seemed like he knew the answer. The tone was almost identical in his partner.

_"No, but he should be in a few days."_

The albino ninja pegged them to be Uchiha Clansmen. Sensing their chakra alone was evidence enough. Masking his own at the spur of the moment would be a bad idea, he would have to assume that they had already sensed him and thought nothing of it, for it to disappear suddenly would be suspicious. The second voice was much more tame and lukewarm in comparison to the first. But it was no longer the tonality that he cared about, Tobirama Senju was much more interested in what they were talking about.

 _"What could be holding him back there every so often?"_  The first one wondered.

_"It seems that Madara-sama still has some things to resolve."_

_Apparently things requiring Hikaku's help, too._ Or so he thought, Tobi couldn't be sure. He continued to listen. He wasn't one to make a habit of eavesdropping, but this...this was too good to pass up.

_"No kidding, I heard he went berserk."_

_"Well, I would too if I found out one of my own tried to kill my wife, desecrated my property and stole his father's eyes."_

_Wait, what?_

Tobirama's eyes widened.  _Tried to kill my wife, desecrated my property and stole his father's eyes?_ What the hell did that mean? There was something missing. He couldn't believe the chain of events the second Uchiha had blurted out so casually. It was precisely that, the casualness of his voice and tone took the majority of the weight of the meanings, the gravity behind them.

He tried desperately to connect the dots as fast as he can. All he came up with was that Uchiha Madara had lost his temper and control against one of his own shinobi for allegedly trying to murder his wife, obtaining his father's eyes and-

_Wait, is she involved in this?_

It had only dawned on him right then that the wife the Uchiha man was indirectly referring to had been Mina. How could he have forgotten? It didn't matter, he didn't have much time to decipher whatever it was that they were saying. The pair of shinobi began walking in his direction.

_"What do you think they've done to him?"_

_"He's been locked away, or so I've heard. Though they still can't come to an agreement on what to do with him, according to Hikaku."_

_"There's something off about all of this, wouldn't you say?"_

He didn't get a response in return. Instead, they kept on walking, eventually reaching the place in which Tobirama had been standing not even a second ago.

"Hey, did you just hear something?" One of them asked, looking in both directions for the culprit. All he got was a light gust of air blowing his way.

Tobirama had been long gone, long before they even took another breath, before their hearts could beat another contraction. His speed was not just useful on the battlefield after all. Even so, something had his mind focused on a completely other matter than the one at hand. The reconstruction was swiftly swept back in the deep spaces of his mind, giving leeway to more thoughts on every little detail he had just come to absorb within the last few minutes. His spiky white hair swayed with the wind, almost in awe as much as he was dumbfounded, staring far beyond the sun-setting horizon. Standing on the roof of the main gates to the settlement, Tobirama couldn't help but wonder;

_Just what exactly could have happened back there?_

* * *

_**Izuna's POV** _

It was a dark chamber.

A cellar deeper than a basement, where the only light that washed through were from the flickering torches hung on the walls. Walls that were made of quarry rocks, rocks thicker than an ancient castle, but the house on top was simply constructed of just wood. A stark contrast to the room they were standing in. It was a warren of small chambers interconnected with only one way in or out, from a solidly built stone door, laying at the top of the staircase that led into this closed-off cell. Near to the low ceiling, just under the rotting beams that suspended the floor above, were old shackled chains- long and skinny- mostly covered in copper rust that glimmered in the darkness. There was no rebuild planned, there was no need to make another exit, nor to make the walls higher, but above all, there was no need for windows.

This confined chamber served well its purpose, suffocating and smothering whoever had the unfortunate luck finding themselves chained to the walls.

Izuna couldn't see well in this already dampened room, alas, the glinting of flames as they danced across the rugged stones were all that he needed to see. The smell, however; he could do without. It had been quite a while since they had a resident down here, the smell of must and mildew reigned heavily within the cramped walls. The putrid and decaying scents were all too strong, but the dankness was mostly familiar.

He was immediately pulled out of his hypnotic gaze by the sound of a shrill ripping noise, a popping sound as a ligament tore and its bone detached.

Madara's foot crushed his shoulder, snapping his long bone out of its place. Izuna caught a hint of a white glimmer bursting through the fleshy tissue.

Strangely enough, not a single sound escaped Eiji's lips, and it wouldn't ever again, not for a long time. Madara took his forced silence as a sign to continue unabated, never withholding back the intensity and strength of his kicks.

Izuna could only watch in both a mixture of awe and wonder, with disgust underlying most of his current thoughts. He never knew that the human body could take so much, so often, and not shatter into pieces.

Eiji's emaciated body was riddled with bruises and scars. Ones his older brother had given him, ones he hadn't. Ones that had healed- even if partially- others that would probably never do so. Eiji's pale skin cracked over the growing purple blooms, from the tiniest dots to wide patches adorning his skeletal-like figure. Blood vessels ruptured beneath his skin, lending way for more blood to be lost.

His ribs protruded eerily, the bony protrusions visible under the ghostly appearance of his chest.

It was pitiful. Izuna almost wished his sibling would stop, but that wasn't possible for the next kick was straight to the poor man's face. With more power than the previous strike, Madara pushed him to the ground, forcing Eiji's head to bounce off the grime-laden floor, a painful crack resonating through the air.

The younger brother could only watch in horror as Madara had his head shoved into the ground repeatedly, never once letting Eiji have an opportunity to raise it, rather letting him eat the dirt and dried blood, right by the clan head's feet. Almost in an act of superiority, Madara would only look down his nose at the disgraced ninja, never once daring to get his hands dirty by merely touching the man.

"Brother-" Izuna spoke out, concern starting to dawn on him, except his next words were silenced by another kick to Eiji's side, the impetus sent him propelling into the other direction as it shackled the chains binding him to the walls. The rattling of metal as it was pulled taut was the only one echoing off the walls. Eiji's arms were stretched as rigidly as the chains allowed, forcing his half-naked body to be in constant kneeling, like a man in penance. Every time Madara sent him impelling in the other direction, bones were crushed, lips were cut, and blood seemed to splatter endlessly.

Just like now, as Eiji leaned forward, coughing up puddles of the red liquid to the ground, meddling with pools of already dried ichor, of not only his but those that preceded him, those who managed to get themselves right in the same situation as he was currently.

Izuna grabbed Madara's shoulder.

" _Don't you think this is enough?_ " He tried to talk some sense into him, despite the revulsion he felt. But he knew his empty words were falling on deaf ears. The look on his brother's face was...strange. It wasn't an expression of anger, but rather- tranquility. His sharp features were impassive, stoic, above all- blank. His eyes on the other hand; they were cold and distant. It didn't take a sharingan to notice the repugnance his sibling exuded, the antagonism he held towards the man. One could feel it in every bone-crushing kick he dealt Eiji.

"Quite the opposite actually." Madara responded with austerity, though Izuna thought he had noticed a slight goading undertone in his brother's voice. An undertone that didn't necessarily mean well for anybody, not even him. He knew for sure that if Madara could- not in terms of ability because he certainly could if he wanted to, no, it was rather the inhibition he was bound with- he would ground Eiji's bones one by one until they were no more than ash-grey powder carpeting the floor. With the rate he was going, he might as well have done so.

Arms crossed, Madara continued.

"He had his body crushed to bits, his throat ripped apart and his life taken away and yet, he's  _still alive_." The last words were spoken with such ease and serenity, a random person who could have been eavesdropping might have mistaken it for mere curiosity. But Izuna knew better. Madara's eyes narrowed, but the way his lips curved into a lopsided grin was a sight that made Izuna regret ever tagging along. He didn't particularly like that look, nor was he comfortable being near his brother like this.

"I'm sure he can take one more beating.  _Isn't that right, Eiji_?"

Except it wasn't just one beating, it was more than that.

What was beginning to worry Izuna was how routinely this had become, for the past months, the sole person who was at the receiving end of Madara's full-blown ire was the shackled man before them. A man whose fingers were broken, swollen for weeks as his wrists were pulled apart. A man whose bones were always ending up outside his body, protruding at disturbing angles. Alas, a man whose deeds were slowly being punished out of him just like the blood that was drained with every mauling.

He retracted his hand and stepped forward.

"He's not going to answer you, Madara. You know that." Izuna tried to remain civil, reminding his older brother that whatever he was still after would never come out of this man's mouth.

"Why can't you just ask her instead?" He suggested, though it was useless. He knew he had already gotten what he wanted from Mina, but there was still something missing.

"There are things even she doesn't know."

 _Things she doesn't know?_  Izuna found that hard to believe. She was teeming with surprises, but Eiji...he was something else. He returned his gaze to the coughing shinobi, who spat blood with every breath he took. His graying hair was smudged and untamed, his beard was but soaked in all sorts of bodily fluids that would make anyone think twice about approaching him.

A sudden kick to his throat was perhaps the worst of it all. Madara's boot sent his head flying back, where his distorted features had fully come to light. Under the burning flames of the burning torch above, the pallor of Eiji's face mixed with the swollen flesh of his sides painted him in a horrific appearance. The blackness under his eyes were so dull one couldn't tell of it was permanent, the tiredness that emanated from them was on par with the intensity of Madara's own glare. The man's resolve was to be admired, for all the beatings and the tortures, for all the solitude and the pains, he never once uttered a single word, not a single groan, not one grunt and not a pitiful scream.

Not once did they hear a sound come out of him.

The pain was raging its toll on his body, rendering him nearly unconscious.

Though his leader's boot kept his chin held high forcing him to look at the towering pair of brothers. Even with the rough support, he couldn't keep his eyes open.

"Come on, show us." Madara jeered. "Let us have a peek."

He taunted, and when Eiji couldn't respond, he pushed his foot deeper into his shinobi's throat, adding more damage to the permanent injury. Izuna knew what his brother wanted to see, but every time they had been unsuccessful. It seemed as if the pain and aches were never enough, not until now. There was no repeating it a second time, Izuna could already see another kick perpetually dislodging Eiji's shoulder out of its socket. With every movement Eiji took, the more shifting he did to his bone and the more pain he suffered.

But pain was irrelevant at this point.

It was both enticing and disgusting, yet Izuna couldn't tear his eyes away. He took in every detail and compartmentalized everything in his own mind, much like Eiji was doing with his internal cries. He wanted to savor it on his own time.

When the feel of Madara's clutch threatened to nearly slit his throat in half, Eiji's right eye sprang to life and in the inky blankness of nothing, it glowed a bright red, an explosion akin to a nova in an oblivion, just like a catastrophic ignition of a star. Spurting red light brilliantly as black clouds hovered at its center, similar to his original Mangekyou. The pupil revolved and revolved, reaching the peripheries of his eye before running in circles; it was as though it was a life force of its own, merely dragging its owner along for its survival.

It was undoubtedly hypnotic. Without even being consciously aware, Izuna's sharingans activated in response to Eiji's own.

_To think that one eye could illicit such a response._

To say that he was amazed, wouldn't be fair. It wasn't only him, Madara's own eyes were just as palpitating, like a beating heart, it shook uncontrollably, not out of fear but in agitation, in defiance.

When the pupil came to an abrupt stop at the center, it focused on them. The tomoes were elongated, touching the black rims of his eyes. Exploding from its core was another spiral, another three tomoes wreathing into a ring, then another and another, curving along his orb. Rings like the ones in their own pairs, concentric whorls in an ocean of red, just as whirlwinds were to an eddy.

_It's— beautiful._

For a moment, if only a split second, Izuna was beguiled, caught in its endless cycle of rings. There was something about it, the way it stared at the both of them, as if truly seeing them for the first time, regardless of the half-dead being it was attached to. The power it resonated was just as strong, it surged in waves one couldn't exactly see it coming.

Madara's arms dropped to his sides, while his younger brother took another step forward. He didn't know why, only that his feet were guiding him against all precautions. Even so, he wasn't stopped. In fact, he was let to close the distance until he was but less than five inches away. Crouching down, Izuna finally met Eiji head on, for the very first time since that day.

Almost as if his face was split, where more than half of it was smudged in dread with the only sign of life was the rotating Eternal Mangekyou sharingan.

_So, that's what it's like._

The Eternal Mangekyou sharingan. The variation of the mangekyou that can only be obtained through taking of one own's sibling's pair of sharingans. Or father, in this instance. It was a power that had many hunger over it, including him. And undoubtedly Madara, but no such thing needed to be said between brothers. Not ever. The mere sight of it, no- the mere feel of it- at this distance had Izuna smiling like a fool, a lunatic. His eyes lit up with a newfound sensation, one very close to excitement, yet he couldn't label it.

"You're a peculiar one, aren't you?" He teased, taking hold of Eiji's sharp jaws and forcing him to look at him, ignoring a looming Madara over their shoulders. As if trying to condemn him, to take him straight on in the condition he was in, he did everything to bear his blood-stained teeth, the smell of sickly-sweet blood filled Izuna's nostrils in wafts, sending a tingling sensation down his spine.

Amaterasu wasn't what made him a dangerous opponent, Eiji's Kamui abilities were what truly made him difficult to handle and to catch for that matter. He could simply disappear if he wanted to, he still had one eye left, that was all it took. As long as he had the strength and enough chakra.

Neither Uchiha brother was oblivious to this fact, they knew it very well.

These chains that bound him weren't ordinary metal rings linked together, they were meant to absorb one's own chakra perpetually as long as they were in contact with it, leaving only a fraction enough for said person to survive. But Eiji was no normal person, they had to strip away his strength too. And Madara was already proving to be quite good at that. Though deep down, Izuna knew Madara wasn't doing this as an extra precaution, but rather because he enjoyed it. It wasn't implausible to think a morally skewed person such as his brother would derive pleasure from beating this man to a bloody pulp every other day.

If he hadn't, then he wouldn't be Madara, would he now?

But  _he_  was nowhere like Madara, no- Izuna was his own person. With his own worries, his own problems and his own questions.

"You know, that's a nice looking scar right there." He said, running his cold fingertips over the deep tissue formation running from one end of his throat to the other.

"It's a real shame that sword managed to damage most of your vocal chords,  _wouldn't you say?"_

Eiji couldn't actually say, but his labored breaths and the violent heaving of his chest was enough hints that told Izuna to back off. But he didn't, instead, he chose to continue goading the helpless man.

"You see-" He said, getting a tad closer until both their eyes were just an inch apart. "I'm not my brother, Eiji. I don't care what happened in that forest." Izuna admitted, his voice taking a lighter intonation, though it did nothing to take away from the menacing shrill as undertone.

"What _I do care_  to know, however-" He used his free hand to hover over Eiji's left side of his face, obscuring his view of the only other man in the room. Izuna's fingers suddenly moved, going straight for his eye, only to bust them open roughly and revealing a whitened pupil-less iris.

"-is how someone like you got to know about the Izanagi."

_**[...]** _

Enthralled within the never-ending white canvas, Izuna was hauled back to that fateful winter day.

He had been running as fast as he can, while his subordinates quickly falling behind- trying to catch up to Madara. He sensed him, his brother's chakra was flaring out of control. He was already on high alert that day, one could call it guts or intuition, but he knew something terribly wrong was going to happen. What was worse was that he had completely dismissed the abnormal surge in chakra earlier that morning.

Only the second time around did he finally take heed, which had already been too late by then. Had he listened to his guts from the start, a lot of this mess could have been avoided.

But he didn't, and now his brother had paid the price.

 _Dammit_.

He became reckless as quickly as he was leaping through the woods. The same forest that he had scavenged yesterday night and found nothing. He should have done better, searched better,  _been_  better. Izuna cursed himself and his inattentiveness.

The weather wasn't helping, what started out as rain rapidly turned to snow, then crystals, then-  _fire_.

The entrance of the forest greeted him with flames as dark as the night. Ones that he had never seen before but heard of as cautionary tales. The Amaterasu was a technique very few of them were able to achieve, and much less to this extent. They were no bigger than a hearth, a bonfire, at first. The faster he ran, the deeper he found himself in the heart of the woodland, and accordingly; the greater the flames became. Trees were engulfed, snow was tainted and everything was turning to ash, crumbling all around him.

"Watch it!" He shouted back to the shinobi who were catching up to him. _"Do not touch those flames!"_

Or they might never be extinguished, even after their deaths. Amaterasu's black flames would continue to burn for seven days and seven nights, eating away at everything in its path; whether it be the earth's soil or their own bones. They burned as hotly as the blazing sun, engulfing flames of fires weaker than it.

Izuna made it his top priority not to get touched by it, he wasn't in the mood for losing a limb.

_Come on._

Dividing his attention between avoiding the ever growing blazing trees and the sound of rustling in the background, the Uchiha's leader only surviving family member used whatever space was left in his brain to try and locate Madara. It wasn't too hard.

However, the moment he sensed Madara's chakra nearby, he had neglected to see the falling branch above him.

 _"Izuna-sama!"_ His subordinates tried to warn him, but by the time he had raised his head to watch the falling bough, he was a second too late.

Moving as fast as he can, he tried to leap out of its trajectory, but as much as he tried to, the crumbled edged of the thick branch caught into his cloak. He didn't need to peek back, it was instinctive, almost reflexive; Izuna tore the cloak away, exposing himself to the cold before jumping to the ground. Not an instant later and he was looking back up, where his dark cloak laid in tatters stuck between two trees.

"What are you all waiting for!?" He ordered them, "Move it, continue!"

He didn't want to hold them back, though they knew not where they were going, they still followed his orders and continued moving forward into the center point of the woods.

Meanwhile, Izuna chose to take a different route, splitting from his group.

He followed the upsurge of chakra signatures that uniquely belonged to his brother. From the direction he was heading, it seemed he too was on the same trail. Something was going on just up ahead that had been obvious from the get-go.

He dashed through the woods, leaping over thin winding creaks and the slippery rocks eager to catch his brother. He dodged and zipped past rotting oak trees and under lowered and snapped branches. Everything blurred into a dizzying blend of earthly colours, brown with white, varnished green and grey, all burning within the grasp of black flames.

The earth was wet and moist, the trees; hard and sturdy. He touched the ground which was soaking wet and jumped right into a muddy puddle swollen by the recent rains and snow. The woods began to widen and thin layers of fallen pine needles and sentinels were disguised as the perilous rocky terrain. He lunged over a charred pine tree that had fallen, damning his flow and speed. Izuna opened his ears to the mouth of the treetops and listened to the trees as they rotted away, fragmenting into nothing but black embers.

Once he caught sight of his brother in the distance, he picked up his pace.

"Madara!" He called out to him, but his counterpart didn't answer. Izuna wasn't sure if he had heard him or not, so he tried again, in vain. No matter how loud he called out, his voice was eclipsed by the sound of snapping branches, by the howling of the winds as they brushed past him. His hair blew in all directions, obstructing his view of Madara, of everything. Until they were all out of his sight, his peripheral vision and everything he thought he saw. For a while, he believed that this trail would never come to an end, and the mere possibility of it gnawed at his nerves.

But in truth, it was not for long, for the next thing he knew, he had leaped into a clearing. A blinding light pulled him out of his daze as his feet came into contact with the snowy ground.

For a moment, he thought he had walked in on someone else's dream.

There have been strange things happening since she came to their world, birds flying slower than he had always imagined them to, trees having a strange appearance, like they were made of thousands of tiny squares, squares he wasn't able to distinguish before then. There was a point in time where everything stopped, the winds, the scent of the flowers, the rain, and the snow, even the flowing of the river and the rustling of the leaves– yet nothing seemed out of place. Not once did he question it.

But right now, those squares seemed to be a jumbled mess, mixed in all sorts of wrong places, disarranged and muddled serving only to confuse him. They were distorted in a way that created a tainted image of blood and snow, of his brother holding her limp body in his arms and of a landscape unfamiliar to him.

Madara kept shaking her body, violently and asking her to wake up. No, not asking, imploring. He implored in a way that made Izuna think that he might have hit the woman if she hadn't been unconscious.

But was she?

Izuna was so fixated he hadn't instantly realized the deep gash to her chest, nor the amount of blood that huddled her body and soaked her clothes. He couldn't distinguish the redness of her blood from the scarlet tint of her hakama. It was a mess. Everything was a mess, only when he stepped forward did he actually realize; she wasn't just unconscious, she was-

 _"Madara-"_  He whispered, trying to reach out for his dear brother, who was also having none of it. He laid her back on the ground and put his ear right over the gash, straight to her chest.

He couldn't quite get what he was doing, in fact, he couldn't quite get what was going on. Bit by bit, he was starting to register everything, the pools of blood carpeting the snow, the burned trees, the smoldered rocks and the gaping clearing. This had once been a thick area of the forest, now completely erased- just like that. With only her body laying listlessly. Her ghostly face shocked him, and the half-lidded eyes that gave him the impression that she may have woken up was utterly false.

Izuna gulped loudly, still unable to grasp the consequences.

He stepped forward, his knuckles turning white as the snow from gripping the sheath of his katana tightly. In all honesty, he was afraid of letting it go.

"Brother, please-" The words were not lost on him, but his voice did not seem to want to obey him. What was he going to say? How could he say it when he himself didn't fully understand any of this? Izuna was confounded, he staggered unknowing and unconscious of his own reasoning. He stopped dead in his tracks when Madara's eyes widened. Immediately, his hands found the wound that pierced her and pushed viciously with such force, one would think he broke her ribs, shattering her sternum.

Still, his brother refused to listen and picked her up, swinging her over his shoulders with such ease that anyone would have pegged her as light as a feather.

"Stop it Madara-" He tried again, but there was still no use.

In a blink of an eye, Madara was gone, long past Izuna's own shoulders. His words escaping with the fleeting wind.

 _"Get him."_  He had said. The words echoed incessantly until a shocked Izuna finally understood what he meant.

He could feel his bones shaking but the solid ground was still, never moving an inch. He was standing on a dirt path yet his body felt upside-down, tumbling and keeling over. The daylight was long gone, the heat had vanished and the surrounding trees had become a blur. This was new. This was different.

Irritation radiated around his skull and there was instantly an odour he was not familiar with. Part of it was burnt flesh and dampness, but there was another stronger scent he could not place. Whatever it was, it wasn't natural and the fumes filled his lungs to the brim, stuffed his stomach to the last inch. Every muscle of his gut contracted at once with a violent surge.

And yet, his limbs kept moving towards the seemingly motionless body. A body that seemed to radiate that odor. His mind may have taken twists and turns but Izuna's body still followed command, even in spite of his own will. He was trained to do so, it was what he was best at, never letting his mind's churnings override his missions' objectives, never once disobeying a direct order given to him.

This should have been no different.

Really.

But...

Cautiously, Izuna squatted over, keeping his distance from Eiji's inert body. The sight boggled him, there- right before his very own two wide eyes, at the base of the tree- Eiji sat hunched forward. His spine deeply distorted at a perturbing angle as though it had been snapped in half. The weight of his own body hung heavily on him, so much so that Izuna could tell he would have fallen apart if it hadn't been for that sword pinning him to the thick trunk.

There, piercing effortlessly through the skin of his neck, Eiji's own katana was thrust right through his throat, impaling him. A copious amount of blood came spurting out of his mouth and unto the besmirched blade.

_What is this?_

Izuna was at loss of words, even if he wasn't, there was none too livid, too explicit,  _too_   _detailed_  to be able to describe what he was seeing at the moment. Much less what he was feeling.

The cynical part of him didn't want to believe it, not yet. He couldn't, not until he pulled the man's head upright, exposing the bloodied mess that was his expression, the roughened beard that was sodden, the deep scar running along the withered left side of his aged face.

_Eiji._

He was beyond grotesque. Already, his eyes were swollen over and bloody spit drooled from his slack jaws. He was now as revolting as he should be, finally the outside reflected the true man within, laying foul in his own fluids. Even if he made it, these scars would haunt him forever. If he wasn't already dead. His left eye was utterly bulging outside of its socket, a dark purple shading its cracked surface, much like the joints in his fingers.

Pulling his head up by his hair, Izuna looked for any signs of life in this dead man's face.

Just when he was about to pull the sword out, a loud gurgle escaped his blood tinged lips, spitting it all over the second-in-command's face. Izuna stopped withdrawing as he came to a conclusion;

_How is he still alive?_

He was astounded, caught by surprise until the next few coughs splattered everywhere. He heard a rough grunt and the cracking of bones, immediately, his attention was drawn to the lingering fingers trying to take the sword by its hilt miserably.

 _"Ngh-"_  Eiji tried to speak, much against common sense. Izuna didn't even try to stop him, why would he? He was too caught up in his own befuddled mind, trying to make sense if any of this was real.

 _"Nu-Em-"_ With every syllable, blood poured in both directions, one from the opening of the wound caused by the sword, and the other from the parched lips.

"What is it?" He asked, curious and agitated.

 _"E-ma. E-ma."_  Eiji repeated, inflicting more damage to his wound.

_Ema? What?_

_"Ema."_ The name came out more forcefully now. He was putting every ounce of his strength into uttering that name. Izuna still couldn't get what he was referring to.

"What are you talking about?" He demanded, hoping he would get a coherent answer this time around. Just as he was about to give up, Eiji's right eye burst open, looking at the horrified shinobi before him.

For the first time in Izuna's life, he was afraid. That eye, he knew he wasn't just looking at one person, but a dyad. A trembling dyad. Yet the amount of hate it radiated was insurmountable.

 _"T-he pen-dant. Her pendant."_ He sputtered.

But all the youngest Uchiha could think about was the revolving eye. He was entangled in its web of spirals that he had missed the key to Eiji's words. And yet, he could still feel his resolve, the urgency of them merely by the look he gave him. That hatred wasn't normal, the malice resonating from the eyes it belonged to was heart-wrenching,

 _"At. T-he E-ema. Pendant."_ It was the last words Eiji would ever say before Izuna hastily withdrew the katana out of the blue.

_That was enough._

He couldn't stand looking at that thing.

In doing so, he managed to burst forth open a fountain of blood, slicing the man's jugular effortlessly. He couldn't deny that he could have avoided it if he had wanted to, but that was one thing Izuna would take to the grave. No one would have to know. Still holding onto the blade, he watched as Eiji's frail body slung over, smacking the ground with a loud thwack. Whatever scarce strength that he had just used was all gone now.

In a fleeting moment of sanity, Izuna watched calmly and soundlessly as the blood oozed from the dying man, tainting the snow just as he had done to her.

_That man's sharingan should never exist._

Yes, that was it.

He would make sure of it. As he loomed darkly over his once-upon-a-time partner's splayed body, Izuna wondered just how long it would take to drain him of his blood. If he was going to die, he might as well do it now. Never again would he have to feel like that. Fear was not in his nature and he would be damned if he was going to be overpowered by a scum like this.

"Izuna-sama!" His squad shouted in unison signalling their hasty arrival. And just like that- in a bat of an eye- Izuna's facade returned. There was no turning back. He faced them, eyes; a cold bloody red.

"Take this man back to the house immediately!" He ordered them without hesitation, and they obeyed without hesitation, working quickly to carry Eiji's lifeless corpse.

As for him- well, he was on his way to the shrine.

...

_Why in kami's name would he say that?_

Izuna couldn't tell what Eiji had been thinking. Informing him of where the pendant laid was certainly bizarre. But it was too late as he already dashed his way through the fields and came up close to the Nakano shrine.

If he was right to assume, based on what Madara had told him; he suspected that the necklace was the source of Mina's powers. If that was correct, it wasn't too far-fetched to think it was also the source of her healing abilities. Which would mean, Eiji knew she was fatally injured and had no chance of surviving if that necklace wasn't returned to her.

Which would then mean one of two things; either he was the one who caused that wound through her chest or he knew who did it. But if Izuna had to bet on it, he would wager on the former with his life. Simply  _because._

Not to mention that he tried to pin her with a knife a few days ago.

So if the man was hell-bent on killing her, why would he reveal to Izuna where he hid the necklace?

_Hell, how in the fuck did he come to have possession of it?_

Something was not right. Izuna was tired of running around in circles, tired of having his nerves beat to a pulp every time he came close to something only to have it be all wrong. He was missing something, and he would beat it out of him once he got back. However, until then-

He ran through the downpour, the feeling of heavy rain falling down did not once hinder him. Each drop felt as sharp ends of pindrops, piercing him. Still, he continued on until he found himself standing before the grand Torii gates.

There was no way of knowing what Ema meant at first. It could have been the moniker of someone, a place, a thing.

When he thought it over;  _at_  the Ema, could have only had one insinuation. That it was in fact a location, but more so, a  _thing._ The wooden plaques hung at the front of the shrine carrying wishes from the people to the Shinto gods, a way for the common folk to communicate with the Kami. Every day one would come by and hang the board in which their deepest desires are written upon and offer it to the gods they believed in. That was back then, but now-

The place was deserted and empty.

The main hall was much larger upon closer inspection. Its unique rooftop was of the same color as teal, some of its shingles were broken down and rusted. The once taupe-colored walls were now a rotting shade of black and its tiles were cracked in every possible corner, the bells; tarnished and immobile for what could have been years. The only thing that was unnatural in this picturesque setting was the front door. It appeared to be relatively new and its bloody-red paint, which was slowly decaying as well. The Torii gates that greeted the visitor were nearly demolished, with one of the greater ones already destroyed. The white streamers, the clan's insignia woven through, the Shimenawa, the Shide, the Omikuji, every single decoration that made this place shine was gone.

Under the ominous black clouds, this place was far from looking like a proper shrine. Despite the eerie uninviting feeling it exuded, he hurried through, rushing past the sculpted foxes of the Komainu and up the crooked stairs.

The wooden pillars of the Ema were distinctive enough.

In less than a moment he was already standing before the giant rectangular structure.

_I have to hurry._

He had to find that necklace fast, or else-

_Or else she'll die._

The mere thought of it had him turning plaques at the rate of ten a second. She wasn't supposed to die yet. How did it even come to this?

_"Goddammit!"_

Something in him finally cracked and in turn, had him knocking a whole row of wooden boards out of anger. Cursing in a sacred temple was not exactly looked upon in good favor, but he couldn't help himself. This whole mess had his blood boiling, simmering with deep, hot rage. However, unlike Madara, his own indignation had been building up for quite some time. His particular indignation towards her, towards Madara, towards the Senju, towards everyone, even his dead father. He never once stopped despising that old geezer, he deserved everything he got.

But above all, Izuna hated secrets. And ever since she came, she had been riddled with them.

_Goddamn her!_

And yet he had no idea what kept him going, to search for a stupid pendant hidden between hundreds of wooden plaques. All for her.

Actually, that wasn't exactly true. Because he did know what kept him going and while he would never admit it to anyone, nor to himself- he simply couldn't let her die just like that. People met their ends when it was time, he just knew it wasn't her time yet.

Besides, this would destroy Madara, and the only person he cared about might just kill him for it.

Izuna wasn't stupid, he knew very well how Madara had been silently caring for her ever since. Even if his brutish brother was a tad too dense to figure it out himself, the younger one was a bit more astute in that aspect. Had he expected for this to happen? Absolutely not. Did he want it to happen? Izuna had no say in such a matter, and it was too late for him to intervene. The least he could do for Madara, was _this_.

"Come on, come on..." He pleaded to no one in particular as he searched frantically behind each piece of wood. All of which whose wishes were outdated, their owners never having come back to relinquish them. Maybe, just maybe, one of the Kamis listening in on him would hear his pathetic prayers and have pity on him.

Until a miracle happened, his eyes would never stop roaming each squared block, constantly looking and searching. The red glows of his sharingans following where ever his eyes set onto next. He was so engrossed in what he had been doing, he had completely failed to see an overturned tile just beneath the Ema's base. It was incredibly subtle not even a first glance was sufficient to find it.

It was only when his eyes had accidentally roamed over it a second time, did he find something strangely off about it. Even then, it didn't take him a fraction of an instance to realize it, and when he did, he knelt to the ground in a haste and removed the tile.

As if his prayers had been answered, there, in the grime beneath the floor granite, was a small circular stone, red as the blood flowing through his veins. Izuna didn't believe it at first, not until he grasped it in his hands and pulled the silver chains from the dirt.

_Thank you._

He may not have whispered his gratitude out loud, but he did shout it in the depths of his mind. Gripping it in the safety of his palms, Izuna stood on his own two feet getting ready to leave with what he came to find. Yet, he couldn't deny, he still felt as though he was leaving empty handed, that despite his success in finding the crimson stone, there was something within him that was just...gone.

Before turning to leave, he took a side-glance at the blazing door of the main shrine hall. It had been such a long time since he'd last been in there.

This place was dilapidated now, and neglected, all alone.

Maybe he would drop by every now and then to feed the fishes, do what the old man used to.

Pushing his thoughts to the side, he now only had one goal to accomplish, and he set out for it with as much fury as the lightening ripping through the inky sky. The brilliant shock of white silently tearing into the dark tenebrous canvas.

**_[...]_ **

The same lucid white he was endlessly staring into right now.

_Eiji's left eye._

_No wonder I hadn't seen it back then, he always had it closed._

Regardless of when he discovered that Izanagi was the result of his blindness, it still didn't rob away from his fascination; not one bit. In fact, Izuna was sure it had grown gradually, so much so he found himself grinning in the man's face. Amaterasu was one thing, but to use a technique like Izanagi; it was on a whole other level. He, Uchiha Izuna, had come to learn that he would never cease to be surprised by what Uchiha Eiji can pull from his sleeves.

Case and point,  _this._

His grip on Eiji's jaws tightened so, that he had no choice than to open his mouth to allow for any kind of movement to relieve the pressure.

"You know, we've quite underestimated you before." Izuna talked but expected no answer in return. "But that won't happen again, I assure you."

Both he and Madara had learned their lessons this time around. Never once in their lives had they been weary of one of their own shinobis, people they fought side to side with, people they've saved and people who saved them; but this man was a paradox. However, they were stupider for not having caught on this little charade earlier on.

_If there's ever another time._

How this man still lived and breathed escaped Izuna's point of rationale, then again, no one wanted to judge him without knowing what truly transpired in that forest that day. And since Mina's own knowledge is limited and seeing that Eiji's won't be speaking for years to come; it was a deadlock. Still, even if the man Izuna was currently holding hostage weren't to ever pronounce a single syllable, his actions already spoke volumes.

This was when perhaps the greatest paradoxical point regarding him became apparent.

 _"I've been wondering Eiji."_ He contemplated aloud, knowing very well that every second his cold fingertips touched his ravaged skin, it made his bones shudder harder than Madara's kicks ever did.

"What in hell's name could have possessed you to throw away a precious eye like that for another chance at life?"

Casting the Izanagi would nullify any damage to the user, even their deaths, rewriting their reality into something they can mold. It came at a price, losing one's eyes. And Eiji just lost of what was perhaps his greatest arsenal, all so he can still...live. Izuna found that hard to believe, for a man with a conscious grudge against the Uchiha clan matriarch, a person to which he has threatened their safety on multiple occasions, and have recently tried to murder as well- which part of that did not warrant a death wish?

The man wanted to die. Obviously.

Personally, Izuna was for such an outcome.

Did it happen? No. Not yet.

Except, this one action of his did much to contradict every action beforehand. To think that this guy still clung to life at the cost everything he strove for, it was almost laughable. So laughable, it almost had him cackling heartlessly.

"So, was it worth it? This life you wanted to return to so bad?"

The words were like stings of a frozen torch, maiming its target and stealing their dignity away. Izuna couldn't lace it with enough venom if he had wanted to, there was only oh so much loathing he can imbue in his words. Surprisingly, it did nothing to Eiji. Instead of lowering his head in defeat, he lifted it, a stony glare carved into his hetero-chromatic eyes. Fury blurred his sight but he tightened his jaws and glared at him back. In response, a spatter of thick viscous blood came slavering his way, directly hitting his pale face.

There was no doubt about it, it was intentional.

Eiji spat at him with all his might, marking the next heir to the Uchiha Clan Head position with his own bloody filth.

Izuna quirked his brows quizzically, shocked at the lack of remorse in Eiji's little fit. He couldn't lie, he was a bit amused. He stood up, wiping his face with the sleeves of his arms, trying to contain his smile as he looked down upon the damaged waste of human skin.

_Looks like time's up._

He glanced at Madara, who had already beat him to it and stood at the top of the staircase, leaning on the doorway while he watched him have his turn with Eiji. Izuna was sure to disappoint, truth be told, he wasn't nearly half as violent as Madara; he just didn't have it in him.

"Oh well." He sighed, sneaking one last peak at the scar that ran through Eiji's body, jaggedly from his left pectoral down to his right hip diagonally. If you asked him, that one complemented beautifully the one that decorated his throat. Whoever had done it deserved some praise.

"Although the chances are almost nonexistent, they say with enough time and proper healing, you might just be able to talk again." Izuna mused jokingly as he walked up the stairs, leaving behind a battered man and a whole lot of mess for the guards to clean. Madara was already out the door.

_"Personally, I cannot wait for that day to come."_


	61. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it has been nearly a year (just around tomorrow) since this fic was brought to life. Its one year anniversary, I had no idea it would come this far.
> 
> So, thank you from the bottom of my heart everyone. Thank You- Abi-chan fiction fan- for always taking the time to review in each chapter. It means a lot, reviews are great motivators. Thank you to everyone who comments, truly. I'd name all of you but this chapter would never end. Whoops.
> 
> There are a few things I want to say, I'll try to keep it short and continue the rest as an A/N at the end.
> 
> With part 2 of Unfounded, I want Mina to stop living in the bubble she had been floating in through Part 1. I think it's about time for her to explore the rest of this world, whether she likes it or not. This chapter serves that purpose.
> 
> The timeline in this chapter is off, meaning; the POVs are not in order. They all occur within the same day, but not in the order you would think. I'll mention the order at the end.
> 
> So, without further ado-
> 
> Warning: Slight angst.

 

* * *

 

_**Mina's POV** _

_'Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And once death is here, do we no longer exist. Why fear what can only exist when we do not?'_

_So, is that it? Is that really just it?_

Was that what I have been doing? Fearing what can only be the moment I no longer am? All this time, I couldn't tell how bad it was, I couldn't make peace with everything that had a beginning and everything that came to an end; if I had, then all would be well. And maybe,  _just maybe_ , I still couldn't. Not that I had tried, but even if I did, would I have really been able to accept what was given to me, regardless of how I felt?

It was something that I had come to realize as of late; strangely enough, fear did not stop death, fear stopped life itself. For what it was worth, life and death were starting to look one and the same to me, cut from the same thread, except each was viewed from a different perspective. A different scope to the same line. However, one was a magnificently construed lie and the other was the extraordinary truth to that same lie. If one looked hard enough though, they would see that the truth was there all along, inherent to the lie.

"God damn you." I found myself cursing aloud, standing beneath the shower head.  _That damn woman_.

The water poured down, dripping by my naked side, as my mind faded into dullness and everything became nothing more than a foggy illusion. The sensation of the steamy water calmed me; it took my mind off things I didn't want, only to throw me into yet another downward spiral.

Speaking to myself was the only way I could cope, no one wanted to hear me. No one wanted to listen to me.

In forthright honesty, no one wanted to see nor hear the truth either. Not I, not any normal person. It was so much better living to think that death- much like life- was but a deceptive imitation, a state of constant transition, just like us. As long as we didn't have to deal with it, then it couldn't harm us. And if we couldn't see it, then it wasn't there. If we didn't hear it, then it shouldn't be there. If we couldn't touch it, then it couldn't be there. That was all there was to it.

Except, as it turned out, somethings weren't, shouldn't and couldn't  _be._ And yet, it was there, in the sun that rose from east to west, from the trees that sprouted with vigor, behind the chilly breezes of the air currents; it was like tossing one coin to the side and you may get a head—, toss it to the other and you will get a tail. For every sight one saw in life, for every scent one smelled in the air, for every sound one heard in the wild; to see, to smell and to hear further and one might find death. Even if one couldn't touch it.

Just as the river and sea were one, so was life and death.

For the love of god, I couldn't understand why, why had I never bothered to think twice? About everything. I was ingenuous when it came down to it, always taking everything at its shallow or surface value, always condemning every little thing as trivial as far as my mind was concerned.

Why was I always so busy, so blind? My world would have never given me time to just sit there and ponder; philosophy wasn't for the empty-minded, and who was I if I wasn't one? Life was- _is_ \- hard, yet death seemed to be peaceful. It wasn't necessarily the act of dying itself, but what came after. Dying wasn't always peaceful— not to the harrowing ends those unlucky enough had to witness, though its companion was. And despite that, death was the one that was guaranteed, life was not.

Even so, we were taught to prepare for life, to work hard, to have goals and dreams, to obtain means to accomplish  _those_  dreams; all for something that was anything but guaranteed. One should always live their own life as they saw fit, because at the very end, one dies their own death. Right?

But this wasn't the life I had chosen, not even the one that was forced upon me. I wasn't living it the way I wanted, because I didn't think I had a choice in the matter. Whether in this world or mine.

 _Why was this given to me?_   _What did I do to deserve it?_

There were times in which I would often wish how I could have been left ignorant, it would have been much easier, much safer, and much more painless. Although, if I had been left to my own lack of knowledge, I wouldn't have known what it was like to really cry. To cry when the realization hit me like a moving truck, a realization of how it truly was to feel purposelessness in everything I did. Nothing felt right anymore, it never felt right from the start.

Like the silent tears that keep rolling down my cheeks day after day, my thoughts dampened my mind. All I wanted was to feel at peace again, not this. Not any of this. If death was peace, then it was good enough for me. Except, how could I possibly know what death felt like if I had no recollection of it? To be dead, was to be nonexistent. So to be at peace, would one have to cease to exist?

Once again, my emotions turned jagged and my insides; tight. Wherever I went, there was no hiding from my own thoughts, my own memories. And to have them shoved down my mouth by someone who couldn't understand, was infinitely worse. Yet, in this bathroom, in this moment, as I tried to start a new day, I just couldn't let things go. Those who couldn't learn from history's mistakes were doomed to repeat it. And here I was, repeating it for the umpteenth time.

I turned the tap all the way, having the water on high and let it beat over my head in sweltering rushes. I shut my eyes tight, I couldn't bear to look at anything while the heat of the water soaked into my skin. I leaned against the cool porcelain of the tub as my weak knees threatened to buckle. I couldn't even hold back my whimpers anymore. Soon those whimpers became cries, cries that became sobs. Perhaps, if I wished hard enough, I could stop feeling this way.

And if I couldn't even feel that- that momentary peacefulness-, I felt the heaviness of the air of this world once I finally came to. It was then that I recognized the vast difference of what it was to be on the same plane, but slightly different realities. It was the same exact feeling that haunted me since I first arrived here. If I had to be truthful, I preferred peace of mind that came with not existing to the jumble of white noise that were the chaos of emotions I had to deal with ever since.

Like human nature, I, too, was greedy. The fleeting lapse in my existence gave me a whiff of something I grew to want more and more fervently every day. To think that I had the chance of having it for as long as time stood, only to have him take it away from me because he can, because he wanted to-

I didn't think I could ever forgive him for this one, even if he hadn't meant it.

They say a man who has lived a full-filling life has no reason to fear death.

Did one require a reason to fear it? I did not-  _could not_ \- live a full-filling life, yet I couldn't grasp what was so fearsome about something that felt no emotion, no joy. Something that had no heart to beat in its skeletal chest or tears to well in its black sockets. It had no lungs to breathe, no bones to carry its weight. Perhaps it was the fear of finding nothing at the end of the road that had people so wary of it, or maybe because I had already went through with it that half of the puzzling secret that forever shadowed it, was now clear to me.

Asides from falling into depressive states, I couldn't really decipher what it really was that tugged at my heart. I was just like the others, even as I died and was revived, I still couldn't answer the one burning question; was there truly a light at the end of the tunnel?

I couldn't answer it because I couldn't remember. Yet to know the answer to that question was to reveal the other half of death, and maybe I wasn't meant to figure it out just yet.

_Maybe there was still a purpose left for me._

I stood on the brink of something I couldn't describe, couldn't label. The weight of everything seemed to press down on my shoulders and I struggled to take even a single step forward. It had always been too much. All of it. And somehow, I kept moving. I didn't know how, or understood why, but I just did. Been doing it for a while now. But every step cost me. For a while, I really thought things would be alright, things would take a turn for the better. Just as good things ended, something else in its equivalent must take its place, wasn't that so?

Though for as long as I remember, nothing came. And just like that, the darkness grew darker; the pain grew sharper; all of it seemed to only grow in strength and I began to wonder if things could genuinely ever get better.

But I never said a word.  _Why should I?_

There was no one there to listen.

_"Dammit! Dammit-dammit-dammit!"_

I bashed my knuckles into the wall, wishing that it would break down just as I did. It wasn't fair, not really. Knuckles whitened from clenching my fists too hard, and jaws ached from gritting teeth set in effort to remain silent. However, all that effort seemed to go to waste as I couldn't stop crying. The sounds of my own sobs were pathetic to me. Once I started, I wouldn't stop, I just couldn't. Teardrops mixed with the jets of water, falling to the depth of the tub only to be drained into somewhere afar. My face burned and ached, red from frustration and the scorching hot water that singed my skin.

All I wanted was to trade this life for something new.

I was tired of holding onto something invisible that wasn't meant to last.

I hunched forward, unable to carry my own weight much longer. My head hit the metal handle of the shower and my eyes opened, opened to the sight of my own tears endlessly streaming, to the sight of my toes curling in the fiery water, to the sight of the notched scar on my heaving chest. One that will always remind me of how stupid I was, but one that would always remind me of how blind I was before. I had never known truths could be this painful.

All this time, all this goddamn wasted time- I had swallowed my anger. I had been angry for so long that I had forgotten what it was that ignited it in the first place. I didn't think I'll ever get to know that now. It wasn't anger akin to Madara's or to Izuna's, not even to Eiji's, but it was my own. Fury boiled deep in my system, it churned within until it was too much for me to bear. The pressure of this raging resentment would have toppled me over if I hadn't been bawling my eyes out. And when my eyes could do no more, my voice became my only way of mitigating it.

My shrieks and my wails were deafening to me, yet they were eclipsed by the sounds of splashing water.

No matter how hard I cried, nothing changed.

This wasn't the way it was supposed to happen, this wasn't how I was supposed to end up.

 _"Damn you Madara!"_ I screamed at the top of my lungs, and to hear the sound of his name, even now; still made my body shudder, caused my lungs to burn, my chest to collapse. And when the peak of my wails had started to die, I found myself whispering almost inaudibly;

 _"Why couldn't you just let me go?_ "

* * *

_**Madara's POV** _

It was like a waterfall.

This pouring rain, it was like a waterfall. A sad one.

It wouldn't stop, for days now, the skies kept weeping. With the occasional thunderclaps ripping through the air, signalling the arrival of a new spring. Winter was long past them, and hopefully some of the harrowing events as well.

It didn't matter, he didn't care anymore. Who did anyways?

Despite the change of season solstice, the temperature still reigned low, it was rather cold and the air was still chilly. Though, the days seemed to be getting better. Somewhat.

Okay, maybe not.

Madara raised a gloved hand to shield his eyes. He was standing on the training grounds, sweat trickling down his back, free flowing like abounding condensation on a window pane, it beaded on his forehead and dripped from his chin. It was the result of his training, from the early hours of dawn till the rise of the mid-noon sun. He had anticipated the coldness and the sting of driven light snow on his stern face, but not the ferocity of the wind and how the light blinded him. It was like walking into a fresh page as the fibres were still being laid down, threatening to make him part of the scenery instead of a person in his own right. All he could do was to bow his head until his chin touched his naked chest. Though his feet were beginning to freeze and his footsteps were relatively small, sinking in past his ankles with each stride, he knew that each step took him closer to the house. So long as he stayed on the right path, it was only a matter of time before he found himself under a stream of hot water.

Except, it wasn't a matter of simply staying on the right path, it was rather the obstacles that presented itself in the most discrete of ways.

When he had thought that he had won the match, Madara was momentarily caught off guard when an arrow was flung his way, he missed by a couple of inches and lost what little attention he had been commanding. It was crafted of flexible, slender yew wood and wound around the grip was a red-dyed rawhide leather. On the quiver was carved the creatures who wore branches on their skulls, stampeding the horizon, pounding it into a grimace.

He couldn't believe his brother would actually use it.

But now that his attention had returned, Madara kept a watchful eye out for Izuna. It seemed like he had not won the match yet. His eyes barely roamed over the sharpened arrow as it pierced the sandy ground, whereas they were solely focused on finding the shadow of its respective bow. He picked up the twig that was the arrow itself and raised his katana, sharingans searching frantically for a hidden Uchiha.

It had been a while since someone used weapons like these, bows and arrows were relatively old and were only advantageous using long ranged techniques. Which would mean his brother would have to be somewhere in the background, hiding behind the trees. The forest was almost half a mile away- give or take a few- however, Madara couldn't sense his chakra emanating from that bearing. Still, his eyes never stopped scanning his surroundings, from all directions.

Sweat beads were rolling down the sides of Madara's concentrated face.

_Where the hell could you be?_

He didn't have time to finish that thought before a large shadow formed before him, a moving silhouette, a hovering one with a sword aimed straight for his neck. Just in time, Madara ducked and swivelled with his blade directed right at his brother's abdomen. But the little rascal had greater speed and saw Madara's move a second ahead, just enough time for him block it and deliver a back handed strike to his bare chest.

The moment Izuna's fingers came in contact with Madara's sweaty skin, the latter took advantage of the opportunity and seized him in a grasp. Izuna may have had speed but Madara had strength; plenty of it. With a twist of his wrist, Madara managed to bend his opponent's arm and deliver a kick right into his stomach, causing Izuna to fall back a few steps and clear his cough. He noticed the bow hanging on a sling tied to his back. He didn't have time to think on why his sibling would opt for such a weapon, there was but one person in this clan that used crossbows as a personalized weapon, could he have talked her into-

The young Uchiha leader was quick to pry the edged cutlass from his brother's swollen fingers and whipped around to clash steel against steel. He held the blade even, a perfect, undaunted horizon; always leveled with the nose, just as his father had taught him as a child. He had stalled the other man's strike, but watched a wretched, stained grin split the Izuna's lips as his sword shivered under the brutality of his own compelling strength.

" _Wow, you're slow today, arent'cha, nii-san."_  He throatily taunted.

The sound of those words rang deeply in Madara's mind, the mere intonation of them brought the most profound of images to surface back, a particular image he had struggled to forget for weeks now.

' _Wow, you're slow, arent'chou?'_

His eyes widened the ever so slightly while it dawned on him. The same words were uttered by another one, a person so fragile she could have only existed in Madara's mind. And in lieu of seeing a dashing Izuna coming at him, a picture of her little frame filled his eyes. She was so short, she couldn't even come up to his knees. The same frail hands holding a small puppet, a doll woven of wool and thread wrapped around ragged cloths. Almost identical to the white gown she had been wearing. Even her pale round face, it stared back at him blankly. Her raven black hair hung in waves, her eyes; black just as his- and Izuna's- were. Her skin was flawless, white as porcelain. The abstract sculpture of bones that was her body paled in comparison to the lanky figure of the grown man charging at him. Still he could not notice it, but her perfectly shaped cheekbones, or the feathers of her thick, dark lashes were reminiscent of yet another forgotten silhouette throughout time.

It wasn't until the silver blade flashed brightly as Izuna brought it over his head and hummed a low, swift tune when he brought it down.

Just in time, Madara had dodged it though not before feeling a stinging pain in his left arm.

 _Not fast enough_.

Again his agile movement was far too slow and he had to make up for it by hitting back almost instantly. Their swords gleamed in the cool sunlight. It was already bad enough that his opponent's sword was stained with his blood. Madara shuffled to the side and awaited in attack. Izuna charged again, cornering his older brother with each swing of his katana. Even so, he dodged to the side in one fluid move with ease. His enemy swiveled in his direction.

His menacing eyes were a blazing red identical to his, with every move, the other one saw through it. With every clash of metal, the other bounced back.

His opponent thrust his sword forward, only to be met by his own sword. Both katanas met in the air with a resounding clang. The man was a master swordsman, but so was he. Slowly, Madara was tiring. Beads of sweats broke out on his brow, daubing every clenching muscles of his defined abdomen. His wound began bleeding openly. Regardless of his state, he forced on with renewed vigor, he slashed his blade back and forth. Even when his strength was put in every swing, Izuna's own doubled. Until both brothers came eye to eye, with only the blades of their respective swords separating them.

But even the greyness of the metal couldn't outshine the blood of their sharingans, nor the scope of Izuna's smirk.

It was another day, another fight.

In contrast to his brother, Madara remained expressionless, focusing only at the task at hand; to beat Izuna.

In the midst of their battle, the rain had stopped and the skies had cleared, shining rays over Izuna's dark features. The short and shaggy black hair was slowly growing back to what it once was. The edged jaw, the sharp angles; they really were brothers, down to the curves of their eyes.

But brothers fought. They sparred. They battled.

And this was no different.

Sensing that Izuna's grip had weakened a notch, Madara raised a leg and aimed it bluntly towards his stomach once more. Though Izuna saw through the repetitive move and grabbed it beforehand, he hadn't seen the wooden twig of the arrow Madara had secretly kept, launching straight for his forearm. He narrowly dodged the sharp arrow, inadvertently letting his grasp on the sword go.

Madara did the same, in fairness or not, he did not feel like playing with his sword today. Tossing both the arrow and sword aside, he leapt forward, throwing the first punch only for Izuna to parry it. Each kick was blocked, each fist dodged; almost like a perfectly timed choreography. At one point, Madara's thoughts had ceased to work, with only his body seemingly functioning on memory. His muscles knew what to do, his bones knew where to hit, where it would be the most painful, his hands knew the ways to land a strike. He needed not anything else.

With one last push, he threw his body weight behind the fist that edged closer to his brother's face, hitting his jaw with such force that blood pooled into his mouth. Pain erupted from the point of impact. The younger brother drew his fist back again and ploughed into his Madara's stomach this time, it was like hitting a boulder head on. His guts smashed together, blood vessels bursting within. Izuna continued the battering, his bloodied fists colliding with all of his body weight. He'd be damned if he was going to be bested by a cheap trick like that. With his own two gloved hands, he repaid him by grasping his head in his palms and bringing his knee cap up to his nose with a force that sent him flying over the pebbled ground. There was a blunt crack once his dark-haired head came in contact with the rough pebbles, as his body skidded over the rough terrain. Crimson leaked from both his nostrils and his nose was twisted right while his chest gently rose and sank with each shallow breath he drew in.

Madara's own breaths were laboured even after knocking Izuna out, well- somewhat.

For a moment, no one said anything, no one could say anything. Each one of them was too busy trying to gasp for air. Despite the rough punches he had received, Madara was still left standing. His half naked body sweating up a storm, even in the cold weather. Izuna on the other hand, was happy laying on the ground with the only sign of movement coming when he had turned his body upright. Instead of facing the ground, he laid on his back, both arms stretched to the sides while his knees were bent.

They were both content with remaining silent.

For the longest while, they remained motionless except for their heaving chests.

He had no idea what had gotten into him, Madara wasn't thinking when he let out his boiling antipathy and swung his tight fist, too quick and potent, into Izuna's defined jaw; the impact like thousands of venomous blades piercing apart his clammed fist. Or when he cracked the ridge of his knee into his nose; the sound of the painful fracture louder than a thousand explosions. It led him to one conclusion: that it must have hurt. Badly.

Yet, Izuna didn't groan, not one bit.

In fact, if Madara's ears served him right, his brother's laughter was all but painful. The complete opposite, it was mirthful, but mostly exhausted. Like any man would be at this point.

"Strong as ever, I see." Izuna commented between coughs. He straightened up a moment later, still remaining seated on the floor as he stretched his knees. The kick to the head did nothing to sway the grin on his pasty look. Rubbing his face, he exclaimed;

"You nearly dislocated my jaws, nii-san."

Madara could see the bruises starting to form and the dried blood from his cut lip as well as his nose. He walked forward and stretched his palms, to which Izuna was grateful as he took in the lending hand. He helped his brother as he stood up, noticing that his left shoulder drooped at a steeper angle than the usual. The youngest Uchiha brother wiped the blood off with the back of his hand before kneading his left shoulder, only to wince at the sharp pain. It didn't escape Madara's notice either, just as he was about to order him to go get treated, Izuna spoke up.

"I'd dare say my shoulders too."

"You need to go get treated, now." Madara advised, though it lacked the tone of concern, this was an order, because only he knew how stubborn his brother could be and that included getting treatment for injuries he deemed minor. As always, Madara never left room for negotiation and when he was about to repeat himself, he heard a popping sound as Izuna tried to lodge the joint back into place. A faint curse escaped his lips.

"You're still going to get treated, whether you like it or not." He emphasized, just in case his brother was thinking of skipping it.

"Yeah? And you too,  _right?_ " He pointed to the trail of blood flowing down the medial side of Madara's arm. Setting the blood aside, Madara was in an almost untouched condition. Not a single scar, scratch or bruise anywhere on his body. There was nothing but sheer sweat trickling down every muscled ridge, every traced line.

All ruined by a stream of a bright red liquid dribbling down his left arm. He hadn't noticed it at first, but Izuna managed to get a hit back when he hadn't anticipated where the arrow had shot from.

"I'll be on my way when you're on yours." Izuna retorted. It didn't leave Madara much of a choice, the bleeding wasn't stopping. He stood there, contemplating as he gazed at the azure blue sky. White clouds were scattered like small puffs of pure cotton beads, drifting aimlessly across an endless canvas. Just above them was none the brighter, none the fierier than the orange sun. It was strange how easy, how contrasting the weather could transition in such little time.

It was an odd world. One he much rather preferred than the one awaiting him at home. But alas, he couldn't. His mind returned to the earth-bound ground, not wasting a moment before re-sheathing his sword.

"Why the crossbow and arrow?" He asked, curious.

Izuna shot him a quizzical look as Madara walked past him, with him eventually falling behind. He handed him back the arrow.

"I wanted to try something new." He said casually as he followed his elder brother back to the house.

"Something  _new_?"

"Yes, but as you see it's not really suitable for close-range, and you know me-"

Madara felt Izuna as he closed the gap between them from behind, leaning in closer.

"I  _just hate_  not being able to see the action up front."

As cheesy as it sounded, his brother simply didn't have the patience for utilizing long-range tactics or attacks. Izuna had always been too cocky to just sit around in the background listlessly, awaiting the perfect moment to strike their enemy and take full advantage of it.

"You know, you shouldn't be as aggressive in your attacks."

 _"Aggressive? Huh?_ " Madara's words seemed to astound him. "Are you kidding me?!" He gave a cynical laugh, though he couldn't help it. His poignant words didn't escape the real brute of the pair. This wasn't what Madara had meant.

"Don't be as belligerent when you ambush an enemy, they'll see right through your moves." He clarified. And just like that, Izuna's own smugness had toned down a bit.

"If you say so."

The sun was brighter than it had been in months; winter was over. His feet was treading across the dirt and stones, his eyes wandering from bush to bush, tree to tree. The breeze was a gentle whisper in his ears. He paused, as a blackbird flew across his path, spending the day as he was, moving through the endless acres of lands, just like the clouds.

Madara's arm began to numb, although not fully, he was beginning to lose function in his upper arm. Whereas Izuna's shoulder may have been dislocated or fractured, Madara's own was beginning to lose sensation. It would appear that the cut was deeper than it looked, from what he could see. Which he would rather not. He tried to apply pressure as much as he could while he made his way back to the house.

A house he was soon approaching. And a meeting he was eager to get over with.

He heard a loud inhale, almost as though someone was sniffing him. A nose that was lingering a little too close for his comfort zone.

"You smell like trash, brother. You're going to drive all the ladies away like this." Izuna jeered mockingly, taking a whiff of Madara's matted hair strands and not even bothering to hide it. Thoroughly annoyed with both the comment and the insinuation, Madara whipped his own long hair from Izuna's grip violently and shot him a foreboding glare.

" _I'd slap you_  right now but I don't want to make your face look any better, Izuna."

There was a momentary look of confusion in his eyes, right before they lit up.

"Huh? _Hey!"_

If anything, his brother needed a facial reconstruction more than he himself needed a shower. And, that in itself, said a lot.

Madara just kept walking, paying no heed to Izuna's insults.

* * *

His hand fell to the lever and the water began, so cold at first he almost grimaced. Then the stream thickened, warmed, steam rising to his aching face. Though the heat brought pleasure to his tensed muscles, the shower was just another function of his regimented day, a necessity before he can tumble out into another day of havoc.

The water dripped down his spiked black hair softly. And the drops slowly made their way to his chest then belly, tracing each ab, each surface and each furrow. The hot water defined his well-developed, yet strained body.

Even long after having left the bath, Madara could still feel the ghost of each warm droplet trickling down his body.

He was on his way to the council meeting. If one asked Madara what he thought of it, he wouldn't bother answering, because this whole concept of retaining a council in the first place was outdated to him. And if he had the choice, he would have abolished it the second he came to be clan leader. In fact, he should have, though he couldn't remember what exactly stopped him back then. Most of its members have already outlived their usefulness, whereas those who did anything to contribute to the clan's survival were already dead and rotting deep in the ground beneath their feet.

It was warped to him, it should have always been the other way around.

Then again, maybe that wasn't how things were meant to go.

_Just like now._

But hopefully not for long. With the construction of the new settlement, both the Senju and the Uchiha were to form a joint leadership, or more accurately, it was simply him and Hashirama. It would be up to them to decide who they wanted to govern the village, and in that case, both councils of their respective clans would lose all their purpose. They couldn't hold a say against what either of their leaders wanted to do, they didn't have the jurisdiction to do so. And if this pipe dream of a village was to last, his clan wouldn't have to be so shut out any longer if they managed to integrate into the settlement. By then, whatever power the council held would slowly diminish until it didn't even matter anymore. Whatever rules they obliged by, it wasn't just confined to within the clan anymore, they would be compelled to follow the rules of the village instead. Rendering every single one of their decisions wherefore useless.

It was a bright side he was certainly looking forward to.

But still-

Madara couldn't help but wonder if he was doing the right thing. About everything, especially now.

Was it right of him to do what he was doing? Having him locked up, was that really the best outcome?

By no means was he doubting his decision, he wanted Eiji dead. In fact, his whole issue stemmed from whether he should keep him around much longer or not. It was not even the issue surrounding his life, but if it was of any use to him anymore.

Will power was a finite resource, it burned energy in the brain; and then once one ran out of it, they give in. Simple.

Except, Eiji appeared to have a largely finite source of it, with no signs of giving in any time soon. Even if he did, there was absolutely no way he could talk. Nor write, if his fingers were still functioning.

Deep down Madara knew that he still needed the degenerate alive if he wished to know who- or  _what_ \- was it that took him down with ease. Or what it would still want with him, or Mina, for that matter. What was it exactly made of? Just as his luck would have it, this man was the only one who saw it upfront, fought with it upfront and knew what it was upfront.

Killing him now would mean all the potential answers to those questions would die along with him.

It irritated him, vexed him to no end; to know that he- of all people- would and could harbor all those secrets and not dare tell him. It had Madara wanting to claw the very skin that made him, into pieces of pulp flesh. To gnaw into his bones until they were no more than powdered ash.

As his mind began to wander down the different paths of torture in which he could use for the next time he visited him, Madara found himself getting unnaturally angry. It was a habit he had come to do, right before each meeting. Who could blame him? Those old geezers weren't helping it as most still opposed his own view. Of course they didn't want Eiji dead, but they also didn't want Madara going anywhere near him.

It was clear he wasn't going to follow the latter order.

_Bunch of fools._

He grunted.

Just as he was about to open the doors to chamber, his scowl already in place, and only worsening as the moments passed- he was unceremoniously interrupted. A light tap on his shoulders had him turn his head into the other direction of the grand hall, only to face her out of all people.

"What are you doing here?" He spouted tersely. He did not have the energy left to expend on whatever little shit she had hidden up her sleeves this time around. Not that she had tried to do anything in months. He wasn't sure whether it was because he had her stay by his side nearly all day every day for the better part of the week- after coming to a sensible conclusion that no matter the intensity of the surveillance, they were still useless-, or maybe she finally grew a brain and decided to stop messing around. Who know where the next sword might impale her.

"Yuna said you wanted me to join you on this meeting." Mina uttered quietly.

_What?_

He looked down at her quizzically. She seemed to be well dressed- as though she was going out. Her brown hair was in order, pulled back in a loose tail where it was held with a clip matching her kimono. Her monotonous attitude and appearance all suggested that she really thought she was supposed to be present at the meetings. Technically, she should be present in on all meetings, but obeying orders was never her style. Why now? This did nothing to ebb away at the anger seething inside of him.

"I said no such thing." He replied, his response brusque and blatant. The hint that he was sending was for her to leave, but of course, she did not get it.

"But she-"

"I didn't speak to that old hag." Madara added, his annoyance all the more obvious the longer he talked. He was one phrase away from telling her off, but Mina was still stubborn as a bat.

"I would still like to join you, if you don't mind, Madara." She bowed down- even if it was all the slightest- he was still caught by surprise. When was the last time she ever bowed her head to anyone? He crossed his arms and tried to look at her from a different perspective- or rather a different angle. Though her act made him momentarily forget about his exasperation and ire, he quickly regained his composure. Just because she managed to sound respectful- even going as far as uttering his name, not out of anger for once- did not mean there was more to it than he thought.

It was just that;  _an act._

And if she was so desperate to join him, then the pleasure was all hers.

"Fine, if you want to get involved that bad, here-" He slid the doors open with a bang, revealing a dozen of already slighted and spurned Uchiha elders. At least this was going to be interesting, in some way.

_"Come in."_

* * *

_**Yuna's POV** _

_"Damn you woman, get the hell out of bed already!"_ The head-maid yelled, yelled louder than what any normal set of lungs stand to handle- as she shot the doors open. The slam of the wooden entrance was the tempest inside Yuna made aurally audible. It was how she wrote her temper into the air, hoping that someone would understand how to stop the storm- or let it rage on. Whichever came first. But this was too much, even for her. Mina's behavior was about to drive her mad, something even her husband hasn't been able to achieve for as long as he was alive. His brother however, may have already beaten her to it more than a couple of times.

The ligneous doors- recently reconstructed at the strange and random behest of the clan head- cracked through the house as loud as any whip, vividly stinging at her insides almost as it did to the walls. They bounced in the frames that held them together, but the slam of wood on wood went unanswered.

Her shouts did nothing to the sleeping figure beneath the sheets.

Which would have been understandable, if the damn figure was actually asleep.

Yuna knew that girl was purposely ignoring her, and was wide awake sprawled like a spoiled little brat.

She could feel a vein near her temple about to burst.

She barged in the room and placed the hamper she had brought with her on the floor, with more force than she dared to admit. Tufts of chocolate-brown hair peeked from under the covers.

"Did you hear me?" She spat, unable to shake the anger out of her raspy voice.

If Mina did, she certainly wasn't responding. She didn't even twitch as the older woman got closer. And closer she got-

_That is it._

Gripping the linen at the edge of the bed, the eccentric house keeper tugged them off and threw them vigorously on the other side of the room, simultaneously exposing a scantily clad young woman slumped on the mattress. The second the cold air hit her skin, Mina's head raised at the intruder. But Yuna couldn't care less, not even when her clan matriarch gave her a puzzling expression. It wasn't one of shock- quite the opposite actually, as if Mina had grown attached to Yuna's lewd behavior. It wasn't even one of anger as most individuals were to feel if a bat-shit crazy old woman barged into their room and uncovered them in their nudity, baring it all for the world to see.

No- it was one so impassive that it was actually Yuna who ended up being dumbstruck.

If Mina could bother to talk, Yuna was sure to hear the words 'what the hell do you want?' come straight out of her pink lips.

Did they? No, because  _her majesty_  couldn't even summon the energy to deal with her, which- in all fairness- added fuel to her fire. Her gnarly fingers snapped around her pale ankles and sunk into her alabaster skin.

 _Oh, she would pay for this. Dearly._ Yuna vowed.

Despite her lean body and aging appearance, the mother of all maids still had a life force flowing through her that was to rival even the youngest of all children running in this land. And utilizing that same life force, she pulled Mina's body across the awry mattress with ease, causing the skimpy night gown to reveal parts of her body that most people shouldn't come to see. But Yuna wasn't most people, in fact she was no Madara either. However, if anyone could bet on it, she was the only person who saw this woman naked in all her glory on more counts than her own husband has. A fact that would probably have him eyeing her in jealousy.

Was she ashamed of this fact? Obviously not. As a matter of  _fact_ , it was something she was growing proud of.

Yuna had little to no shame. However, she did have anger. Lots and lots of it.

Mina tried to cover whatever was left of her bare skin with the scanty thin material she was wearing, but it was all useless as Yuna dragged her to the edge of the bed. It was amusing to her, to watch as Mina flimsily tried to cover her modesty. The irony of it rung louder in Yuna's mind, louder than it should have, which came out in words she would come to regret later; or maybe not.

"It's not like I haven't seen that rainbow ass of yours before. Or your vagina for that matter, so stop hiding!" What started off as a laugh ended in a surprisingly dark grunt. Mina eyed her suspiciously as the memories came back to her. How could any of them forget?

When the young wife stopped struggling, Yuna took it as a sign and halted, having nearly dragged her to the floor.

Mina sat upright, legs hanging over the edge as she stared the maid straight in the eyes, to which the latter happily obliged by returning her glare, her normally blackish eyes taking on a bloody turn. She hadn't activated her sharingans in many, many years. Not that this event warranted such an action, but the old lady couldn't help it. If she had intended to intimidate the young woman, it hadn't work, as Mina didn't flinch one bit. She sat stoically, spine straightened and hands on her thighs, trying to shield herself.

If it hadn't been for her ruffled hair that was a mess all on its own, her look may have been dubious, perhaps even angry.

But as such, she wasn't.

Yuna hunched forward, prepared to scold her.

"What is wrong with you!?" Her voice rose unintentionally, the raspiness all the more apparent, from the countless years of shouting orders and raising kids; she was very well exhausted.

It was true, she couldn't hide her frustration anymore. All these past weeks, her own emotions had been piling up, but as the old woman as she was, no one paid attention to her. That, by no means, meant that she lacked the attention she desired. She wasn't one to seek it, but she was possibly the one most attuned to it, perhaps out of all of them.

Her old and frail figure, her granny appearance; her graying hair tucked into a bun and the tousled brows, the lean arms and the arthritic veiny fingers, her smoothened wrinkles and her shriveled skin, she was old alright. She could fit the part of any grand-mother, she could fit into the background if she wanted to; but Yuna wasn't ordinary. Not when she truly wanted to be.

Hunched over, the silvery strands of her hair fell into an unkempt bang, framing the sides of her ashen face.

Her eyes narrowed, almost waiting for her counterpart to answer just so she could give her enough incentive explode.

"You're the one who barged into my room, so what's wrong with you?" Mina retorted, rather calmly for someone who was just dragged out of her bed- literally. While it gave Yuna motive to bash the young girl's head in, she couldn't help but pick up on something interesting.

_Her room?_

"Oh? You mean Madara-sama's room?" Yuna pondered aloud, her voice was coarse like fragmented rock in a hessian sack, moving and grinding against each other, somehow complimenting her ruddy complexion and raised veins. She wiped white hair from eyes as red as the setting sun and fixed her in a playful gaze. Her thin lips curved into a tight smile.

"I was under the impression that this was my clan head's chamber, am I mistaken?" She asked, rather coldly. And when the change of attitude was blatantly obvious, Mina's own as well adapted to the change.

"What do you want?" She spat back, almost as rigidly as the voice that greeted her.

She stood akimbo, looking down at the brunette with both mirth and an underlying hostility. Whereas Mina remained as she was, returning the same gaze.

"I am the head maid after all, my duty is to clean and make sure the main household is proper at all times-"

"What do you really want, Yuna?" She asked again, rectifying her question.

_That's it._

"Well since you asked-"

And just like that, the hypothetical lid that had she kept tightly sealed was broken.

 _"_ As you probably know by now, _I am getting tired of your moping around and your goddamn sulking. Either get your shit together or I'll get it for you."_

They may have been simply a few words, but they were enough to summarize everything she had been feeling- well, to an extent. Mina needed to know this, if not now, then there was possibly no other time. Months had passed, and Yuna hoped that she would snap out of it, yet nothing happened. There was no trace of the old version of her, none whatsoever. The only things she managed to do was barely get out, and when she did, she barely said anything to anyone. Her cold-shoulder treatment to the people here, to the Uchiha- guards and maids alike- was beginning to rub people the wrong way.

Dangerously so.

Uchiha Yuna's concern wasn't just amounting to nothing, she had heard the rumors, the talks, the whispers. The animosity between her people and this woman right here was gradually increasing. And if she was to be honest, she stood by her people, they had every right to. Since the moment she arrived here, there had always been a distorted communication between both parties- if there ever was one at all. She was exactly like Madara- with one difference only- she was no Uchiha. That fact alone made it so much easier for others to dismiss her.

She may have been an old hag, but she was far from being none the wiser. Mina, on the other hand, didn't seem to comprehend the consequences of her actions. Or maybe she did and refused to care about it.

Even Kagami had begun to draw his distance, for a while now, the young boy didn't dare to come near her. Not that she would have treated him any differently, Yuna knew she cared for the boy deeply as she tried to reconnect with him. If she dared say, Mina even had a soft spot for him. She wasn't exactly sure why but she surmised that perhaps he reminded her of someone she once knew in her world- or whatever hell she crawled out from. There was a gentleness in her action that she reserved solely when she was with Kagami, and it was obvious, to Yuna that is.

As for her? Maybe not so much.

And so, Yuna was deeply troubled. Rightfully so.

"What does it matter to you? Why do you care so much?" Mina countered, her voice groggy and disinterested.

"The question is, why don't you?"

"Who said I don't?"

"You never said that you did."

_This is never going to end._

She was going to throw excuses at her left and right until she left. Amping it up a notch, Yuna decided to make things just a tad clearer.

"This is absolutely pathetic. Seeing you wallow in your bed for weeks like a bed-ridden muttonhead revolts me. The least you could do is get your miserable ass out every once in a while."

There was a deadly silence. Right before Mina finally spoke up.

_"Is this what you came to tell me?"_

There was no heat in her voice, as if her heart beat so steadily, even though she took a different view from Yuna's own. She simply said- not through words but through her actions- that this was her way of doing things. Her cold fury burnt with a dangerous intensity.

It seemed like her stern words weren't going to get her anywhere, so Yuna opted for another option; grabbing Mina's arms by force and pushed her up. Drastic times called for drastic measures and if this one wasn't going to listen to her advice, she would have to force her to listen. Though this time proved more difficult than the last, much easier said than done with this piece of meat. Her mistress shook her hands away, and spoke loudly.

"Just tell me what you want from me, Yuna."

She couldn't help thinking yet again,

_Out of all the women Madara-sama had to marry, how in hell's name did he end up with this one?_

She turned on her heels and faced the young woman, there was no way getting to her. Even her own anger seemed to be slipping up, and for the very first time, the quirky house keeper didn't know what to do. This...this woman was draining her of all her mental capacities leaving her absolutely wrecked and on borderline despair.

 _"Are you kidding me?"_  Yuna yelped, hopelessness overtaking her anger in a tug-of-war battle that didn't hold out for long. Somewhere in there, Yuna knew that somewhere in there, the peculiar girl that she had come to know was still laughing. Mina's eyes had frozen over like the surface of a winter puddle, robbing them of their usual brown warmth.

She was definitely in there, the older woman felt it, but it was like she just took a huge step back from life, from this world more precisely. Yuna just hoped that she wasn't far deep out of her reach, that she was close by to the surface where she could knock some damn sense into her.

_"Are you even aware of your goddamn surroundings, Mina-sama?!"_

The spiteness in her words were what caught Mina off guard, and for once, there was a literate reaction drawn over her face, one that Yuna could distinguish clearly. She almost reached her, but not quite. Though just in case-

"No one hear wants you! Do you understand?" She added heartlessly.

 _That's it._ She knew she had hit her mark, the way Mina's face distorted into a quizzical almost confused look, it meant that she was beginning to finally think, to absorb in her words and carefully analyze them.

"If they could, they would throw you out themselves." She added, her voice having calmed down a bit. It was from here on that Yuna knew she caught her well in her grasps, it was about time. But even as the ever-growing silence stretched out between them, she was starting to doubt her own words, or the effect that they could have on her right now. Until she had responded.

It was no louder than a whisper when Mina locked eyes with her.

"Madara would never-"

"That is precisely why you're still standing here. Did you never really think of it?"

It would have been unwise to tread in a territory like she had without having someone to watch out for her. She came strolling in here one day, an outsider, a non-Uchiha and simply continued on with her life as if nothing in her surroundings affected her. Was she really blind all this time? Yuna wondered.  _No, one couldn't be that dense._

Then again, she didn't exactly tread this territory alone, she had its Head watch out for her from the start. It was partly why no one really spoke up against it. Who would they speak up to? The man who was responsible for bringing her here in the first place? The same man who also happened to lead their clan into an abyss; be it war or peace?

"It wouldn't hurt if you showed some gratitude every once in a while you little twa-"

" _I had never asked to be brought here!_  Why doesn't anyone believe me?" Mina snapped. Her hands flailed as she at last started to understand where she was coming from. But despite the sudden flow of emotions, it was precisely them that had clouded her judgement. Anger and resentment blocked her sight, just as they did her ears. The type of anger and resentment that have been settling for quite a while now, it was then that Yuna understood; understood how she had been in denial all this time, her refusal to come to terms with everything made her blind to the truth around her.

She softened her tone slightly, just a pitch lower, and yet remained firm when she spoke.

"That may be true, but the fact remains you're still here. No one tried to lay a hand on you until now."

_Until recently actually._

Yuna knew it was a source of great pain to her, and a part of her sympathized with Mina. However, enough was enough and the young matriarch needed to change. Besides, this old crone knew there was much more to the story than it appeared. There were eerie things missing, things that didn't make sense and that no one wanted to dare speak of, much less to go as far as to mention anything for a long time to come. No matter how hard Madara tried to beat it out of him.

"Listen to me, Mina." She returned to informality, sensing that she was finally receptive to her. She gripped her shoulders once more as she closed the distance, looking down at the short girl, she decided to tell her. It didn't seem like she was about to figure it out anytime soon.

"You may not have seen this coming, but you have  _never once_  tried to make an effort into knowing the people here. You couldn't even bother to communicate with them, and your lack of interaction with them is going to cost you soon if you don't change."

It was something that she had come to learn from the many years she had lived; it was never the event that defined what happened after, yet the attitudes and manner of those involved. One could meet challenge with humility, grace and a brave soul...or one did the complete opposite. And though these things were never easy, that each time was as significant and important as the last, but what little strength one had should use it to its fullest potential to get through it. In the face of adversity, one did get to choose their response and how open they were to learning the lesson and emerging more empathic than before.

She did none of those things, ultimately choosing to distance herself from the same people whom she deemed would hurt her. She wasn't wrong. And as a result, she stood before her tall figure, confused and muddled trying to make sense of what was clearly obvious all along.

"I was never able to get along with them, what the hell am I supposed to do now-" She retorted, desperation silently seeping into her words.

"That is  _exactly_  your problem."

Yuna inhaled deeply, sighing as loudly and deeply as she could. The migraine wasn't helping this either. She gripped Mina's jaws in the palm of her hand firmly, forcing her to look up at the old woman.

_I was wrong. How could someone be so dense?!_

" _Look little girl_ , I would hate to see you leave but if you don't try and change, you may not like where you'll end up."

One would say there was a hint of menace in her voice, others would say she was simply conveying a message Mina had long seemed to ignore; what really mattered was neither, all that did matter however was her point getting across no matter what. Letting her go, as Mina's eyes widened, Yuna made a clear indication.

"I've actually grown to liking you, Kami knows why- but hear this, and I'm only saying this for your sake-"

It was an admission she never thought she would have to say, but if it needed to be said, then it had to be done.

_"If it comes down between you and him, they're going to choose him."_

She was white as chalk. Her eyes and her mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise, and although she was staring straight at Yuna she appeared not to notice her at all. As she searched deeper, she noticed the sadness in her eyes, the brown too glossy for a once frozen glare. As if the older lady had been speaking a language foreign to her, but it needed to be done. Yuna could go on with the rest of her life knowing that she did everything to justify her words, someone needed a reality check and it certainly wasn't herself.

_But just in case it still isn't clear to her-_

"The elders here aren't very fond of outsiders, just so you know." Yuna explained. "And since you never gave them much of a reason to care for an ounce of your well-being, they would rather stick out their necks for one of their own, even if you did happen to be their clan head's wife, do you understand me?"

Her comment was so out of character, so far from what her mistress knew of her, she just stared at her, mouth agape with incredulity.

It was merely an expression that mirrored Yuna's own when Chiho tried to warn her. Except unlike Mina, she out-rightly refused to believe it at first, thinking of it as nothing more than jargon. It was the only reaction she could think of, she- unlike most of the others- knew this woman to an extent, and she judged her own reactions to be normal, to be expected. But when things became clearer as the days passed, her elder sister's words kept echoing within the corners of her mind. Her brain formulated no thoughts other than to register that she had been shocked. Mina wasn't trying to rebuke her, not even now, which meant that she understood this far better than the credit Yuna gave her. She wasn't sounding off her denial as per expectations, instead she closed her mouth, then looked at her toes before glancing back up to catch her black eyes.

"Madara won't let-," was all she could feebly whisper. But the hesitation was there, it was clear as daylight. Even she didn't believe her own words, she couldn't keep eye-contact with Yuna for much longer either. Still, the words had already escaped her lips before she could stop them.

 _"You need to stop hiding behind your precious husband like a damn coward_."

Words might just be blots of ink on a page, but they had power. They might be simple sounds carelessly uttered from a mouth, but they can crush confidence and provoke anger. Like right now. Mina's eyes darkened, and her expression contorted into something Yuna hadn't seen before, something rather hardened for her usually soft features.

Be that as it may, it didn't stop the tempered crone. How long was she going to use Madara as an excuse? The mere fact that she couldn't stand up for herself angered Yuna more than anything.

"These elders aren't the push-overs you think they are, they've been around far longer than your  _husband_  and if they wanted you gone from the start, they would have had you gone. _And Madara wouldn't even have to know_."

Words might be soft and emotional, cried in the midst of war, but they have the power to arise courage in the hearts of men.

This was no such time. And the longer Yuna talked, the seemingly angrier Mina got; but even then, she stood silently as she took the woman's harsh words slap after slap.

_Maybe I should jog her memory, that should work._

"Oh? You didn't think yourself that _irreplaceable_ , did you?" She teased, malice laced with each syllable, with each smirk. When an idea had popped into her mind, there was no stopping it from leaving the same mouth that had tried comforting her months ago. No matter how vile it seemed.

Mina's pale cast became all the more redder as this foul-mouthed woman ran her tongue.

"There are tons of women who can spread their legs and bear a child or two, something you can't even  _do properly_."

The anger from her eyes showed the scared child within, Yuna caught a glimpse of the pain beneath it and in this unconvincing persona she had carved to fit a world of indifference. It was never her intention to make light of her miscarriage, and while those last words of hers expressed nothing of what she really felt, Yuna didn't regret them. Not one bit, because the truth was; she really couldn't even bear to full term. For all that she was worth, Mina could have easily been replaced by almost anyone, her only position in this household was only due to the bond she had seemingly shared with either brother, which still confounded some as no one even knew how this came to be.

That still hadn't hindered the fact that the majority within these grand walls weren't particularly fond of her.

This was the problem. Yuna knew that, however, the other did not.

 _"Watch it."_ Mina warned, the calmness of her voice a stark contrast to the rage fuming inside of her. Her face was one shade lighter of turning into a ripe tomato and had it not been for the circumstance, Yuna would have ridiculed her further. Though sensing that she had provoked her enough already, she deliberately toned it down even more, despite her own aging features stiffening in response.

"They have no problem replacing you with someone ten folds better, and they might just do it if Madara-sama isn't around to protect you." She confessed, but even the softening of her inflection did nothing to alleviate the explosive anger Mina had been harboring. And it was just then, that it decided to make itself known.

 _"You must be fucking joking, do you think this is funny?!"_  Mina howled. Her remaining thread of strength frayed before breaking completely, sending her plummeting over the edge and deep into her rage. Her voice rose above the sacred silence. Her thinning arms thrashed around frantically, her disheveled hair and crumpled appearance gave her a look of instability but the housekeeper knew better. She knew better than to keep gazing at the pitted scar on her chest. A mere glance and it was all that took its person to lash out even more. Yuna could only do but watch as her clan matriarch seethed, all because of her.

 _"Do you really want me to go so bad that you found it necessary to come all the way her and berate me?"_ Her wide brown eyes gaped at her, palpitating as she sought answers from her. But Yuna couldn't give her ones- at least not the ones she was seeking-, despite being renowned for having a snappish attitude and who was not always the best role-model she ought to have been- even to her daughter-, but this time, just this time, Yuna was at loss for words.

Words that might be sung from the bottom of a hurting heart with no one listening, but they had the power to reach the ear of a great deity who can turn sorrow into dancing. Words might be little things written on a little square piece of paper, but they had the power to bind hearts or separate them infinitely. They had the power to start wars or end them. They held more unimaginable power than anyone could conceive. And maybe she had underestimated the ones she had chosen this time around.

Mina stood there, motionless as her hands cupped her mouth, her chest heaving as she breathed heavily, awaiting an answer that wasn't going to come. Yuna just didn't know what to say, of course that was never her intention- to humiliate her like that- but even she knew trying to negate it now would render all her previous words useless. And she simply couldn't have that. She came this far, she will see it to the end.

_Besides, it's all for her sake._

She repeated to herself, it was easier rehashing the same lie until she came to believe it. It was truly much simpler to justify one's actions with any reason, regardless of how warped it may have been. She was able to sleep better at night.

 _"You know what?"_  Mina uttered- pulling her out of her daze abruptly. The sudden overturn in the cheeriness of her words were a weary to Yuna. " _I'll go_. You want me to go? Fine I'll do it."

The spontaneous change in her behavior was more empty than it was worrying. She took a step back when Mina darted towards the bathroom door. She hadn't expected her to succumb to her harassment that easily, nor that she would try to flee and hide in the bathroom of all places.

Yuna grabbed her roughly by the arms.

"You can't go out looking like a deranged mess, at least let me help." She offered insistently.

It seemed that she had the wrong idea all along.

Mina shot her a scowl, it would have been much more lenient had she just thrown daggers at her.

_"Would you at least let me shower first?"_

* * *

_**Mina's POV** _

_The nerve on that woman._

The thought of her was making my blood boil.

Even when I sat quietly she sought me out, sidling up for her next power fix. Her victory was like a forgone conclusion- or at least to me, I could never guess what she got out of this. Her ego boost at my expense was almost always guaranteed. Was it even about ego? I couldn't tell anymore, the lady was crazy. She wasn't just out of her mind, she was driving me along with her.

Yuna just busts in the most unusual of times, knocking me down before leaving energized and buzzing as I feel drained and tense.

I just wanted her to leave me alone.

I knew I was scared when those old fears run through my head, when I heard the taunting laughter of years past, when I was a skinny kid and a punchline of teenage jokes. I knew I was scared when these bad memories cut loose their chains and invaded my confidence, eroding the person I had struggled to build since those dark days. All she did was rattle those chains, tightened them around my neck and forced me to come to terms with something I already knew.

I could feel my clammy palms tighten, my knuckles turning white from clutching the skirt of my kimono with all the force I could muster.

_How could she?_

I got it.

I understood that I wasn't even able to do the  _one thing_  my body was meant to, but she-

She didn't have to rub it in my face.

What I couldn't comprehend was why that memory stuck with me, even now; it stung me, hazed my vision and swelled my eyes with tears.

It wasn't that I wanted to, but knowing that my body could fail me yet another time; it was like a dagger to my heart, a heavy disappointment. And all she managed to do was thrust that dagger deeper, that old crone.

The fears came most when I was tired and fleeing in the nighttime, rarely vanquished by the time I awoke.

So when my thoughts always tumbled into that abyss and the rope ladders burned, I had nowhere to lunge myself. And Yuna would always be waiting to take me out of here the moment I let it all go. She was smart, I never thought I would find myself here, sitting on the balcony side, waiting for Madara to show up. Couldn't believe I was going along with her sick idea, but she did say Madara was the one who ordered this.

So, was I right to blame her?

Truthfully, I didn't know anything anymore.

All that was clear to me, was that I had fallen for her cheap trick. It was only when I had been on my way that I understood; that woman would go to great lengths just to get her way. She would- quite literally- say anything to push her adversary's buttons, only for them to forfeit their stand. Only weak adversaries as it seemed.

And I was weak, I had let her get to me, against my better judgement.

Did it matter now?

Not really.

I was already here, waiting for him. It was not as if I had better things to do; like sulking or perhaps more wallowing, but it was getting tiresome in keeping up with the charade. It was a beautiful spring day, but I couldn't see it for what it was. Everything felt washed, worn out and dreamy. I couldn't focus, not with her words echoing in my mind.

_If it came down between you and him, they'll choose him._

Maybe she was simply lying. She wanted me out, she got me out. Yet, I couldn't help myself from feeling that inkling suspicion that her words weren't nearly half as empty however hard I wished them to be.

 _They'll stick their necks out for one of their own._   _And if they wanted you gone, you would have been gone a long time ago._

What if she was right? What if I had been blind all this time? They must have despised me all along, or for however long they did, and I just didn't see it.

Because I couldn't put an effort into doing anything. Not then, not now. And maybe she was right.

 _No._  She  _was_  right.

I had stopped caring about what others thought of me, to the point I had stopped caring about my surroundings altogether. Everything became plain, empty and just a great void I was listlessly passing through. Even with that in mind, I found it tough to believe that the elders would muster a backbone to do something so blatantly against their leader's wishes. Maybe that was where the fault lied in my thinking.

Maybe, just maybe, it wasn't that far against Madara's wishes, was it? What if they had been actually doing him a favor rather than spiting him, was I a mere obstacle in his path? If so, why would he bother saving me? That would be the greatest living contradiction I had ever had the fortune of seeing in my short life, if one could call it that.

_What did that man even want from me?_

I could spend the rest of my goddamn useless life trying to figure that question out and I would still die a dumbfounded pygmy.

Perhaps if I would just ask him-

That wouldn't work out either, I would have to pull the words out of his mouth myself. The man was a notorious haphazard, if I had asked him to show me his tail, he would probably point to a dot on my forehead.

Only because he didn't have one.

But that was obvious, it was something objective and clear. One didn't have to guess what was already existing in physical form. It needed no deciphering, no construe, no second guessing. How Madara's mind worked however; it was another matter and try as I might, I was beginning to sorely think that I could very well die and not know a single thing about him.

But that didn't seem like such a bad idea; death would have been a relatively straightforward way out of here, but seeing that the chance was already taken from me, I was left with this;  _this mess._

If Yuna was right, then there was no end to the amount of repulsion I hadn't caused those old geezers in the council, I knew very well the extent of my actions, the consequences on the other hand; it had never crossed my mind. If this was going to happen whether I wanted it or not; I would have nowhere else to go. This place- as mediocre as it looked- was the only place I actually knew.

The only place I actually grew to cherish, for some reason, whatever it may be.

They couldn't just throw me out.

_They can't. Can they?_

And while Yuna may have just planted the seed of panic merely by trying to force me to see what I didn't want to, it only seemed like that panic was only going to grow all the ever more.

…

Even after showering, she never left.

Coming out of the steaming bathroom, I left everything- every thought, every wish- I could in there and walked out with a new slate. There was only oh-so much that slate could bear before breaking once more. This woman wasn't helping. I wanted to punch her, badly.

Did I?

Obviously not.

Instead, I let her play doll with me. I wasn't exactly sure how I ended up the way I did, sitting in front of a dresser with a familiar naked individual staring back at me. She had the same brown eyes, pale skin, chapped lips, even the same hair Yuna had been trying to tame. Though I knew it was but my reflection staring back at me from the laminated mirror. I couldn't recognize her at first because I couldn't even recognize just why I was where I was.

Standing behind me was Yuna, running the comb through the waves of my growing hair. I could have very well done it myself, but as insistent as she was, I was surprised she hadn't invited herself into the shower as well. She had no boundaries, none whatsoever. Never thought such a thing was possible, but I was wrong.

I was wrong about a lot of things.

But there was one thought I was sure not to have incorrect. One thought that kept reverberating inside my head as each second passed I seethed. She stood there, calmly as if nothing had happened, going on with her daily routine that wasn't as routinely to me as much as it was to her.

Every time I was around Yuna my head span faster than a helicopter blade. The person I saw depended on who she was talking to and what she wanted. She could be everything from tough and daunting to vulnerable and kind, albeit with a new reason for each new situation. She could be the embodiment of rhetorical attitude yet the most serious she could ever be at the same time, there was no distinguishing line in her vocabulary or in her actions. I couldn't tell if she hated me like the rest or whether she did this out of amusement.

She was one hell of a crafty woman.

And still, I couldn't handle the weight of her bearing on my shoulders anymore.

" _I— I don't like you."_

"Hmm?" Yuna turned around only to face my back. I didn't know where the words had come from, but they were strangely calm, and much easier said than I had anticipated.

"I really don't like you." I repeated more confidently this time.

" _Cute."_  She replied, rather endearingly for someone of her personality. "But I wasn't asking for your opinion of me. I asked of which kimono are you going to wear."

It was then that I realized I had completely spaced out. I turned around, still seated on the wooden stool.

She had spread two kimonos on the bed, splayed each apart. One was green, and the other; red. They seemed rather expensive, then again, the kimonos she always managed to get her gnarly hands on were ostentatiously obtrusive in one way or another. That didn't mean they weren't beautiful, because they really were. Their lilac and pearly designs were nothing short of breath-taking.

But I couldn't care less. I wasn't particularly looking forward to getting into that many layers of clothing.

"You pick." I gave her the freedom of choosing in my place as I turned back to look at the mirror. Picking a band, I was about to tie my hair had it not been for a stinging slap on my hand. I quickly retracted it only to find Yuna glaring down at me.

" _I'm not done yet."_  She whispered menacingly.

I didn't even fight back anymore. It was pointless as far as I was concerned. She pulled my hair back, and the feel of her warm apron she had been wearing brushed against my bare back, kindling the smallest of prickling sensations running through my muscles. She wiped the strands on my sides gently and tied them with the rest loosely, clasping them together with a clip. A clip with a red gem, one almost identical to the stone of the necklace.

Only a few brown strands stood out.

I couldn't understand why my image always seemed to be the forefront of her thoughts each time she visited, though I should have known better. A person's image did matter here, for one reason or another. And I supposed she was the one who was tasked with cleaning me up, so I could look the least bit respectful. Again, such things never really mattered to me. In part, they still didn't.

" _You're a strange woman."_ I blurted out, leaning my head in the palm of my hand as I inclined on the surface of the dresser. Whether I was talking to the phantom in the mirror or Yuna, I couldn't really tell.

"Am I now?" She pondered thoughtlessly. It seemed like she chose the red kimono. It contrasted almost perfectly with the black yukata she was wearing beneath the apron. One day, I'll be sure to force her into one of these ridiculously tedious robes. Until then- I gave her a side glance while she made her way back to me.

"I've been called many things throughout my life. Strange just may be the nicest one of them all." She smiled, it may have been genuine for all I knew.

"Is that so?" I asked blandly, not caring for an answer.

"Yes." She gestured for me to spread my arms and I did as I was told, pulling the inner layer over my shoulders.

"What was the worst?"

"I can't recall. Though I do suppose Izuna-sama would have to take the crown for that one."

 _Huh, figures_. Yuna kept trying to encourage me to talk as she continued with assembling the rest of the kimono.

"You know, he isn't the demon you make him out to be." She interjected. I had no idea who she was referring to, though my bet would have to be on Madara.

"Izuna, I mean." She clarified.

Okay, so I was wrong. Though, Izuna did qualify for a title more malignant than demon. I looked at her, unable to process the words she was saying. I knew the woman was on the brink of lunacy, I just didn't know it was to this extent. She repaid me with the same stare.

"He really isn't. I raised the boy, I would know."

Out of all the things she could have said, this was fairly interesting. I stood up as she signaled me too. Facing her in order to wear the next layer, I had to ask;

"You did?"

I couldn't imagine Izuna being raised by anyone-  _anything_ \- else than a pack of rabid wolves. Then again, I had to take a second glance at the woman before me. Perhaps, I wasn't too far off. She took turns as she pieced together the kimono.

"Yes. I had just given birth to Yuuki around the time of their mother's death. I ended up nursing him."

_Yuuki?_

I had assumed she had been talking about Izuna and Madara's mother, a non-existential character as far as I knew.

But that name sounded awfully familiar. Too familiar in fact. I stopped her prodding hands and turned to face her. There was a momentary grief in her eyes as she spoke those words, but the instant I locked gazes with her, they changed to something more puzzling, almost confused before they lit with reminiscence.

She was yet another woman of steel beaten down by old age. Her hair, once a shimmering black curtain, is now just a frilly grey thing, held in a bun. Her porcelain face had withered by time and it had left her nothing but a frail layer of skin. Her once tight embraces and firm arms were worn down by years of work and stressful migraines. Years of wars and conflicts.

Her black eyes were an Uchiha trait, but I had definitely seen those greyish tucks somewhere before. As my eyes searched the edges of her face, the wrinkles of her skin, my mind tried to desperately find the missing link. The wrinkles and folds of skin were now so pronounced but it wasn't hard to tell what she must have looked like as a young woman. Her hair may have been gray, but the few black strands still holding on were straight as an arrow. Just another Uchiha trademark. But the elongated face, the small stout nose and the almond-shaped eyes, they were-

It had finally dawned on me. I couldn't believe it, how the similarities were so uncanny. My eyes widened as I recalled those days back in the woods, when we were travelling.

_I remember now. Yuuki was-_

Yuna's lips slit into a wide smile, a heartwarming one.

"Yuuki accompanied you and Madara-sama when you were on your way to the Senju. So, you do remember." She giggled.

I was more disturbed by the fact that she had a child- not one, but having raised two- more than the fact that Yuuki was a shinobi. As for Izuna, I think I was beginning to understand why he turned out the way he did. This woman- this perturbing woman- raised a poor helpless child, who also happened to have a brother of Madara's maniacal mentality, a father as cruel as Tajima, a clan with-

Well, it certainly accounted for most of his personal issues.  _Most_. He was still deeply unhinged.

"She's a shinobi?" Was all that I managed to mutter, even in my state of semi-undress and mostly, well- very shocked?

Yuna nodded as she tied the inner sash tightly around my waist.

"She takes more after her aunt as you can tell. But you'll never see her on the front-lines."

Layer after layer, I felt the heaviness of the kimono beginning to weigh me down almost as much as her revelations were. Lady Chiho was just on the spectrum of all the crazies I had come across in this world. This state of absurdity didn't just run in this one family, but the whole clan. Without exceptions.

"She's more of a long-range user, her techniques don't really allow her for direct conflict. Her bows and arrows are what-"

"Why are you telling me all of this?" I asked quietly. She was abnormally talkative, and revealing a little bit too much. Suspicious wouldn't even begin to describe her behaviour at the moment. Yuna stopped circulating and came to a stop before me, laying over the outermost decorated kimono layer, but I hadn't noticed. Not even when she tied the black obi firmly around me. Her light tap on my stomach as she proclaimed her work done; didn't faze me either.

Sighing, she straightened her back and crossed her arms.

" _If you want to make an effort, start by knowing some of the people here. It would help if you knew at least one thing about this clan when you're out there. That way you won't be completely witless."_

…

Sitting here, I still couldn't figure out a way to make use of everything she told me. All I managed to learn was why Izuna was half as messed up as he was, the other half being completely his fault and his fault alone. She also had a daughter, which would be a rather traumatizing revelation. No wonder Yuuki was much more of her aunt than her own mother, or so she claimed.

If I wanted to make an effort, I would have to get to know the people.

Except, things couldn't be as simple as that. Even if I tried, that still wouldn't do anything to lessen the animosity these stupid elders held. They thought me as worthless as some trash-bag they could easily take out and replace, it wasn't that I thought myself  _irreplaceable_ \- it was that they couldn't consider me a human life. Who gave them the right to do that? Then again, these were people who had no qualms about killing as many as they wanted for their pleasure or to achieve what they wanted. It was basic law to them.

_What was wrong with them?_

But really, what the hell was my problem?

Where would I go if they so much decided to come anywhere near to doing so? I couldn't let them do it. Even if I was too much of a coward to actually kill myself, then I had no choice but to continue on living. I'd rather it not be in some dilapidated forest in the middle of nowhere.

_Come on think, Mina._

_Think, think! How could I force them into putting the possibility of getting rid of me out of their heads?_

Survival of the fittest, wasn't that one rule that judged who came out as victors and who were decidedly not? If everyone was out for themselves, then I suppose I should too. I'd die first before some old geezers in skirts and robes could decide my fate for me. Manipulation was the only way to go, but how? I knew what I had on them, but was it truly enough?

As I looked up at the baby blue sky, I noticed a flock of birds heading in this direction, flying like there was no care in the world. They rushed far past the house, past the balcony and past this land. There were no signs of clouds, and the sun had finally decided to show. Seeds of blossoming flowers were already sown, the grass was actually…greener on this side.

Spring was finally here.

In the far horizon flew a small black bird, the ugly duckling of its group, always on its own. Its inky feathers splayed against a clear sky as it made its way in the opposite direction of the flock, towards the great mountains of the valleys. It was odd, venturing alone into such unknown territories. That bird had more balls than I did. It was at the very least braver than I, fearless of what laid ahead of it.

And here I was, sitting and wallowing in my own self-pity.

Yuna was right, it was pathetic.

Pathetic and dumb.  _Maybe it was time to let things go_. The chains that I thought were suffocating me were placed by no one other than myself, it was a shame, because looking up at this perfect ocean of blue, it made me want to forget everything.

But before I did that, I had things to finish, things I knew could only give me closure when I can finally summon up the courage to face them head on.

These things, I think I may have finally understood them.

My daze couldn't last forever. A droplet of crystal clear water dripped from the gutter above, landing soundlessly on my thigh. As I watched it drip down, at last, it became clear to me what I had to do. What I  _needed_  to do.

She was right, she had been right all along.

But it wasn't the elders that I needed to reach out to. It was someone else.

The echoing of heavy footsteps down the hall made me fully aware of my surroundings. And as I turned to peek at the person carrying such weighted presence, he had already passed me, not once looking in my direction. I didn't think he was actually aware of my own presence. That didn't matter, it was time. I had to put in the effort, right?

Then there was no going back.

I stood up and took a step forward.

But this step was different, it was light, uncomplicated, I wasn't burdened by it. I didn't struggle this time. I knew that it wouldn't cost me either, because at the very end, there was nothing left for me to lose.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I swear, I am not trying to torture you guys with these ridiculously long chapters. I'm trying to limit myself but it's not working and now I feel like I'm dragging you all into an abyss of never ending words. I apologize for that.
> 
> Secondly, here's how the timeline should have occurred: Yuna's POV- Mina's first POV- Mina's second POV- Madara's POV.
> 
> This is how it should have been read, but since I'm a complicated person, I will literally complicate everything. Again, I apologize that all of you have to suffer through that.
> 
> Thirdly, I know how much smut you guys actually want- proof that the smutty chapters I had written somehow have the most views lol-, but I think it would be best written when both Mina and Madara are more stable. You might ask, why am I making their lives so difficult?
> 
> I'm going to answer: I have no idea. I ask myself the same thing.
> 
> You know; "complicated." Fuck this shit.
> 
> To Thornbiter: Izuna/Mina? I haven't thought of it actually, but goddamn. Haha, it's not weird at all but that ship would sink before it could even sail. They're both destructive people lmao. It kinda makes me secretly happy though.
> 
> I'm actually open to writing smutty one-shots as a side story for Unfounded but I have no inspiration whatsoever haha, I am happy to take requests and all from you as long as the characters are within the Unfounded universe (both canon and OC), maybe I'll branch out later. I have no idea. Let's get this shit over with, I'm sure you guys fell asleep half-way through this chapter.
> 
> Till next time!  
> (Title of the chapter inspired by a Coldplay song)


	62. POLL

_**UPDATE:** _

So, I made a server on discord, regardless. One person showed interest and that was enough for me. So here's the link: https://discord.gg/GRTHG9E. I'd appreciate it if you'd joined. I love discussions! Anyone is welcome! 

 

* * *

* * *

 

Sorry to disappoint! Trust me, I'm more disappointed in myself. I don't update as much anymore, life is getting in the way and nothing seems to be on track anymore. I apologize for my sporadic updates, and most importantly, know that this won't happen often- me updating and it turns out it isn't a new chapter--I will not do this again. I know, this isn't a new chapter, but I'd like your opinions on something. I'm doing a poll; it's live on my fanfiction . net account profile, you can vote there if you like. Or here, where I can give you the options/question. Whichever it is you choose, I hope that you can take the time to vote/or comment. 

So here it is; 

_**How many of you use discord?** _

**Would it be easier for you to follow up with my fic if I made a server/or gave you my ID? Are you interested? I just made one and thought it would be easier to answer any questions on discord rather on here, seeing the ff app and fanfiction site seem to operate independent of each other. And the comment section here is wide open for any other readers and may risk spoiling parts of the fic, so I thought something like discord may be a bit more easier and wiser.**

  | 

_1) Yes, I have one, but I don't see a need to follow up._

|   
---|---|---  
| _2) Yes, I have one, and I'd like to follow up/have questions/suggestions._ |   
| 

_3) No, I don't have a discord/don't know what it is._

_4) Others._  
  
Please, whatever it is you think, I'd appreciate any feedback. 

Thank you, and hopefully, I can update soon.  _Hopefully_.

-CLOSED-

**Author's Note:**

> Constructive criticism and reviews are most welcomed XD


End file.
